Big Stone Gap, Virginia
Encyclopedia
Big Stone Gap is a town in Wise County
, Virginia
, United States
. The population was 5,643 at the 2010 census.
.
home to the Trail of the Lonesome Pine, the official outdoor drama of Virginia. The Southwest Virginia Museum is located in the downtown area. Big Stone Gap also hosts the Coal Museum.
was built in 1912 and it continues to house a division of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia
.
, a state prison that has been a part of the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Corrections since 1999. Originally opened as a supermax
prison, it has recently been downgraded to a "high level" security facility. Construction and maintenance of the facility generated millions of dollars for the local economy, suppressed from a sagging history of coal mining. While construction of Wallens Ridge did provide jobs, it currently provides only a small portion of the county's population with income.
Many groups have expressed outrage at the practice of shipping prisoners across the country into a rural Appalachian community, most notably the Thousand Kites
project.
and Julius Jones. Both attended classes and played football
at Powell Valley High School, a public school in the town.
Author Adriana Trigiani
grew up in Big Stone Gap and wrote a series of novels about the town.
Film actor, writer, and logger CC Swiney was born and raised in Big Stone Gap.
Novelist and short-story writer John Fox, Jr.
wrote about his experiences living among the coal miners in Big Stone Gap. He died there in 1919. Since 1964, a play version of Fox's novel The Trail of the Lonesome Pine has been performed in an outdoor theater in the town.
Miss America 1993 Leanza Cornett
was born in Big Stone Gap, as was the opera singer, Roy Cornelius Smith
.
Former Virginia governor
Abner Linwood Holton Jr. was born in Big Stone Gap.
The former Piedmont blues
musician, Carl Martin
, was born near Big Stone Gap in 1906.
Around the end of the 19th century, some of Virginia's leading lawyers lived and worked in Big Stone Gap, including former Attorney General Rufus A. Ayers
, Virginia Bar Association president Joshua Fry Bullitt, Jr.
, and Virginia Supreme Court justice Joseph L. Kelly
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the town has a total area of 4.9 square miles (12.6 km2), all of it land.
Big Stone Gap is at the junction of US Route 23 and US Route 58 Alternate.
of 2010, there were 5,643 people, 2,034 households, and 1,075 families residing in the town. The population density
was 995.9 people per square mile (384.2/km2). There were 2,197 housing units at an average density of 450.6 per square mile (173.8/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 93.68% White, 4.41% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races
, and 0.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.60% of the population.
There were 1,995 households out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples
living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.2% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 86.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $21,584, and the median income for a family was $34,306. Males had a median income of $26,707 versus $21,915 for females. The per capita income
for the town was $13,284. About 22.4% of families and 25.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.5% of those under age 18 and 15.1% of those age 65 or over.
Big Stone Gap is also home to Mountain Empire Community College
.
King College
, based in Bristol, Tennessee
, has a satellite campus in Big Stone Gap at the Mountain Empire Community College location.
Shortly after the tornado a resident created a song about the tornado that touched down in Big Stone Gap, titled "Heartbreak on Poplar Hill" for the area of Big Stone gap hit by the tornado.
Wise County, Virginia
Wise County is a county located in the U.S. state of Virginia. In 1856, the county was formed from land taken from Lee, Scott, and Russell Counties. It was named after Henry A. Wise, who was the Governor of Virginia at the time. As of 2010, the population was 41,452, making it the largest...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 5,643 at the 2010 census.
History
The community was formerly known as "Meneral City" and "Three Forks." The "Big Stone Gap" refers to the valley which has been created on the Appalachia Straight, located between Big Stone Gap and AppalachiaAppalachia, Virginia
Appalachia is a town in Wise County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,839 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Appalachia is located at ....
.
Museums
Big Stone Gap is home to several museums. The June Tolliver House, located on Jerome Street, ishome to the Trail of the Lonesome Pine, the official outdoor drama of Virginia. The Southwest Virginia Museum is located in the downtown area. Big Stone Gap also hosts the Coal Museum.
Federal court
The federal building named for C. Bascom SlempC. Bascom Slemp
Campbell Bascom Slemp was an American Republican politician. He was a six-time United States congressman from Virginia's 9th congressional district from 1907 to 1922 and served as the presidential secretary to President Calvin Coolidge...
was built in 1912 and it continues to house a division of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia
United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia
The United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia is a United States district court.Appeals from the Western District of Virginia are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit The United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia (in...
.
Wallens Ridge State Prison
Big Stone Gap is home to Wallens Ridge State PrisonWallens Ridge State Prison
Wallens Ridge State Prison is a supermax state prison located in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, housing approximately 700 inmates. Since opening in April 1999, it has been a part of the Virginia Department of Corrections, and is identical to the Red Onion State Prison near Pound. The prison was built for...
, a state prison that has been a part of the Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Corrections since 1999. Originally opened as a supermax
Supermax
Supermax is the name used to describe "control-unit" prisons, or units within prisons, which represent the most secure levels of custody in the prison systems of certain countries...
prison, it has recently been downgraded to a "high level" security facility. Construction and maintenance of the facility generated millions of dollars for the local economy, suppressed from a sagging history of coal mining. While construction of Wallens Ridge did provide jobs, it currently provides only a small portion of the county's population with income.
Many groups have expressed outrage at the practice of shipping prisoners across the country into a rural Appalachian community, most notably the Thousand Kites
Thousand Kites
Thousand Kites is a national project that works directly with stakeholders using communication strategies and campaigns to work toward prison reform through grassroots power...
project.
Notable residents
Big Stone Gap is the birthplace of professional American football players and brothers Thomas JonesThomas Jones (football player)
Thomas Quinn Jones is an American National Football League running back for the Kansas City Chiefs. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals seventh overall in the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at The University of Virginia. Jones has also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago...
and Julius Jones. Both attended classes and played football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
at Powell Valley High School, a public school in the town.
Author Adriana Trigiani
Adriana Trigiani
Adriana Trigiani is an American novelist, television writer, producer and film director.-Career:Trigiani grew up in Big Stone Gap, Virginia and attended Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana. She was a writer for The Cosby Show and its spin-off series A Different World before beginning on...
grew up in Big Stone Gap and wrote a series of novels about the town.
Film actor, writer, and logger CC Swiney was born and raised in Big Stone Gap.
Novelist and short-story writer John Fox, Jr.
John Fox, Jr.
John Fox, Jr. was an American journalist, novelist, and short story writer.-Biography:Born in Stony Point, Bourbon County, Kentucky, to John William Fox, Sr., and Minerva Worth Carr, Fox studied English at Harvard University. He graduated in 1883 before becoming a reporter in New York City...
wrote about his experiences living among the coal miners in Big Stone Gap. He died there in 1919. Since 1964, a play version of Fox's novel The Trail of the Lonesome Pine has been performed in an outdoor theater in the town.
Miss America 1993 Leanza Cornett
Leanza Cornett
Eva Leanza Cornett was crowned Miss Winter Park and Miss Florida in 1992 and Miss America 1993....
was born in Big Stone Gap, as was the opera singer, Roy Cornelius Smith
Roy Cornelius Smith
Roy Cornelius Smith is an American operatic tenor, from Big Stone Gap, Virginia.Smith performed leading tenor roles at many opera houses and festivals including the Salzburg Festival, Spoleto Festival, Metropolitan Opera, Vienna Volksoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin, New York City Opera, and Lyric Opera...
.
Former Virginia governor
Governor of Virginia
The governor of Virginia serves as the chief executive of the Commonwealth of Virginia for a four-year term. The position is currently held by Republican Bob McDonnell, who was inaugurated on January 16, 2010, as the 71st governor of Virginia....
Abner Linwood Holton Jr. was born in Big Stone Gap.
The former Piedmont blues
Piedmont blues
Piedmont blues refers primarily to a guitar style, the Piedmont fingerstyle, which is characterized by a fingerpicking approach in which a regular, alternating thumb bass string rhythmic pattern supports a syncopated melody using the treble strings generally picked with the fore-finger,...
musician, Carl Martin
Carl Martin (musician)
Carl Martin was an American Piedmont blues musician and vocalist, who was capable with a variety of instruments and musical styles.Martin was born in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, United States...
, was born near Big Stone Gap in 1906.
Around the end of the 19th century, some of Virginia's leading lawyers lived and worked in Big Stone Gap, including former Attorney General Rufus A. Ayers
Rufus A. Ayers
Rufus A. Ayers was a Virginia lawyer, businessman, and politician, who served as Attorney General of Virginia.Ayers was born in Bedford County, Virginia. His family set out for Texas, but passed through Goodson en route, and decided to stay there. Ayers attended Goodson Academy until it was...
, Virginia Bar Association president Joshua Fry Bullitt, Jr.
Joshua Fry Bullitt, Jr.
Joshua Fry Bullitt, Jr. was a Virginia lawyer who practiced in Big Stone Gap, Virginia. He was one of the leading citizens of Southwest Virginia in the late 19th and early 20th century, both as a practicing lawyer and as a political figure. His prominence corresponded with the rise of the coal...
, and Virginia Supreme Court justice Joseph L. Kelly
Joseph L. Kelly
Joseph L. Kelly was born in Marion, Smyth County, Virginia, the son of Judge JohnA. and Martha Kelly. John A. Kelly was a lawyer and...
.
Geography
Big Stone Gap is located at 36.867165°N 82.774471°W (36.867165, -82.774471).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the town has a total area of 4.9 square miles (12.6 km2), all of it land.
Big Stone Gap is at the junction of US Route 23 and US Route 58 Alternate.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2010, there were 5,643 people, 2,034 households, and 1,075 families residing in the town. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 995.9 people per square mile (384.2/km2). There were 2,197 housing units at an average density of 450.6 per square mile (173.8/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 93.68% White, 4.41% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.93% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.60% of the population.
There were 1,995 households out of which 29.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 30.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.92.
In the town the population was spread out with 23.2% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 86.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 80.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $21,584, and the median income for a family was $34,306. Males had a median income of $26,707 versus $21,915 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the town was $13,284. About 22.4% of families and 25.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 34.5% of those under age 18 and 15.1% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Big Stone Gap is home to three public schools: Powell Valley Primary, Powell Valley Middle, and Union High.Big Stone Gap is also home to Mountain Empire Community College
Mountain Empire Community College
Mountain Empire Community College is a two-year college located in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, and is one of the 23 schools in the Virginia Community College System. The college serves residents of Dickenson, Lee, Scott, and Wise counties, as well as the City of Norton. The first classes were offered...
.
King College
King College
King College is a private, comprehensive college located in Bristol, Tennessee. Founded in 1867, King is independently governed with covenant affiliations to the Presbyterian Church and the Evangelical Presbyterian Church ....
, based in Bristol, Tennessee
Bristol, Tennessee
Bristol is a city in Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 26,702 at the 2010 census. It is the twin city of Bristol, Virginia, which lies directly across the state line between Tennessee and Virginia. The boundaries of both cities run parallel to each other along State...
, has a satellite campus in Big Stone Gap at the Mountain Empire Community College location.
2008 Tornado
An EF-1 tornado touched down March 4, 2008, on Highway 58, running through downtown. The tornado caused a 300 yard wide, one mile long path of damage. It destroyed six homes, caused major damage to 15 homes, and minor damage to 25 others.Shortly after the tornado a resident created a song about the tornado that touched down in Big Stone Gap, titled "Heartbreak on Poplar Hill" for the area of Big Stone gap hit by the tornado.