Blackwater is located in Lee County, Virginia. Lee County was established
in 1792. The county seat is Jonesville, Virginia. Lee County is composed of
437 square miles. The 2000 U.S. Census recorded the population of Lee County
as 23,431 residents. Major highways in Lee County are US 421 and US 58.
attractions in Lee County include the Wilderness Road State Park,
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, and the Daniel Boone Wilderness
Trail. Wilderness Road State Park includes a replica of Martin’s Station.
Although the replica fort is now located a few miles west of Rose Hill,
Martin’s Station fort was originally located at the present site of Rose
Wilderness Road State Park
The Wilderness Road State Park was purchased in
1993; the park is approximately 200 acres that lie astride the "Wilderness
Road". Wilderness Road was carved by Daniel Boone in 1775 to open
American's first western frontier. Most notable in the park are Martin's
Station, a replica of a fort built nearby (at the present location of Rose Hill)
in 1775 and the Karlan Mansion built in the 1870's.
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
Part of Lee County is located within the
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. The park is located where
Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee meet. Accordingly, portions of the park
are in all three states. The park is big (containing over 20,000 acres)
and stunningly beautiful, offering numerous attractions. These attractions
include The Pinnacle Overlook, The Gap Cave, Hensley Settlement, Wilderness Road
Campground, and almost 70 miles of hiking trails. The Cumberland Gap is
one of the most significant gaps or passes in the eastern United States.
It was in 1769 that Daniel Boone made his first of many passages through the Gap
that would forever associate with his name. By 1810, an estimated 300,000
people traveled, many of them on foot, through Cumberland Gap.
The Pinnacle Overlook
The Pinnacle Overlook is located inside the
Cumberland Gap Historical Park. This area above Cumberland Gap serves as
a vantage point for visitors to view the magnificent Powell Valley.
Several states are visible from this point. The Pinnacle Overlook may be
closed during the winter due to ice and snow. A paved road leads up the
mountain and then an easy trail of about 200 yards goes out to the overlook.
The Gap Cave
(Formerly Cudjo's Caverns)
The Gap Cave is located inside the Cumberland
Gap National Historical Park. Park rangers provide guided tours to this
eerie underworld of stalagmites. The cavern was used by the Indians and
later by Civil War soldiers for refuge.
Hensley Settlement is located inside the Cumberland Gap National
Historical Park. A restored turn of the century mountain community,
Hensley Settlement is a symbol of the determination and true grit of the early
American Pioneer. This settlement provides an opportunity to escape into the
pioneer past. The settlement is accessible by foot, horseback, or by a
shuttle service provided by the park for a normal fee. Hensley Settlement is
located on a plateau nearly 1,000 feet higher than Pinnacle Overlook!
Ranger-guided tours visit this historic log cabin settlement mid-May through
the end of October.
SherpaGuides.com describes the history of Hensley Settlement as follows,
“Hensley Settlement was a farming community that existed on an isolated
plateau from 1904 until 1951. Sherman Hensley arrived in 1904 and, with his
family, constructed a home and outbuildings of hewn chestnut logs. At its
peak, the settlement included about 100 inhabitants. The National Park
Service has restored three of the original 12 farmsteads..”
Wilderness Road Campground
Campground is part of the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. It is
located in western Lee County off Highway 58. The campground has 160 sites in
a beautiful wooded setting. Electrical hook-ups with 30 and 50 amps are
available at 41 of the sites. Hot showers and portable water are located in
the comfort stations. Campsites are available on a first-come, first-served
For More Information on Cumberland
Gap National Historical Park go to
Cumberland Gap National Historical Park
P.O. Box 1848
Middlesboro KY 40965
Tel (606) 248-2817
Fax (606) 248-7276
Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail
A 4-hour driving tour through 3 counties follows the route of Daniel Boone’s
famous Wilderness Trail. One of the nation’s most historic routes, the
Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail was blazed by the legendary frontiersman in
1775 from Long Island of the Holston at what is now Kingsport, TN, through the
Cumberland Gap of Virginia and into Kentucky. Boone and his group of axe men
cut the trail through 200 miles of Tennessee, Virginia, and Kentucky
wilderness to forge a route for settlement of the region beyond the
mountains. It would become the route for hundreds of thousands of settlers of
the western frontier.
information go to
Bob McConnell, President
The Daniel Boone Wilderness Association
P.O. Box 0757
Gate City, Virginia 24251
Tel (276) 452-4520.
The White Rocks
The White Rocks atop
Cumberland Mountain were among the most commonly mentioned geographic features
along the trail. The pioneers seemed to take them as a hallmark of the
wonderful new land that they were claiming as their own. The rocks can be
accessed by a trail that begins in Ewing, VA, in the Civitan Park. The only
legal means of access is by foot or horseback.
On their way to settle Kentucky
in 1773 by way of Lee County, Daniel Boone and his party was attacked by
Indians. James, Boone’s son, was killed during the attack. A monument now
marks the spot where Boone’s son perished and is located on U.S. Hwy. 58, three
miles west of Ewing. (Actually, the true spot of the attack of James Boone has
become quite disputed among historians.)
One of the
oldest gathering places for the United Methodists” Holston Conference annual
“Camp Meeting”. The meeting house is a shed with an authentic shaker shingle
roof. Open year round, the Campground Church is located on U.S.
Highway 58 west of Jonesville, VA.
The Appalachian African-American Historical
The Afro American Historical Cultural Center, located at 230 N. Leona
Street in Pennington Gap, was once the Black Public School and contains the
most comprehensive collection of Black historical artifacts of Lee County’s
Click here for more information.
more information contact
Afro American Historical Cultural Center
230 N. Leona Street
Pennington Gap, VA 24277
Tel (276) 546-5144 or (276) 546-5632
Stone Face Rock
A fascinating attraction in Lee
County, Stone Face Rock can be seen day or night. A natural
phenomenon, one local theorist believes it is an ancient Cherokee Indian
head carved by the Cherokees to mark the entrance of the holy worshipping
grounds and gathering place for the Cherokee nation. Stone Face Rock is
located one mile north of Pennington Gap on Highway 421 (old Harlan Road) and
can be viewed year round.
Lake Keokee is a 92-acre impoundment surrounded by National Forest
lands. This manmade lake features great fishing and seasonal access to hikers
and fisherman. The lake offers fishing for largemouth bass, bluegill, redear
sunfish, and channel catfish. Flooded standing timber is the dominant habitat
type for this lake. Navigation routes were cleared while the lake was drawn
down in 2003, but boaters should still use caution. Gasoline motor use is
prohibited. A National Forest Stamp is required to fish Lake Keokee. Four
picnic tables with grills are available. To get to Lake Keokee follow VA 68.
In Lee County, VA 68 becomes VA 606. Continue on VA 606 for 2 miles to left
turn on VA 623 and go 1 mile to the lake.
Sherpaguides.com offers the following description of Lake Keokee, “This hidden
jewel of the Clinch Ranger District features a picturesque 92-acre lake with
secluded coves surrounded by marsh grasses and hardwood forests of red oaks,
white oaks, and hickories. With no gasoline-powered motors allowed, the lake
attracts only those who enjoy quietly probing the shoreline by canoe or
casting from a john boat for largemouth bass and sunfish around the dead trees
emerging from the shallows. Early and late in the day, a raccoon, muskrat, or
fox may come for a drink at the lake’s edge. The lake can also be explored by
foot on the easy, encircling trail. A spur connects to the middle of the more
challenging Stone Mountain Trail.”
information go to
www.dgif.virginia.gov/fishing/waterbodies Click on “Lake Keokee”
Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries
1796 Highway Sixteen
Marion VA 24354
Tel (276) 783-4860
Fax (276) 783-6115
Cave Springs Recreation Area
Cave Springs Recreation Area, one of the largest campgrounds in the
Jefferson National Forest, is located in a picturesque section of Lee
County and has camping, picnic facilities, and hiking trails. The Cave
Springs Recreation Area has 41 camping sites with parking spurs, tent pads,
wooden picnic tables, and lantern posts. Central water fountains, showers,
flushable toilets, trailer sanitation station, and electrical hookups are
provided. The Cave Springs Recreation Area also offers a Day Use Area
including a small lake with a beach area for swimming that is fed by a spring
which originates from the mountains above in a cave. A loop trail to a
stone overlook and the cave, and access to the Stone Mountain Trail which
follows the crest of the mountain for 14.3 miles and ends at the Roaring
Branch, near Appalachia, VA are also common attractions for visitors. Open
May 15 – September 15, Cave Springs Recreation Area is located just off U.S.
Highway 58A west of the Seminary community.
Clinch Ranger District
George Washington & Jefferson National Forests
9416 Darden Drive
Wise, Virginia 24293
Tel (276) 328-2931
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