Rediscovering America_ Exploring the Small Towns of Virginia & Maryland - Bill Burnham [43]
The Trail production is Big Stone Gap’s chief draw, a far cry from iron and timber that lent the town the nickname “Pittsburgh of the South." Discovery of coal and iron ore deposits in the 1870s seemed to offer northern coal and timber barons all the ingredients for wealth. Hotels were built, streets were laid out methodically on a grid, and the railroad came, bringing with it the outside world.
But the thirst for wealth depleted much of the valuable timber by 1915. The iron ore reserves turned out to be much less than estimated. Coal proved more profitable. Neighboring Wise County still produces 40% of all coal mined in the state. The Harry W. Meador Jr. Coal Museum (tel. 540-523-4950) at E. Third Street and Shawnee Avenue displays artifacts from the industry that shaped this town and remains a major employer. The museum’s namesake was a union laborer in the mines who rose to vice president of the coal company. The museum has displays of photographs, equipment and tools that go back to the pick-and-shovel days.
The Southwest Virginia Museum (tel. 276-523-1322) at W. First Street and Wood Avenue is located in a gem of a mansion built of locally quarried limestone. The house, built in the 1880s by Rufus Ayers, a Virginia attorney general, has been a museum since 1948. Three floors of exhibits vividly describe the boom and bust years of the town, describe Native American life as well as that of the pioneers who passed through on their way west through the Cumberland Gap. The grounds of the museum are nearly as fascinating as the interior. There’s a separate brochure describing both the manmade and natural, from cultivated plants to a gigantic iron kettle brought over from France before 1776 to boil seawater for salt. Open Memorial Day to Labor Day, Monday-Thursday, 10 am-4 pm; Friday, 9 am-4 pm; Saturday, 10 am-5 pm; and Sunday 1-5 pm. Closed Mondays the rest of the year. Admission is charged.
Lastly, is a stop that really should be your first, the 101 Car on US 23 on the edge of town. The restored 1870 train car houses the Lonesome Pine Tourist & Information Center (tel. 276-523-2060), offering brochures, friendly advice, as well as a 50¢ tour of the plush conveyance, once the private car of the president of the Interstate Railroad.
MOVIE TRIVIA: The 1937 film of Trail of the Lonesome Pine, starring Henry Fonda, wasn’t filmed here, and some residents still resent it. Parts of Coal Miner’s Daughter were shot here, and the film of Adriana Trigiani’s 2000 best-selling novel Big Stone Gap is scheduled to be.
Dining
Stringer’s on Fifth Street (tel. 276-523-5388) has long been the most popular place to eat on a Friday night (fried food, buffet-style). There’s also, Red Flower Chinese Restaurant on Wood Avenue (tel. 276-523-2498), Little Mexico in Powell Valley Square (tel. 276-523-3992), and Huddle House, next to the Comfort Inn, specializing in 24-hour breakfast (tel. 276-523-6530). Mutual Drug on Wood Avenue has cafeteria-style dining (tel. 276-523-1123). The nicest place to eat in terms of atmosphere is Ms. Fritzi’s Tea Room in the 1908 Victorian House on Wood Avenue, serving lunch and dinner Tuesday-Saturday (tel. 276-523-6245).
Lodging
Pet-friendly: The Country Inn Motel & RV Park is really the only place to stay in town and luckily, it takes pets with a $2 charge. It’s modest, old-fashioned motel, but the view of the mountains is first rate, and the 101 Car Lonesome Pine Tourist Information Center is right next door (on US 23, tel. 276-523-0374).
There’s a Comfort Inn two miles from town (tel. 276-523-5911), and more lodging in nearby Norton.
Information
Heart of Appalachia Tourism, tel. 888-798-2386, www.heartofappalachia.com.
Lonesome Pine Tourist & Information Center,