Miles to Go With Little Rest

10th Friday- Set out early B.f. (breakfast) at Mr. Armstrongs, cost – 1.50. crossed the N. Fork of Holsten and stayed all night at Mr. Wm. Sniders at Kingslanding on the Holston – cost – 4.50, cakes .62, a good fair made 26 miles.

The Clark party had arrived at the William King’s Inn, managed by William Snider, in Christiansville, todays Kingsport, TN.^(1)(2)(3) John Lynn, manager of the Wm. King Boat Yard built the boarding house, circa 1803, at the head of navigation on the Holston River to support King’s many enterprises, including storage and shipment of salt from the salt works at Saltville, VA. The boat yard and related businesses were located on the North side of the Holston River across from the 814-acre Cherokee Indian’s sacred Long Island.

William King died at an early age and left a very entangled estate that was not settled until 1818. At the estate sale, Richard Netherland purchased the boat yard and inn which became the Netherland Inn.⁽⁴⁾⁽⁵⁾

11th Nov Breakfast at Mr. (Stephen) Easley ⁽⁶⁾ place –cost– 1.75, Stephen Easley had moved his family from VA in 1783 to a 1320-acre Horse Creek plantation overlooking the Holston River and Long Island. Two sons, Robert and Peter, settled on their father’s land and build large log homes and became prominent members of the Horse Creek Community.⁽⁷⁾ Are the log houses in the Bays Mountain Park one of the cabins where the Clarks had breakfast?⁽⁸⁾

stayed all night at Capt. Goodman’s, good fair – 28 miles – cost- 3.25. Robert Goodman, was a member of the North Carolina Militia.⁽⁹⁾ The location of Robert Goodman’s home is uncertain but near Bristol TN.

12th Breakfast at Col. John Preston’s – servant at Col. Preston .25 cents. The Clark party had breakfast at Col. John Preston’s on the Walnut Grove Plantation the morning of 12 November. The current structure is owned by the Children’s Advocacy Center, pictured below, and is believed to be built on or near the foundation of the original brick house.

John Preston was born 8 July 1781 on the plantation and received a law degree from Princeton, a profession he never pursued. John farmed the plantation and was appointed Justice of Washington County, VA and later County Judge in 1820. He served as a Captain in the War of 1812 and a Colonel in the 105 Regiment of the Virginia Militia.⁽¹⁰⁾

Leaving Col. Preston’s home, the Clarks pass the home of the late Col. Robert Preston’s home, father of John Preston. The original Robert Preston house, pictured below, is extant and meticulously restored by the Bristol Historical Association. The Clark Family and the Preston Family had a long friendly relationship and as we will see, William and Julia, stayed or visited with other members of the Preston Family as they traveled the Great Wagon Road.

William is entering the western end of the Great Wagon Road a bottleneck of geography and history. With mountains on both sides of the great valley and the Powell, Clinch and North Holston Rivers running parallel to the road, today’s US 11 W and I-81, the Clark party was facing November’s cold, wet and snowy lower Shenandoah Valley.

Sources:

(1 ) Spoder, Muriel Miller Clark, The Netherland Inn Chronicles, Spoden Associates, Kingsport, TN 1999, page 4 (map).

(2) Ibid, page 32.

(3) Spoden, Muriel M. C, Kingsport Heritage: The Early Years 1700 to 1900, The Overmountain Press, Johnson City, TN, 1991, page 172 & 173.

(4) Spoden, Muriel Miller Clark, The Netherland Inn Chronicles, Spoden Associates, Kingsport, TN, 1999, page 35.

(5) https://visitjohnsoncitytn.com/place/netherland-inn/

(6) Spoden, Muriel M. C., Kingsport Heritage: The Early Years 1700-1900, The Overmountain Press, Johnson City, TN, 1991, page 160.

(7) Spoden, Muriel M. C., Kingsport Heritage: The Early Years 1700-1900, The Overmountain Press, Johnson City, 1991, page 160-161.

(8) https://www.baysmountain.com/

(9) Heitman Francis B., Historical Register of Officers of the Continental Army during the war of revolution April 1775 to December1783, page 252.

(10) https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/wm3HF6_The_Grove_Bristol_Virginia