Sunday Drive - Upper Goose Creek Valley, Bedford County, Va.

[Rebel - KGC]

Well, wife & I went looking for a restaurant, near Natural Bridge; we took the road NORTH of Montvale, Va.; Goose Creek Valley. Got "turned onto" PIKE ROAD (WRONG road; it IS part of the Buchanan Turnpike Road) & we went back to Montvale for Upper Goose Creek Road. BEAUTIFUL Valley; past Beale Treasure Road intersection with UGCV Road. Looked around; went further NORTH and saw current location of the church of "re-known" (Walnut Grove); went further NORTH for the ORIGIONAL location of WGC & nearby was the road leading to the "lost" community of SMYRNA. W.T. Wright had a cabin near-by & was known as the MYSTERY MAN of UPPER GOOSE CREEK VALLEY. He & his dog, Tippy took bags of Chestnuts a mill in Buchanan; which WE found, passing over Bear Wallow Gap of the Blue Ridge Parkway, onto winding roads into Buchanan, Va.; took Rt. 11 NORTH to restaurant near Natural Bridge... very NICE adventure!

 

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[franklin]

You should have stopped at the restaurant in Buchannon and mentioned the Beale Treasure. I do not know if they are still in business or not. They are kin to Toler Ranson. He searched with W.T. Wright and Walter and Pauline Innis. The owners of the restaurant know a lot about the Beale Treasure and it's history.

 

[Rebel - KGC]

You should have stopped at the restaurant in Buchannon and mentioned the Beale Treasure. I do not know if they are still in business or not. They are kin to Toler Ranson. He searched with W.T. Wright and Walter and Pauline Innis. The owners of the restaurant know a lot about the Beale Treasure and it's history.

We did THAT years ago; we were told to see a guy in Town Hall. We went to see him & he wasn't there; he was coming back (we were gonna ask him about "the Mountain"; outside of Buchanan. He never came, so we left). Anyway; ANOTHER time!

 

[Rebel - KGC]

Purgatory Mountain in Botetourt County, Va.

 

[Rebel - KGC]

Restaurant/Diner near Natural Bridge (State Park) was The Pink Cadillac, themed for ELVIS!

 

[RTR]

Good places to eat in that area? Their ALL good in Lexington !
> https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g57896-Lexington_Virginia.html

 

[franklin]

Purgatory Mountain in Botetourt County, Va.

Purgatory Mountain--------A lot of copper and silver mining went on in that area. Joseph Duran was supposed to have found a silver bar deep down under there. He took a photograph of it and reported it but it disappeared after he showed it to a Park Ranger.

 

[Rebel - KGC]

LOTS of Ore Furnaces in Botetourt County; think Roaring Run Furnace MAY have melted down Copper, Silver Ore (into Bars; MAYBE CSA GOLD COINS into GOLD BARS for VMI/Lexington, Va. in "Re-building" operations, after Yank General "Black Dave" Hunter burned 'em down. He went after Lynchburg, Va., too... LAST State Capital of Virginia @ April 6-10, 1865. Gen. Lee's surrender at Appomattox, Va. STOPPED Union "advance"; Lynchburg folks were "given" several days to hide "Richmond Stores" & "Assets" (one "BT" site was/is in Old City Cemetery off of 5th street). Even has a plaque stating so... heh!

 

[Rebel - KGC]

Good places to eat in that area? Their ALL good in Lexington !
> https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurants-g57896-Lexington_Virginia.html

Yepper! Wife & I ate in some of 'em; we LIKE Lexington!

 

[Rebel - KGC]

ANYWAY... BACK to Upper Goose Creek Valley, NORTH of Montvale; once known as Bufordsville. GREAT to see Beale Treasure Trail/Upper Goose Creek Valley Road intersection. GREAT to see current Walnut Grove Baptist Church (being within "4 miles of Buford's"); @ 2 miles further NORTH was the OLD location. GREAT to see the area of the lost community of Smyrna, which indicates possible location of "Buck" W. T. Wright's cabin near-by in the woods. Read about 'em all; now I SEE! Heh!

 

[Rebel - KGC]

Buchanan Turnpike Road (aka PIKE ROAD) goes over Buford's Gap (ORIGINAL crossing "point" of the Blue Ridge Mountains); used for the Virginia & Tennessee Rail Road during the CONFEDERATE WAR & "site" of a battle in 1864; (gotta do some R & I on THAT). It MUST have been the road that "Buck" W.T. Wright (mountain-man Rebel Sentinel) & his dog, Tippy... took to Buchanan to unload bags of Chestnuts... or was it GOLD REBEL coins...? Hmmm... MAYBE, the BTR was along GOOSE CREEK; dunno… MAY go & SEE!

 

[Rebel - KGC]

I read somewhere that Rebels put a dam into Goose Creek, & buried GOLD/SILVER Coins, & Jewelry donated by SOUTHERN Ladies for "The Cause", into a hole in the creek; covering it with a flat WHITE STONE, and releasing the water in the creek, again. Sounds more like the STONE MOUNTAIN legend near Smith Mountain Lake to me... ppl living at SML, can look for it; I DON'T care...

 

[Rebel - KGC]

Smyrna was created in UGCV from farmers in FARMLANDS of UGCV; from BEDFORD VILLAGES: Lost & Found Vol. 3, p.117... "Smyrna no longer exists, but the location survives, as do CERTAIN LANDMARKS, BOTH NATURAL and MAN MADE." EH...?!!!

 

[Rebel - KGC]

SAME book, p. 116; "Smyrna emerged in the Upper Goose Creek Valley, following the Civil War." More LATER on this... WOW!

 

[Rebel - KGC]

Think that PV was correct in his last book...

 

[Rebel - KGC]

ANYWAY... BACK to Upper Goose Creek Valley, NORTH of Montvale; once known as Bufordsville. GREAT to see Beale Treasure Trail/Upper Goose Creek Valley Road intersection. GREAT to see current Walnut Grove Baptist Church (being within "4 miles of Buford's"); @ 2 miles further NORTH was the OLD location. GREAT to see the area of the lost community of Smyrna, which indicates possible location of "Buck" W. T. Wright's cabin near-by in the woods. Read about 'em all; now I SEE! Heh!

Beale Treasure Road (from Taylor's Mountain) intersects with Upper Goose Creek Valley Road; it then goes on to the mountain & MAYBE Goose Creek; so, I gotta take a LEFT (from Montvale) next time & look around, as it appeared to be a one lane mountain road, and if Goose Creek is there... getting HOT!

 

[Rebel - KGC]

My guess is that Buchanan Turnpike (one lane road) with Goose Creek adjacent to it & near the "LOST" community of Smyrna & CSA Sentinel "Buck" W.T. Wright (who watched over it) is THE SITE! BUT! I also think later (by design) "it" was "found" and transported to Buchanan to be melted into bars; jewelry sold. The new "loot" as $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ was taken to Lexington, Va. & VMI for re-building operations... MAYBE! Gotta do MORE R & I on VMI!

 

[Rebel - KGC]

Smyrna was created in UGCV from farmers in FARMLANDS of UGCV; from BEDFORD VILLAGES: Lost & Found Vol. 3, p.117... "Smyrna no longer exists, but the location survives, as do CERTAIN LANDMARKS, BOTH NATURAL and MAN MADE." EH...?!!!

ANYONE know about "certain land-marks, both natural & man-made" near site of Smyrna in UGCV of Bedford County, Va.?

 

[Rebel - KGC]

ONLY thing that I can think of is the "slash" of boulder/rocks on the BRP above UGCV; dunno, if it ABOVE the Smyrna, Va. "area". Some of it MAY have been "natural" with "cuts" made in the building of the Blue Ridge Parkway, BEFORE reaching Bear Wallow Gap... I have to review my BUILDING THE BLUE RIDGE book. There is a picture of "Buck" W.T. Wright on his donkey & dog, Tippy near-by. "Buck" has an umbrella & bag of "chestnuts"... going into Buchanan, Va. I have seen two "pics" of "Buck" with his umbrella; if it was closed & down... "Treasure" may be "open"; if it was open & up... "Treasure" was CLOSED, COVERED, & PROTECTED... what one "old-timer" (CSA History "nut") told me. MORE later.

 

[franklin]

It is kind of strange that Smyrna was the name of the boat that a Captain Thomas Beale took down the Ohio River and eventually took another boat to New Orleans.