Seven Mile Ford in Smyth County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Seven Mile Ford

Photographed by J. J. Prats, May 29, 2011

1. Seven Mile Ford Marker

Inscription. The place takes its name from the highway ford on the Holston, seven miles west of Royal Oak. The land here belonged to General William Campbell, hero of Kings Mountain, 1780. It descended to the wife of John M. Preston. The town originated as a railroad station, it was occupied in Stoneman’s Raid of December, 1864.

Erected 1941 by Virginia Conservation Commission. (Marker Number K-19.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Political Subdivisions • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical month for this entry is December 1864.

Location. 36° 48.528′ N, 81° 37.537′ W. Marker is in Seven Mile Ford, Virginia, in Smyth County. It is at the intersection of Lee Highway (U.S. 11) and Shamrock Lane, on the left when traveling west on Lee Highway. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Marion VA 24354, 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.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: William Campbell’s Grave (approx. 0.9 miles away); Elizabeth Henry Campbell Russell (approx. 0.9 miles away); Aspenvale Cemetery (approx. 0.9 miles away); Fight Like Devils!

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

(approx. 0.9 miles away); Campbell's Home (approx. one mile away); Chilhowie Methodist Episcopal Church (approx. 3.1 miles away); Village of Holston Mills (approx. 3.1 miles away); Transportation Through the Ages (approx. 3.2 miles away).

Additional commentary.
1. Norfolk and Western Railway
The rail line that ran through Seven Mile Ford when this marker was erected was the Norfolk-Bristol line of the Norfolk and Western Railway, which was headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia. Five passenger trains ran on this line daily in each direction in the 1940s, but only one stopped here, and only if there were passengers waiting to board or de-train. All trains stopped at the next station east, Marion, 6½ miles away. The trains that rushed by without stopping were The Tennessean between Washington and Memphis, The Birmingham Special between New York and Birmingham, The New York, Chattanooga and New Orleans Limited, and the train that would become Southern Railroad’s The Pelican, which was hauled by N&W locomotives between Lynchburg and Bristol.

— Submitted August 6, 2011.

Additional keywords.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, May 29, 2011

2. Seven Mile Ford Marker

Norfolk and Western Railroad

Credits. This page was last revised on September 11, 2017. It was originally submitted on August 6, 2011, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 2,170 times since then and 69 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 6, 2011, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.