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Southwest Virginia Crossroads: An Almanac of Place Names and Places to See
The mountains, rivers, and lakes of Southwest Virginia have invited explorers since the mid-1700s. Now this land beckons the modern traveler with its siren song of beauty, wonder, and history. Southwest Virginia An Almanac of Place Names and Places to See extols the virtues of this national treasure and serves as a guide for those who want to find the best of America. As you journey with author Joe Tennis through Southwest Virginia Crossroads, he relates the history of the land and its people, chronicling the fascinating stories birthed in this fabled region, as well as age-old place-names and their origins. County maps and detailed directions lead you to all the little- and best-known attractions housed in cities and towns like Bristol and Abingdon or sheltered within the rolling farmland and weathered mountains. Even those familiar with the area will want to visit waterfalls, lakes, towns, cities, restaurants, and historical sites discovered in the! pages of this comprehensive work. Whether on the car dashboard or at home on the coffee table, Southwest Virginia Crossroads is a wealth of knowledge and a delight to read. This book was released in a second edition in 2017, staying true to the original local bestseller of 2004 yet loaded with updates, expansions and even more photographs showcasing Southwest Virginia.
166 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
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April 18, 2025
Southwest Virginia Crossroads: An Almanac of Place Names and Places to See by Joe Tennis:
More than a reference book than anything, I bought a signed copy of this book from the author on a trip home to Abingdon, Virginia in 2018. Long has it sat on my bookshelf, unread and unappreciated. I am always seeking to learn more about Southern Appalachia and my home, so I can't give you a good reason as to why it took me seven years to pick this up and read it.
Southwest Virginia spans from the Cumberland Mountains on the Kentucky border to the eastern wall of either the Alleghany Mountains or the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east, depending on who you ask. Interspersed between the ridges are river valleys such as the Powell, Clinch, Holston, and New (which is actually the oldest river on Earth and flows north). This area was hunting ground of the Shawnee and eventually white settlers from the east came before the American Revolution, among them were Christopher Gist and Daniel Boone. Settlers of Scots-Irish, England, and German descent flooded the area befoer and after the war. Settlements popped up along the rivers, and eventually the area became known for its farms, Appalachian culture, and various industries such as coal mining, timber, lead mining, salt mining, and many others.
Many famous people have come from Southwest Virginia. Among them are Stephen F. Austin, the Father of Texas and Edith Wilson, the wife of Woodrow Wilson and "The First Female President". The region boasts numerous festivals that celebrate music and culture. Abingdon is home of the State Theatre of Virginia, where many famous actors such as Ernest Borgnine, Gregory Peck, and Wayne Knight got their start. Various colleges and universities dot the region, and these include Virginia Tech, Radford University, UVA-Wise, and Emory & Henry. In addition to numerous lakes, include one of the two natural lakes in Virginia, there are various trails, most notably the Appalachian Trail. Mount Rogers sits in Grayson County, the highest point in Virginia and named after a future founder of MIT. It provides a climate that is similar to the Canadian Rockies, and Christmas trees are grown there. Much of Southwest Virginia is federal land, including the Jefferson National Forest and also at its far end, the Cumberland Gap, which is the gateway to the west and was used by settlers moving past the eastern seaboard. The region also has ties to the sodas Mountain Dew and Dr. Pepper.
I learned quite a bit, including that the Vanderbilts wanted to build the Biltmore in Burke's Garden in Tazewell County, Virginia, but the residents declined to sell their land. As a result, the house was built in Asheville. How different would that have made the area?
Tennis, a local author, does an excellent job of taking the reader across the region along a westward path. His entries are concise, and filled with interesting anecdotes on local history, folklore, and places to visit. The books is filled with numerous pictures by the author. I appreciate the exhaustive work that it took to write this book as many of the places are mere place names on a map, and long forgotten or almost forgotten. This is a coffee table book, more or less, but an excellent resource and enjoyable read.
More than a reference book than anything, I bought a signed copy of this book from the author on a trip home to Abingdon, Virginia in 2018. Long has it sat on my bookshelf, unread and unappreciated. I am always seeking to learn more about Southern Appalachia and my home, so I can't give you a good reason as to why it took me seven years to pick this up and read it.
Southwest Virginia spans from the Cumberland Mountains on the Kentucky border to the eastern wall of either the Alleghany Mountains or the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east, depending on who you ask. Interspersed between the ridges are river valleys such as the Powell, Clinch, Holston, and New (which is actually the oldest river on Earth and flows north). This area was hunting ground of the Shawnee and eventually white settlers from the east came before the American Revolution, among them were Christopher Gist and Daniel Boone. Settlers of Scots-Irish, England, and German descent flooded the area befoer and after the war. Settlements popped up along the rivers, and eventually the area became known for its farms, Appalachian culture, and various industries such as coal mining, timber, lead mining, salt mining, and many others.
Many famous people have come from Southwest Virginia. Among them are Stephen F. Austin, the Father of Texas and Edith Wilson, the wife of Woodrow Wilson and "The First Female President". The region boasts numerous festivals that celebrate music and culture. Abingdon is home of the State Theatre of Virginia, where many famous actors such as Ernest Borgnine, Gregory Peck, and Wayne Knight got their start. Various colleges and universities dot the region, and these include Virginia Tech, Radford University, UVA-Wise, and Emory & Henry. In addition to numerous lakes, include one of the two natural lakes in Virginia, there are various trails, most notably the Appalachian Trail. Mount Rogers sits in Grayson County, the highest point in Virginia and named after a future founder of MIT. It provides a climate that is similar to the Canadian Rockies, and Christmas trees are grown there. Much of Southwest Virginia is federal land, including the Jefferson National Forest and also at its far end, the Cumberland Gap, which is the gateway to the west and was used by settlers moving past the eastern seaboard. The region also has ties to the sodas Mountain Dew and Dr. Pepper.
I learned quite a bit, including that the Vanderbilts wanted to build the Biltmore in Burke's Garden in Tazewell County, Virginia, but the residents declined to sell their land. As a result, the house was built in Asheville. How different would that have made the area?
Tennis, a local author, does an excellent job of taking the reader across the region along a westward path. His entries are concise, and filled with interesting anecdotes on local history, folklore, and places to visit. The books is filled with numerous pictures by the author. I appreciate the exhaustive work that it took to write this book as many of the places are mere place names on a map, and long forgotten or almost forgotten. This is a coffee table book, more or less, but an excellent resource and enjoyable read.
Displaying 1 of 1 review