Damascus in Washington County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Wood Products Industry

Photographed by Tom Bosse, September 3, 2022

1. Wood Products Industry Marker

Inscription. Damascus owes its development to the forests around it, which gave it decades of economic growth. These forests had been logged in the 19th century, but only with the coming of the railroad in 1906 could large-scale logging be profitable. Soon after the railroads came wood processing, and Damascus was home to mills for making doors, sashes, furniture and other wood products. There were also mills for tanning leather, using the tannin extracted from hemlock tree bark. But the depletion of the timber would come surprisingly quick: within twenty years o their establishment, several manufacturers were losing money, and by the 1950s very little of Damascus' wood processing capacity remained. By the turn of the twentieth century, all of these businesses were gone. And, ironically, the forests had finally recovered the hillsides.

Erected by Virginia Department of Conservation & Recreation.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Horticulture & Forestry • Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1906.

Location. 36° 38.522′ N, 81° 47.982′ W.

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Marker is in Damascus, Virginia, in Washington County. It is on Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail west of West Laurel Avenue (U.S. 58), on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Damascus VA 24236, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Tri-Cities Area,

in Southwest Virginia,

and in the Blue Ridge Highlands.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Water Tanks (approx. half a mile away); Damascus (approx. 0.6 miles away); Laurel Avenue, The Main Street of Damascus (approx. 0.6 miles away); Founders of Damascus (approx. 0.7 miles away); Damascus Old Mill (approx.

Photographed by Tom Bosse, September 3, 2022

2. Wood Products Industry Marker

0.7 miles away); Electricity Comes to Damascus (approx. 0.7 miles away); Damascus Presbyterian Church (approx. ¾ mile away); Churches of Damascus (approx. ¾ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Damascus.

Also see . . . The Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail. (Submitted on November 23, 2022.)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 2, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 23, 2022, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 140 times since then and 17 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 23, 2022, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.