Village of Newport

Newport is a small village located between Gap Mountain, Salt Pond Mountain, and Spruce Run Mountain. It is the center community for Spruce Run, Mountain Lake, Clover Hollow, and Sinking Creek.

Archaeologists have discovered that Indians did live in Newport previous to Jamestown settlement. The first explorers in this area found buffalo; countless herds roamed over the mountains and valleys of Newport until the permanent settlers arrived. The first white man to come through Newport was probably Christopher Gist, a surveyor for Ohio Land Company who surveyed the lake on Salt Pond Mountain in 1751, what is now known as Mountain Lake.

Between 1791 and 1800, a few settlers, some of which came from a German settlement located on the New River near Price’s Fork, built homes and a mill or two and named it Chapman’s Mill. Many of these first settler’s descendents still reside in Newport. Most early settlers were farmers in search of fertile land, mill sites, and other activities that came along with a permanent settlement. This area consists of fine springs, mountain streams, and fertile land, which made it very appealing to farmers and millers. Farmers let their cattle range in the mountains and would drive them to the pond on Salt Pond Mountain to salt them.

Later in 1832, the construction of the Fincastle-Cumberland Turnpike, going from Fincastle, through Newport, Eggleston, and Bland, then onto Cumberland and is now Route 42 or Blue Grass Trail, helped trade in Newport flourish. From the year 1832 to 1850, many more people began to move here. The name Chapman’s Mill changed to Newport as more people came to the area, and it is commonly thought the people of that time named it for Captain Newport who sailed the Atlantic Ocean three times for England to Jamestown bringing emigrants to settle in the Americas. Some of the old records, however, state that Newport was the crossroads village, thus making it a “Newport” to the old west.

During this time houses were changing from log houses to frame houses. In 1858 the railroad from Petersburg, which connected to railroads leading to New York, came through as far as Dublin and regularly operated stagecoach routes along the Wilderness Trail. These routes made Newport an important junction point.

Before the Civil War there were no public schools in Newport, only private schools or tutors that lived with families, and only well-to-do families could afford these. Also before the Civil War, people had much knowledge of herbs, and they used home remedies when they were sick. The people of this time used mountain teaberries, sassafras tea, jimson weed, onion poultice, and fat meat to draw boils to a head. Midwives delivered most of the babies.

Records show that Newport became a resort town with many people spending the night at the hotels and then continuing with their travels the next day. Some stayed to visit because of the beauty in Newport.

The Civil War put all of this to a sudden halt. When it was time for war, 123 soldiers from Newport left to join the Confederates. There was a Civil War skirmish in Newport with Union troops on top of Newport Hill and Confederate troops on top of Parsonage Hill. As the solders passed through Newport they looted the area.

After the war, men came home and rebuilt their community. They restocked their farms, ran mills, merchants opened stores. Cabinetmakers started making furniture, hotels reopened, and coaches started coming through just as they did before the war. Newport was later incorporated in 1872, and a smelting furnace was put into operation. Remains of the old furnace still stand and the old furnace road can still be found on the north side of Gap Mountain.

In 1895, Falls Manufacturing Company came to Newport and made farm equipment, guns, wagons, buggies, furniture, and different kinds of kitchen utensils. This company operated until 1905 when the owner John Walker sold out. With four distilleries and three saloons, Newport could be compared with old western towns seen in the movies. On Saturday men went to town to drink, which led to fighting.

One man described Newport as “Hell’s Half-Acre.” Even so, on Sunday morning the church bells would ring. Years later the distilleries and saloons were voted out. Due to its important routes of travel and new incorporations, Newport grew to be quite a busy town. It was actually the largest and busiest town in Giles County.

In 1880 its population was recorded as 1,537. This was brought to a sudden halt on April 1, 1902 when the center of the town burned to the ground. Five store buildings, two hotels, a longhouse, tannery, jail, two dwellings, and a Masonic Hall all went up in smoke. Only a store and hotel were rebuilt; these buildings still stand in the middle of Newport along with its old bank, which is now used for apartments. After the fire, any remaining businesses soon left due to the automobile along with good roads for traveling. At this point most businesses went elsewhere.

Later during the depression years the W.P.A. built concrete walks and the Newport High School. Today the people of Newport are proud of their nice homes, churches, nearby modern schools, and other improvements. Most of all they take pride in the high character of its people. Newport, with its old homestead, beautiful scenery, seven pre-Civil War homes, and two of the three covered bridges in the county, has historic designation and is a delightful place to visit.

The Village of Newport is home to the oldest Agricultural Fair in the state. The fair was first organized in 1936 as an educational enterprise and is held on the second Friday and Saturday in August. Competitions for livestock, grains and grasses, fruits and vegetables, canning, sewing and flowers are a local favorite. Jousting and horse pulling are exciting events as well.