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On West Laurel Avenue (U.S. 58) east of South Reynolds Street, on the right when traveling east.
The first place of worship in Damascus was Wright's Chapel (Methodist) built around 1830 at Mock's Cemetery on Red Hill. The church burned down and was rebuilt outside of town. Damascus at that time was called Mock's Mill after a grist mill built . . . — — Map (db m209495) HM
On South Beaver Dam Avenue just south of West Laurel Avenue (U.S. 58), on the left when traveling south.
Respected keepers of musical traditions have lived in Damascus or nearby for many years. Among them, blind balladeer Horton Barker who went to the White House to sing for President and Mrs. Roosevelt in the 1930s. Walter "Sparkplug" Hughes was a . . . — — Map (db m209485) HM
On West Imboden Street just east of North Reynolds Street, on the right when traveling east.
In the Spring of 1821 Henry A. Mock moved from North Carolina and bought 91 acres of land from early settler John Larimer for $405. Immediately he set about building an earthen dam across Laurel Creek for a grist mill. Although the area had been . . . — — Map (db m209490) HM
On West Laurel Avenue (U.S. 58) just east of South Reynolds Street, on the right when traveling east.
From 1902 until it was built the church’s congregation gathered in the upstairs rooms of the J. L. Gilpin Blacksmith Shop. The Rev. J. M. McChesney was the first minister to serve in this building. — — Map (db m209494) HM
On Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail west of South Shady Avenue, on the right when traveling west.
In 1901 the first street lamps in Damascus were eight oil lamps on poles spaced on both sides of Main Street, now Laurel Avenue. Dave Wright was employed at 15 cents a day to keep the lamps lit.
Then in 195 the Damascus Light and Power Company . . . — — Map (db m211098) HM
Near South Beaver Dam Avenue just south of West Laurel Avenue (U.S. 58), on the left when traveling south.
The first settlers in this area were the Cherokee, an Iroquois-speaking tribe with widespread settlements along the river valleys of what is now Southwest Virginia and East Tennessee. A hunting camp was located adjacent to Laurel Creek north of . . . — — Map (db m209500) HM
On West Laurel Avenue (U.S. 58) at North Smith Street, on the left when traveling east on West Laurel Avenue.
When the first white settlers came to this valley between two unnamed creeks, it was an uninhabitable forest of laurel thickets. Land grants were first issued in 1785, and the first homes were built downstream on ore suitable land. Only rough paths . . . — — Map (db m211101) HM
On East Laurel Avenue (U.S. 58) just east of Trestle Street, on the left when traveling east.
In front of you and across the water lies Legion Island, surrounded on both sides by Laurel Creek. Between the late 1920s and the late 1960s Legion Island was a focal point of Damascus summer recreation and social activities. The large (40 feet by . . . — — Map (db m209498) HM
On Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail west of Taylor Valley Road (County Route 725), on the right when traveling west.
Camp cars were used in rural locations where motels were not available. A crew usually consisted of six (6) workers and a cook. the car had bunkbeds, a kitchen, a pot belly stove and a primitive toilet. The car was brought to a siding on Monday and . . . — — Map (db m211091) HM
On Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail west of Mountain View Drive, on the left when traveling west.
The Virginia Carolina Railway which is now the Virginia Creeper Trail was originally built to haul timber cut from what is now the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. It is estimated that between 1907 and 1930 approximately 15 million board feet . . . — — Map (db m211093) HM
On Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail west of Trestle Street, on the left when traveling west.
The Virginia Creeper Trail was born from conflict. When the last train ran on March 31, 1977, three factions quickly emerged. One group wanted to continue the operation of the railroad as a passenger and freight line; another group, primarily . . . — — Map (db m211096) HM
On North Beaver Dam Avenue (U.S. 58) 0.2 miles north of West Laurel Avenue (U.S. 58), on the right when traveling north.
In front of you are the remains of one of the six water tanks which existed along the old Abingdon Branch of the Norfolk and Western line, or Virginia Creeper as it was locally known. The locations were Abingdon, Damascus, and Creek junction in . . . — — Map (db m209499) HM
On Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail west of West Laurel Avenue (U.S. 58), on the right when traveling west.
Damascus owes its development to the forests around it, which gave it decades of economic growth. These forests had been logged in the 19th century, but only with the coming of the railroad in 1906 could large-scale logging be profitable. Soon after . . . — — Map (db m211110) HM
