Here’s what some communities have been doing to celebrate Virginia’s role in the American Revolution.
Carolyn Wilson
A native of Washington County, Carolyn lives on her family farm in Glade Spring, where she enjoys gardening and photography. She graduated in 1982 with a Mass Communications degree from Emory & Henry College, later working for the Bristol Herald Courier as a classified advertising representative and lifestyles reporter. She later returned to her alma mater to work in the Appalachian Center for Civic Life on campus for nearly 20 years. Her love of Southwest Virginia is portrayed in her writings of the people who make the Appalachian region their homes.
Posted inEducation
UVA Wise ‘harvests’ history of coal mine rescues from the men who lived through them
Students interview retired miners who were involved in mine rescues from 1976 to 1992.
Posted inEducation
Half the schools that won VHSL Scholastic Bowl titles are from Southwest Virginia
Blacksburg, J.I. Burton, and Ridgeview all won state championships. George Wythe finished second but also qualified for the national tournament.
Posted inCulture
Tazewell County artist turns bricks into art
Unlike pottery artists who work with a mass of unformed clay, brick sculptors create a canvas by stacking and arranging the unfired brick into desired shapes.
Posted inCulture
Bristol chef nominated for one of nation’s most prestigious culinary prizes
Travis Milton is chef at Nicewonder Farm and Vineyards’ signature restaurant, Hickory.
Posted inCulture
Linda Skeens, the ‘blue ribbon queen,’ now has a cookbook
The Russell County woman went viral last year after winning so many ribbons at a fair in Wise County. Now she’s a published author and a social media star.
Posted inCulture
A town’s ‘melting pot’ cemetery honored miners from many cultures but fell into disrepair. Supporters want to give it new life.
The Pocahontas Cemetery started out as the burial ground for more than 100 coal miners who were killed in an explosion in 1884. It became an important landmark in the Tazewell County town.
Posted inEconomy
Southwest Virginia cidery turns to heirloom apples to tap a growing market
Tumbling Creek Cidery in Washington County has won a business innovation award and is now one of the Top 20 nominees in USA Today’s Readers Choice Awards.
Posted inEducation
Emory & Henry students research the history of Black laborers at the school
Students have uncovered the names of 371 enslaved and free persons of color who worked during the founding of the college from 1836 to 1865. A video about their findings will be shown Oct. 17.
Posted inCulture
Carroll County man specializes in finding the fingerprints of slaves in old bricks
Ben Jackson has studied sites from Abingdon to Manassas to find the legacies of enslaved workers.