Big Stone Gap Town

Wise County, Virginia

Big Stone Gap Town Hall is located at 505 East 5th Street South, Big Stone Gap, VA 24219.
Phone: 276‑523‑0115.

Big Stone Gap [1] was once thought to be destined the "Pittsburgh of the South" due to its rich mineral deposits. The ore in the area was not of sufficient quality needed for steel, however, so it was coal that emerged as the valued natural resource commodity of the region. While coal mining was overwhelmingly successful, most of the detrimental effects of mining occurred outside of town. This left Big Stone Gap as a popular and lush mountain setting to reside in, primarily for the families of company executives and employees of the coal and railroad industries. Terrace Park, in which the cabin is located, appears on a town map drawn in March of 1888.

1. Marilyn Bumgarner, committee member and Michael J. Pulice, Architectural Historian, Terrace Park Cabin Committee, Terrace Park Girl Scout Cabin, Wise County, VA, nomination document, 2007, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, Washington, D.C.

Nearby Towns: Appalachia Town •