Near Raven in Buchanan County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Buchanan County
⎯⎯⎯
Tazewell County
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 18, 2023
1. Buchanan County side of marker
Buchanan County Buchanan County is situated in the heart of Southwest Virginia's coalfields in the Appalachian Plateau and was formed from Tazewell and Russell counties in 1858. The county is named for James Buchanan who served as president of the United States from 1857 to 1861. The area was first explored about 1750, but few settlers remained permanently until after the Revolutionary War. Timbering was an early industry in the county and it remained sparsely settled until the development of the coal mining industry here in the 1930s. Grundy is the county seat.
Tazewell County Tazewell County was formed from Wythe and Russell counties in 1799, and parts of Logan (now in West Virginia), Russell, Wythe, and Washington counties were added later. Named for Henry Tazewell (1755-1799) who served as United States Senator for Virginia from 1794 to 1799, the county features Burke's Garden, a topographically unique elongated basin rimmed entirely by the Garden Mountain. Named after colonial surveyor James Burke, Burke's Garden is one of the most productive grazing areas in Southwest Virginia. Tazewell is the county seat.
Erected 2002 by Virginia Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number Z-184.)
Topics and series. This historical marker
this page online
Location. 37° 9.219′ N, 81° 52.543′ W. Marker is near Raven, Virginia, in Buchanan County. It is on U.S. 460 south of Shortt Gap Road, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Raven VA 24639, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southwest Virginia. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, 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 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Richlands (approx. 4.9 miles away); N&W Railroad Section Foreman's House (approx. 5.9 miles away); First Christian Church (approx. 5.9 miles away); Dr. Williams' Operating Room (approx. 5.9 miles away); Becky's Jewel Box (approx. 6 miles away); T. Shea Cook Family Home (approx. 6 miles away); Site of the First Bank in Richlands (approx. 6 miles away); Dixie Hotel Building (approx. 6.1 miles away).
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 18, 2023
2. Tazewell County side of marker
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, June 18, 2023
3. Buchanan County / Tazewell County Marker
View looking north from actual county line.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 2, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 17, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 386 times since then and 116 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 17, 2023, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
