Bill’s first publication was William Lawson, A Scottish Rebel, a history of the Lawson and other allied families. His second publication was, School Bells From The Past, bits and pieces of Wise County School history. He is currently working on Volume II of School Bells and a book on Politics in Wise County. He also compiled Our Community Heritage-Banner, Virginia, which is now in its second printing. Bill provided information and articles for Coeburn, Virginia, area history published by the Coeburn Kiwanis Club.
Billy R. Porter
In school, Bill’s favorite subject was history. About three decades ago he started doing local and regional historical research and this led him to become acquainted with the area historians whose tremendous knowledge was a great help.
His first publication was William Lawson, A Scottish Rebel, a history of the Lawson and other allied families. His second publication was, School Bells From The Past, bits and pieces of Wise County School history. He is currently working on Volume II of School Bells and a book on Politics in Wise County. He also compiled Our Community Heritage-Banner, Virginia, which is now in its second printing. Bill provided information and articles for Coeburn, Virginia, area history published by the Coeburn Kiwanis Club.
Bill is a charter member of the Wise County Historical Society and volunteers several days a week to work in the office and bookstore. Bill copies and binds all our books for sale and all donated material for our archives and performs other various chores. He is indeed a valuable member of the Society.
Bill served four years in the Air Force, honorably discharged in 1965 and is married to Diann Perry. They have three children: Richard Porter, Kelly, married Paul Byrant; and Jane who married John Hall, Jr. The Porter family reside in the Banner community near Coeburn, Virginia.
Denver J. “Bud” Osborne is a charter member of the Wise County Historical Society, serves as its Vice-President and has held that position for several years. He is a member of the First Baptist Church in Norton serving as Deacon and Sunday School teacher. He is an orchardist who enjoys teaching pruning and grafting of fruit trees. Bud is a member of 40 years with Suthers Lodge #259 in Norton. He is also an avid collector of fountain pens and Indian artifacts.
Denver J. “Bud” Osborne
Denver J. Osborne
Denver J. “Bud” Osborne is a charter member of the Wise County Historical Society, serves as its Vice-President and has held that position for several years. He is a member of the First Baptist Church in Norton serving as Deacon and Sunday School teacher. He is an orchardist who enjoys teaching pruning and grafting of fruit trees. Bud is a member of 40 years with Suthers Lodge #259 in Norton. He is also an avid collector of fountain pens and Indian artifacts.
Bud is the compiler of the book, Apple Blossoms of Yesteryear, a history of the apple industry in Wise County. He can be found volunteering in the society’s office on Thursday afternoons. Bud is constantly on the lookout for rare books for our archives and due to his sharp eye for them, the archives is fortunate to have several rare books, photos and documents we otherwise would not have had. Bud refinishes copies of old black & white photographs in full color, stating the subjects were indeed in color at the time the picture was taken, but there was no color film then. He is a man of many talents.
He is married to the former Katherine McCamey of St. Paul. Kathy is a realtor with Century 21 in Wise. They have three children: Penny Osborne who lives in Charlotte, NC; Jackie who lives in Wiseand is married to Ed Withrow, and D.J., Jr. who lives in Santa Cruz, CA and is still single. Jackie and Ed are the parents of Bud and Cathy’s two grandchildren, Edward Denver and Alexander Logan. Bud and Cathy make their home in Wise.
Lillian, also a Wise County native, grew up near Wise and attended Wise High school. Lil is extremely knowledgeable on Wise County Families and genealogy and seldom is there a visitor to the Historical Society whom she cannot help trace their family.
Lillian Hamilton Gobble
Genealogist
Lillian C. Gobble
Lillian, also a Wise County native, grew up near Wise and attended Wise High school. Lil is extremely knowledgeable on Wise County Families and genealogy and seldom is there a visitor to the Historical Society whom she cannot help trace their family.
Lillian and her husband Bill has copied many Marriage and Death records from Wise County Court files and housed them in notebooks for the Historical Society Archives.
Lil is instrumental in locating and erecting stones for Wise County’s Civil War soldiers and spends hours documenting their service and ordering their stones from the Veteran’s Administration.
Lil, along with Rhonda Robertson is currently working on a book of the Wise County Civil War Veterans, our next project. She also serves as chairman of our Cemetery Committee, organized to locate, document and mark the graves of Civil War Soldier and early settlers.
Lillian Volunteers time at the Historical Society office. Her sincere effort in helping with research comes through to the researchers and they never forget her.
Interesting things you’ll find in Southwest Virginia
Details on how to find each is included in “Southwest Virginia Crossroads,” a new guide and history book by Joe Tennis
Interesting things you’ll find in Southwest Virginia Crossroads – By Joe Tennis
Details on how to find each is included in “Southwest Virginia Crossroads,” a new guide and history book by Joe Tennis
Dirty Dancing” was shot at Mountain Lake in Giles County.
Several movies have been filmed in Southwest Virginia. “The River,” starring Mel Gibson, was filmed in downtown Gate City.
“Lassie” was filmed in Tazewell County.
“Coal Miner’s Daughter” was filmed in Wise County at the Wise
County Fairgrounds.
Unemployed actors during the Great Depression founded the
Barter Theatre in Abingdon and once traded food for admission
tickets. The Barter now offers year-round professional theater
performances.
Virginia and includes Floyd County’s famous Mabry Mill, a landmark that has shown up on countless postcards and calendars.
There really is a place called “Goose Pimple Junction, Va.” It’s on the outskirts of Bristol. Other places with animal names in Southwest Virginia include Buffalo, Frog Level, Bear Wallow, Horsepen and Snake Creek.
Conventional tourists may know both the Chimney Rock and Blowing Rock as attractions in North Carolina, but the Jefferson National Forest in Southwest Virginia also has its own landmarks by the same names.
A “Chimney Rock” is in Scott County.
A “Blowing Rock” is in Dickenson County.
Submitted by Gladys Stallard
Recipe for Preserving Old Newspapers
Formula recommended by the National Archives
Mix 2 teaspoons Magnesium Carbonate with 1 quart club soda in large plastic dish. Sandwich clippings between two pieces of screen or pellon (sold in fabric shops), and soak for 30 minutes. Mop up excess water with blotting paper or allow to dry overnight on more blotting paper. After using this preservation technique, store clippings in well seasoned plastic bag. They should keep forever.
Note: A Milk of Magnesia tablet in a quart of club soda overnight, pour into a flat pan and soak one hour. Remove and pat dry. Lay on flat surface to completely dry before moving.
By “well-seasoned”, I presume that the plastic bag should be exposed to the air for a long time before using. Maybe there is something left in the plastic after manufacturing that should be allowed to evaporate. (Gladys Stallard)
Spray with hair spray to prevent newspaper clippings from turning yellow. Spray three or four times about 30 seconds apart while clippings are lying on flat surface. If they have already yellowed, soak them for 10 to 15 minutes in a weak solution of bleach and water. Rinse carefully with clear water and slap them on your refrigerator door or other flat surface to dry.
A First in the Wise County Historical Society Office
Jane Hall & Bryan Dotten Wedding
The wedding ceremony of Jane Hall and Bryan Dotten took place June 5, 2003 inside the Wise County Historical Society office in the courthouse in Wise, VA. Performing the rites were J. Jack Kennedy, Circuit Court Clerk of Wise County. Their sons, John R. Hall III and Jonathan Dotten participated by holding the rings. Bryan is the son of Bill Dotten of Wise and Vickie Dotten of St. Paul, VA. Jane is the daughter of Bill and Diann Porter of Coeburn, VA. Her father is an active volunteer for the Wise County Historical Society.
Emory L. Hamilton, born April 10, 1913 in Wise County and christened Emory Lee; he was the son of Jessee and Sarah Baldwin Hamilton. His love of history began at the feet of his
parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents listening to stories of his ancestors told around the fireplaces and porches of Wise County. Emory was a descendant of the earliest of pioneer families having settled on the frontiers of Southwest Virginia.
He often told of himself and his younger brother, J. B., studying by candlelight in the loft of their old log house in the community known as Hamilton Town. They poked holes in the daubing in the walls and roof so they could lie in their beds beneath feather ticks and look at the stars glinting in the dark sky. Beautiful as this was there was a drawback, and he laughingly told that in winter the snow would sift down through the openings and softly fall on them, making them keep their heads under the cover all night because they didn’t dare tell their parents what they had done.
Emory L. Hamilton
Emory Hamilton
Memorial Tribute by Rhonda Robertson
Emory L. Hamilton, born April 10, 1913 in Wise County and christened Emory Lee; he was the son of Jessee and Sarah Baldwin Hamilton. His love of history began at the feet of his
parents, aunts, uncles and grandparents listening to stories of his ancestors told around the fireplaces and porches of Wise County. Emory was a descendant of the earliest of pioneer families having settled on the frontiers of Southwest Virginia.
He often told of himself and his younger brother, J. B., studying by candlelight in the loft of their old log house in the community known as Hamilton Town. They poked holes in the daubing in the walls and roof so they could lie in their beds beneath feather ticks and look at the stars glinting in the dark sky. Beautiful as this was there was a drawback, and he laughingly told that in winter the snow would sift down through the openings and softly fall on them, making them keep their heads under the cover all night because they didn’t dare tell their parents what they had done.
When Emory graduated from high school there weren’t many opportunities for young men in Wise County so he traveled to New York to study navigation with the Merchant Marines. It was while living in New York and working on board the Merchant ships that the Depression came and everyone lost their jobs causing his return home to Wise. He worked odd jobs until he applied for and was accepted by the WPA. his assignment was to document and record the early settlements of Wise County. The only problem was that his investigation and recording of these settlements was limited by how far he could walk or with whom he could hitch a ride. The assignment only fueled his love of history and from this work came his manuscripts of Indian Atrocities Along the Clinch, Powell and Holston Rivers, The Early Frontier, Early Settlements and Early Houses. In addition to the hundreds of articles that appeared in various publications ad local newspapers.
After his enjoyable work in the WPA, World War Ii came and Emory enlisted in the Army Air Corps on January 14, 1941 at Roanoke, VA and trained as an Administrative Specialist, being promoted to Technical sergeant in the 3539th Base Unit. He transferred on January 23, 1942 to Australia, and then on to the battles and campaigns of New Guinea and the Northern Solomons.
Emory related that it was so hot everyone had to sleep outside at night n hammocks strung between the trees. These hammocks were covered with netting that not only served to keep out the mosquitoes, but he also told that at night, things would fall out of trees onto the netting and roll onto the ground. Those things were snakes! Emory reenlisted in the 309th Army Air Force at Greenville, South Carolina on November 19, 1945 and was discharged from the service on January 11, 1947 in Greenville. He might have made a career out of military service, but he returned to care for his widowed mother.
When Emory returned home he worked for several years in the County Circuit Court Clerk’s office until a position opened in the Wise County Vocational School where he taught sheet metal and drafting until his retirement. Many are the men who took drafting and sheet metal under his tutelage.
Emory was a founding and charter member of the Historical Society of Southwest Virginia and served as its secretary for 30 years before giving up the position due to ill health. Emory answered hundreds of letters and phone calls each month from people searching out their family genealogy and the early history of Southwest Virginia. Had Emory lived to see the beginning of the Wise County Historical Society he would have been one of its most avid supporters and would have been in the office daily to answer questions and help out. He took great enjoyment in helping people in their quest and was a fount of knowledge which is sorely missed and cannot be replaced.
From his love of history came his passion for antiques and he had a most impressive collection of porcelain mustache cups and pattern glass pitchers and creamers. His pitchers and creamers are on display at the lonesome Pine Regional Library.
Along with his keen interest in history and genealogy, he also had a great interest in astronomy and harbored a secret desire to have been an archaeologist.
Emory contracted cancer of he lung, which recurred after a short remission and passed away on November 3, 1991 while hospitalized in Kingsport, Tennessee. He is buried by his mother and father in the Wells Cemetery in Esserville, VA
I Like to think of him like Indiana Jones, in a leather jacket with a battered fedora, turning to doff his hat in goodbye as he prepares to stride off to a new adventure.
Memorial Tribute to Emory Hamilton
by Rhonda Robertson
Do Not Stand At My Grave and Weep
Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the softly falling snow,
I am the gentle showers of rain,
I am the fields of ripening grain.
I am in the morning hush,
I am in the graceful rush,
Of beautiful birds in circling flight,
I am in the starshine of the night.
I am in the flowers that bloom,
I am in a quiet room,
I am in the birds that sing,
I am in each lovely thing.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there, I do not die.
The Guest River Gorge is one of Wise County’s natural wonders. The Guest River plunges through a canyon carved through Stone Mountain as it flows to join the Clinch River. Rails to trails project that follows an old railroad right of way paralleling the Guest River, a Virginia Scenic River. Trout fishing is permitted in the river, as well as kayacking and canoeing.
During the early 1900’s when timber and coal were being hauled out of the remote areas of Dickenson County, this passage was used as a rail line.
The history of the Gorge shows that millions of years ago the Guest River eroded a passage through Stone Mountain on its way to join the Clinch River. Cutting through massive rock, it opened a deep rock corridor that is a scenic wonder. Many other curiosities exist along the six mile trail, including an old railroad tunnel, bridges using the remaining railroad trestles, waterfalls and rock outcroppings.
Located in the G.W/Jefferson Forest near Coeburn, Virginia.
The Trail was officially dedicated [intlink id=”251″ type=”post”] [/intlink] in 1994, after the N-S Railroad had abandoned the railbed and donated the land to the Forest Service. The railway had originally hauled coal. Coal and saltpeter were mined near the gorge – coal for heating and smelting, and saltpeter for gunpowder manufacturing.
Native Americans occupied areas in and around the gorge for hunting, fishing and implement making from about 9000BC to the mid18th century.
The Forest Service manages the Guest River Gorge area as a Special Area. The 5.3 mile section of the Guest River is designated as a State Scenic River.
Bicyclists, hikers and runners are invited to use the trail. Along your walk, there are numbered signposts indicating points we think you’ll find interesting:
Swede Tunnel – constructed in 1922
Cliff line – Rocks in this and the other cliffs are about 300 million years old.
“Big Shot” – This section came to be called “by that name because it took a lot of explosives to get through the cliffline during constructing.
Vista – This is one of several scenic spots on the Guest River Gorge Trail.
The Culvert
Concrete retaining wall
The Guest river-Clinch River Confluence – The rivers join here
Information: The National Forest Service; Clinch Ranger District
Hikers, Fishermen, kayakers, canoeists and bicyclists are invited to the Gorge to enjoy the beauty of the scenery, and the seeming isolation from the rest of the world.
