Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1909-01-07
THEN JEFFERSON WILLIE
NOW TAZEWELL
Some Very Interesting Facts About
Our Town.

virginia, passed December 9th, 1879.
1t was created from parts of Wythe
and Russell counties.
In June, 1900, the town of Jefferson
vile was located and founded as the
county seat or capital of the county.
The eastern limits of the town were at
the present east end of Main Street,
while the western limits were at the
alley just west of the old succeed house
known as the Julia Moore house. The
land upon which the town was located
was owned chiefly by Captain VIM.
Peery, grandfather of the late Captain
VIM E. Peery. The dwelling of Captain
Peery in 1900 stood where the residence
OF Hon. A. P. Gillespie is now located
The lots on the north side of Main
Street occupied by the building now
used by r. c. Chapman as store, by
the old jail building and the vacant lot
just north of the old Jail, together with
the lot on the south side of Main Street
where the st. Clair building now stands
were donated to the county by Captain
Peery for the use of the county build
ings-court house and jail. The first
court house was small log structure
and was built on the site where the
Chapman store is now located. In 1893
a new brick court house was erected on
the same spot. The first Jail was built
on the lot on which the st. Clair build
ing now stands; and about 1850 the Jail
In rear of Chapman's store was built,
and was used for prison purposes until
three years ago, when a new Jail was
built, south of and at the rear of the
present court house. The court house
now In use was built in 1874, the old
court house being sold to Jos. Stras,
who fitted it up and used it as a general
merchandise store. That building was
destroyed by fire in 1885.
The first building erected in the town
for hotel purposes was on the lot on
which the Central Hotel stood and was
burned several years ago. 1t was the
brick portion of the Central Hotel, and
its heavy walls prevented the fire from
extending into the Pobst bilding and
saved the western portion of the town
from destruction by fire when the Gen.
tral Hotel was burned.
In the early twenties the brick build
ing at the east end and northern corner
of Main Street was erected by Captain
John Crockett, grandfather of the late
John W. Crockett, Captain Crockett
then or subsequently being clerk of the
county. According to tradition the
Oldest house now standing in the town
is the one owned and occupied by S. D.
May as law Office. 1t has been several
times remodeled and changed, and has
been used as a dwelling, store house
and Office building in its day. The late
Senator John w. Johnston at one time
occupied it as q residence, and it was
there that the now distinguished sur
geon, DIR. Geo. Ben Johnston, Of Rich
mond, Va, was born.
|, About 1859 the building which has
been occupied by the High School, and
which is now being torn down, was
; built for the Northwestern Bank of
Virginia. And about the same time
the handsome residence lately occupied
by Col. A. ]. May, deceased, was erect
ed for the Hon. John w. Johnston.
In 1853 this property was purchased by
the late Major VIM. P. Cecil and used
by him as residence until 1868.
The Oldest church building in the
town, in fact the only one standing be-
fore the Civil War, is the Methodist
church on Main Street. 1t was com
pleted about 1858, and in 1895 it was
enlarged and remodeled. Previous to
the war the Presbyterians had a small
frame church building on the lot where
their new church now stands. It was
moved just north Of the present struct-
ure, where it now stands as tenement
house. The Catholics had a small
church where the High School chapel
now stands. 1t was purchased by the
Christian Church about fifteen years
ago and used by that congregation as q
place Of worship until they built their
new church on Mechanics Avenue. It
was then sold to the school authorities,
torn down and the chapel built upon it's
site.
In 1852, more than fifty years after
the town of Jeffersonville was formed,
it contained only about 800 inhabitants,
and had about eighty houses. There
was no considerable growth in popula-
ton during the next forty years. In
1S90-9l the name Of the town was
changed by an Act of the Legislature
from Jeffersonville to Tazewell. When
that change in name was made a census
was taken and the number Of inhabi-
tants was only $50. At the session of
the General Assembly of Virginia,
1866 new charter was obtained for
the town. Previous to that time the
boom of 1901 mad visited the place,
and the additions opened up on the
northeast side, streets having been laid
off and a number of houses built. The