Mountain View in Blacksburg in Montgomery County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Eastern Continental Divide & 1763 Proclamation Line

Eastern Continental Divide & 1763 Proclamation Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, June 27, 2015

1. Eastern Continental Divide & 1763 Proclamation Marker

Inscription. Main Street, near here, crosses a barely perceptible ridge line. This line divides water ﬂowing east to the Atlantic Ocean, via the Roanoke River basin, from water ﬂowing west to the Gulf of Mexico, via the New, Ohio, and Mississippi Rivers. In October 1763, by Royal Proclamation, King George III forbade Virginians to settle west of this line. Virginians considered the taking up of western land as their natural right. Shutting off access to this land was a provocation that accelerated the building momentum in Virginia for the coming American Revolution.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Settlements & Settlers • War, US Revolutionary. A significant historical month for this entry is October 1763.

Location. 37° 13.329′ N, 80° 24.355′ W. Marker is in Blacksburg, Virginia, in Montgomery County. It is in Mountain View. It is at the intersection of South Main Street (Business U.S. 460) and Graves Avenue, on the right when traveling west on South Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Blacksburg VA 24060, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Southwest Virginia,

in the Blue Ridge Highlands,

and in the New River Gorge.

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 walking distance of this marker: Blacksburg Motor Company Building 1924 (approx. half a mile away); Five Chimneys (approx. half a mile away); Alexander Black House (approx.

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0.6 miles away); Thomas-Conner House (approx. 0.6 miles away); William Black (approx. ¾ mile away); The Armory (approx. ¾ mile away); The Cellar Building (approx. 0.8 miles away); Student Diversity (approx. 0.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Blacksburg.

S Main St & Graves Ave (facing west) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Bernard Fisher, June 27, 2015

2. S Main St & Graves Ave (facing west)

Credits. This page was last revised on June 3, 2025. It was originally submitted on June 27, 2015, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,379 times since then and 89 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 27, 2015, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.