Snow and Winter Weather 12th Passed through abbingdon (Abingdon) stopping at Logans –1.00 (purchase unknown) and stayed all night at the Bush (1)(2) (Goodrich- VA, John- NC, William- NC) house, good fair- cost – 3.25, met Mr. Minor and his wife and Capt. Barber (John, NC Militia 1776 or George, Georgia Militia 1781) (3) – 21 miles. The Clarks were passing through the northern muster center where the Overmountain Militia Men gathered for their march to Kings Mountain during the Revolutionary War. (4)(5)(6) Today the Overmountain Victory Trail Association, in partnership with the NPS Overmountain Victory Trail, is educating and preserving the history of the 1780 patriots. Muster Grounds Historical Marker ovta.org The Tavern Restaurant, passed by the Clarks, was built in 1779. Today the historic Tavern has been restored to period correct appearance and is open for public service. (7) Abingdon is well known for the Barter Theater and the Martha Washington Inn both in the center of town. (8) Lewis and Clark traveled through Abingdon on several occasions and is commemorated with two brass 12″ NOAA disk, one is in the sidewalk in front of the Abingdon Municipal Building on Main Street, US 11 W, and the other is in Veterans Memorial Park, 425 Lt. Billy Webb Avenue. The Virginia Creeper Trail, ending trail head is in Abingdon, is a Rail-To-Trail recreational opportunity of 34 miles. Starting at Whitetop, near the North Carolina state line, allowing for an easy downgrade peddle to Abingdon. (9) Virginia Creeper Trail Bridge – vacreepertrail.org William Clark’s stop in Abingdon, formerly Wolf Hills, was short they needed to travel before the weather deteriorated. The exact location of the Bush house is uncertain but the distance traveled, 21 miles indicates the vicinity of Meadowview or Emory, VA. Courtesy of The Historical Marker Database (double click to enlarge text)
Sources
(1) https://vagenweb.org/wise/sketches/bushfamily.html (2) https://archive.org/stream/franheitmanreg00bernrich/franheitmanreg00bernrich_djvu.txt , page 136. (3) https://archive.org/stream/franheitmanreg00bernrich/franheitmanreg00bernrich_djvu.txt , page 87. (4) https://ovta.org/page-1462846 (5) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Register_of_Historic_Places_listings_in_Washington_County,_Virginia#/media/ File:RETIREMENT_AND_THE_MUSTER_GROUNDS,_ABINGDON,_WASHINGTON_COUNTY,_VA.jpg (6) https://www.ovta.org/ (7) http://www.abingdontavern.com/index.htm (8) https://visitabingdonvirginia.com/landmarks (9) https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5348040.pdf