Town of Appalachia
In the heart of the Appalachian Mountains and deep in the mountains of Southwest Virginia, in the County of Wise, lies a town called Appalachia, (pronounced apple-at-cha). The town, which takes its name from the Appalachian Mountains in the center of which it is located. It is located on U.S. Business 23 and Alternate 58, between the city of Norton and the town of Big Stone Gap. Once called the "Magic City of Wise County", the town was mostly a wilderness until the 1890s when the railroads made a junction here. During the 1920s, over 25,000 people came to town to do business. It was then a beehive of activity. Among the many railroads which passed through were:
The Louisville and Nashville, or L&N, which ran from Corbin, Ky. to Norton, Va
The South Atlantic and Ohio, or SA & O, later called the Virginia and Southwestern
The Black Mountain which came through from St. Charles, Virginia
The Interstate and Southern which later bought out the V & SW and the Black Mountain
The Norfolk & Southern operates the only railroad in town today although the L & N still maintain their tracks

Along the southern part of Appalachia stands Bee Rock through which runs a branch on the L & N Railroad in what is called the, "Shortest Railway Tunnel In The World". South of Appalachia is Stone Mountain which geologists have called a fault caused by the upheaval of the earth when it was young. Between these great marvels of nature flows the North Fork of the Powell River and the space for the town of Appalachia. Northward is Black Mountain which skirts the Kentucky border. Mineralville, the name early historians gave to Appalachia, had rich veins of pure coking coal, cliffs of limestone, and water which ran like a mill race between.

The railroads brought an influx of people into the area in the spring and summer of 1891. The SA & O and the L & N brought excitement and energy into the coal fields and thus Appalachia was settled.

The town was incorporated on March 1, 1906. The influence of the railroads was such an important part of the town's history, there is an annual Railroad Day's Festival held there every August.

 

This information was gathered from the historical marker at right which is located at the Town Hall.

The town of Appalachia sprang up after the Louisville and Nashville Railroad and Southern Railroad made a junction here in 1890. Named for the Appalachian Mountains, in the heart of which it stands, it was incorporated in 1906. The streets were laid out in 1907. Appalachia, in the Jefferson National Forest area, was the trading center of the Wise coal fields for about 50 years.