Radford, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Ingles Ferry
Photographed by Mark Parker, June 12, 2025
1. Ingles Ferry Marker
Inscription.
Ingles Ferry. . William Ingles established Ingles Ferry on the New River ca. 1762, on a site that had long been occupied by Native Americans. He and his wife, Mary Draper Ingles, resided on the river's eastern side and operated a tavern and store on the western side. Migrants moving westward, coffles of enslaved African Americans, and well-known individuals such as future French king Louis Philippe I used this crossing on the heavily traveled Great Road. Virginia native William Clark crossed here in Nov. 1809 on a journey from St. Louis with his wife and son to visit family, conduct business in Washington, D.C., and make plans for the publication of the Lewis and Clark Expedition journals.
William Ingles established Ingles Ferry on the New River ca. 1762, on a site that had long been occupied by Native Americans. He and his wife, Mary Draper Ingles, resided on the river's eastern side and operated a tavern and store on the western side. Migrants moving westward, coffles of enslaved African Americans, and well-known individuals such as future French king Louis Philippe I used this crossing on the heavily traveled Great Road. Virginia native William Clark crossed here in Nov. 1809 on a journey from St. Louis with his wife and son to visit family, conduct business in Washington, D.C., and make plans for the publication of the Lewis and Clark Expedition journals.
Erected 2022 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number K-85.)
Location. 37° 6.096′ N, 80° 34.921′ W. Marker is in Radford, Virginia. It is at the intersection of West Main Street (Virginia Route 232) and Wilderness Drive, on the right when traveling south on West Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3098 W Main St, Radford VA 24141, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is 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 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.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 23, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 12, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 238 times since then and 41 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on June 12, 2025, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
