Last week, Tom and I went to Jonesville, Virignia. Every week, on our days off, Tom and I try to find at least one interesting thing to do. A new restaurant, an interesting historical place, a new store. This is our third year at Cumberland Gap and it is getting harder to find new places to explore.
One of our new rangers lives in Jonesville, Virignia. When I asked Ranger Jennifer what there was to do in Jonesville, she said there was nothing to do. Ah – a challenge! Find something interesting in Jonesville.
Jonesville, Virginia, is the county seat of Lee County. There is a small courthouse at the center of town. The courthouse is surrounded by empty buildings, a result of the decrease in mining and tobacco production in the area. The population of Jonesville is around 800 so it is very small, especially for a county seat. When the Walmart was built in Lee County, they placed it in Ben Hur, well north of Jonesville. The county hospital is also located north of Jonesville. Jonesville and Pennington Gap are the only two “cities” in the county.
There are two buildings on the National Register of Historic Places near Jonesville. The Jonesville Methodist Campground has a broad lawn and an auditorium. It has been in use by the Methodists since 1827. The Dickinson-Milbourn House was built in 1844 and is a large brick home. Tom and I drove by both of these places and were not impressed.
We read about the twelve suspension bridges of Lee County. These are pedestrian bridges which make it possible for people to get from one side of a creek to another. They were very common in the days when most people walked. Today the bridges are maintained but will not be replaced if something happens to them. Those sounded interesting to see. I was only able to find one of them. And it was down county road 666. There were steep stairs to climb up to the bridge and the bridge didn’t look too sturdy. Tom and I decided to pass.
Back to Jonesville. Our next stop was the Cumberland Bowl Park in Jonesville and, at last, we found something interesting. I’m not sure what caused the bowl at Cumberland Park but it is definitely a round bowl shape in the earth. Some of the park is down in the bowl – the playground and amphitheater – and some of the park is above on the rim on the bowl. A one-way road circles the park. The park has an impressive Veteran’s Wall with lots of names and dates. It lists everyone in town who died in a war from World War I to the Vietnam War.
In addition, Cumberland Bowl Park has a new playground, a CCC plaque, a small welcome center, several buildings for community use, and a little free library/food pantry. The library side had books, but the food side was, sadly, empty. As we walked around the park, we found the small Jones family cemetery, where the founding family of Jonesville was buried. There was a small splashpark that, unfortunately, needed repairs to be open. In winter the town puts up a Christmas light display at the park.
Our final stop was the Collier Mill and Duck Pond a few miles east of Jonesville. The gristmill was run by the Collier family and the wheel itself looked original. The wheel was turning if you waited long enough for the force of the trickling water to overcome the inertia of the wheel. The picturesque cabin next to it was not. It was a modern log cabin and Ranger Jennifer told me that people can rent it out and stay there. There were ducks on the mill pond and it was a lovely spot.
Those two places, Cumberland Bowl Park and the Collier Mill made our trip to Jonesville worthwhile. We enjoyed visiting both those places very much. Jonesville may be small but, as with many small towns, there are places of pride and beauty.