Stuart in Patrick County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
The Crooked Road ⎯⎯⎯ Patrick County
Virginia's Heritage Music Trail
Photographed by Mark Parker, April 29, 2025
1. The Crooked Road side of marker
Inscription.
The Crooked Road, also, Patrick County. Virginia's Heritage Music Trail. , (Left Side) , From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Coalfields region, southwest Virginia is blessed with historic and contemporary music venues, musicians, and fretted instrument makers. Historically isolated, the region retained its strong musical legacy by passing traditions down through musical families to an appreciative community., Old time mountain music, bluegrass, and gospel can be enjoyed all year long and several museums are devoted to showcasing the area's rich musical heritage., The Crooked Road winds through the ruggedly beautiful Appalachian Mountains and leads you to the major hotspots of old time mountain music, country music, and bluegrass. Alive and kickin' for today's fans, these venues preserve and celebrate musical traditions passed down through generations. Annual festivals, weekly concerts, radio shows, and jam sessions ring out to large audiences and intimate gatherings. Please visit the Crooked Road website to plan your trip to coincide with the current entertainment events., (caption) The Carter Family . Dr. Ralph Stanley, (Right side) , Nine families have enriched the traditional music of Patrick County for over 200 years. In ancestry they are German, English, Huguenot, Ulster Irish, and African-American. These musical families are named Spangler, Bowman, Shelor, Boyd, Foddrell, Vipperman, Pendleton, Gwynn (Guynn), and Cockram. Making your own music is a powerful tradition here, and though small in population, Patrick County has provided the nation with many notable musicians. The first string band from here to become famous was the one organized by fighting General J.E.B. Stuart, a Patrick County native, during the Civil War. It featured noted minstrel Sam Sweeney on banjo, and Stuart as singer. Patrick County musicians were among those who made traditional music mesh with the new technology of recordings and radio during the 1920s, with the Shelors and Spanglers making notable contributions. Patrick is still richly productive of fine musicians. Two of the nation's most respected bluegrass bands tour nationally from here, and are headed by Sammy Shelor and Kenny and Amanda Smith. Richard Bowman is a respected old-time fiddler and bandleader beloved by dancers in many distant places., There are scores of beautiful vistas here, including the two covered bridges over the Smith River near Woolwine, the breathtaking Lover's Leap, and Pinnacles of Dan. A glimpse of the fascinating history of Patrick County can be found at Stuart's home, the Reynolds Homestead, the Hollow History Center, and in the 1822 Patrick County Courthouse. People in Patrick County are accustomed to sharing music. Be sure to ask about local jam sessions, find one, and join in!, (captions) Richard Bowman . Reynolds Homestead . The Foddrell Family
(Left Side)
From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the Coalfields region, southwest Virginia is blessed with historic and contemporary music venues, musicians, and fretted instrument makers. Historically isolated, the region retained its strong musical legacy by passing traditions down through musical families to an appreciative community.
Old time mountain music, bluegrass, and gospel can be enjoyed all year long and several museums are devoted to showcasing the area's rich musical heritage.
The Crooked Road winds through the ruggedly beautiful Appalachian Mountains and leads you to the major hotspots of old time mountain music, country music, and bluegrass. Alive and kickin' for today's fans, these venues preserve and celebrate musical traditions passed down through generations. Annual festivals, weekly concerts, radio shows, and jam sessions ring out to large audiences and intimate gatherings. Please visit the Crooked Road website to plan your trip to coincide with the current entertainment events.
(caption) The Carter Family Dr. Ralph Stanley
(Right side)
Nine families have enriched the traditional music
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of Patrick County for over 200 years. In ancestry they are German, English, Huguenot, Ulster Irish, and African-American. These musical families are named Spangler, Bowman, Shelor, Boyd, Foddrell, Vipperman, Pendleton, Gwynn (Guynn), and Cockram. Making your own music is a powerful tradition here, and though small in population, Patrick County has provided the nation with many notable musicians. The first string band from here to become famous was the one organized by fighting General J.E.B. Stuart, a Patrick County native, during the Civil War. It featured noted minstrel Sam Sweeney on banjo, and Stuart as singer. Patrick County musicians were among those who made traditional music mesh with the new technology of recordings and radio during the 1920s, with the Shelors and Spanglers making notable contributions. Patrick is still richly productive of fine musicians. Two of the nation's most respected bluegrass bands tour nationally from here, and are headed by Sammy Shelor and Kenny and Amanda Smith. Richard Bowman is a respected old-time fiddler and bandleader beloved by dancers in many distant places.
There are scores of beautiful
Photographed by Mark Parker, April 29, 2025
2. Patrick County side of marker
vistas here, including the two covered bridges over the Smith River near Woolwine, the breathtaking Lover's Leap, and Pinnacles of Dan. A glimpse of the fascinating history of Patrick County can be found at Stuart's home, the Reynolds Homestead, the Hollow History Center, and in the 1822 Patrick County Courthouse. People in Patrick County are accustomed to sharing music. Be sure to ask about local jam sessions, find one, and join in!
(captions) Richard Bowman Reynolds Homestead The Foddrell Family
Location. 36° 38.53′ N, 80° 16.159′ W. Marker is in Stuart, Virginia, in Patrick County. It is at the intersection of East Blue Ridge Street (Business U.S. 58) and North Main Street, on the right when traveling east on East Blue Ridge Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Stuart VA 24171, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southern Virginia and in the Blue Ridge Highlands. It is also in
Photographed by Mark Parker, April 29, 2025
3. Full view of the marker near the Stuart Post Office
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.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 1, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 30, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 121 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on April 30, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
