Cleveland on the Clinch
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Cleveland, Virginia, was a busy little market town on the banks of the Clinch River, developed in 1889 by attorney William Elkanah Burns to serve as the railhead for Lebanon, the county seat of Russell County. Farmers drove cattle, sheep, and even turkeys to meet the Norfolk & Western Railway freight trains that chugged into the station, and everyone would gather to see who was getting on and off the passenger trains. Four different grocery stores, a well-stocked hardware store, a wagon store, restaurants and hotels served the needs of people for miles around. Read the first-hand accounts of over 70 storytellers and enjoy hundreds of old photos that help reconstruct the heyday of this town and its environs. Includes: *1910 and 1930 census data and CCC roster *Stories from nearby communities, from Mill Creek to Combs Valley |
Christine Purcell, Paul Campbell, and Ilene Purcell enjoy posing on a 1925 Model T Ford. (Photo courtesy of Earl Campbell)
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Price's Soda Shop, Cleveland, Virginia
(Photo courtesy of Judy Mawyer Shifflett)
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Una Puckett with her nieces and nephews on her front porch in Cleveland, about 1938. From left in front: Tommy Mawyer, Judy Mawyer, Rosemary Counts. Back: Linda Puckett, Jackie Puckett, Kenneth Mawyer, Jr., Una with baby Dickie Mawyer, Martha Counts. (Photo courtesy of Judy Mawyer Shifflett)
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Reader Responses~
"When I bought the book at the reunion, I thought my mother and I would be able to share, but now I want one of my very own. My mother, Margaret Osborne, was so pleased with it, too. She is very family-oriented, and this is right up her alley. Not only is the book beautifully done on the inside, but the cover is lovely, too. Mother told me yesterday she was up until 12 midnight looking at it!" Sara Musick |
"I was going to watch a golf match on TV. Sat down with the book for a few minutes and I ended up reading right through the match and now here it is 9:00 at night and I still haven't eaten supper! This book is fantastic." Bill Ferguson "I knew that I should have gone ahead and bought another book. I was just getting into mine and Doug asked to see it, now I can't get it back!" Sharon Artrip |
"Have been absorbed in Cleveland on the Clinch since arrival. Content presentation and organization is very readable and user friendly. Really happy the oral histories are in the storytellers' own words...You allowed each to verbalize their stories which makes it all real again for them. It is good to have someone to listen with interest. Photos were plentiful, pertinent and logically placed. They simply bring the text to life. In my opinion, a fine work of which you can be proud." Bruce Valley |