Estillville, Virginia Convention

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Estillville Convention – Gate City Virginia

In 1831, present-day Gate City VA, known as Estillville at that time, was the site for the first meeting of officials to discuss a road and trade route across the Appalachian Mountains. Meeting attendees were from the states Tennessee, Virginia, North Carolina, and Kentucky. A representative from Charleston SC was to attend, but lost their way in the mountains.

At that meeting, various routes were discussed that would link Pikeville KY to the base of Linville Mountain in NC. This proposed road would be the center section of a future overland route connecting the Ohio River to the Atlantic Ocean, Ashland KY to Charleston SC.

Colonel Stephen Long of the United States Corps of Topographical Engineers presented preliminary survey options across the mountains. All of the options ran through Moccasin Gap in southwest Virginia, which had also been part of Daniel Boone’s Wilderness Road.

The attendees of the convention discussed the various routes and developed a list of resolutions that could guide the promotion, organization, and financing of the road.

One of the proposed routes that was considered at the Estillville Convention was very similar to the eventual routing of the Charleston Cincinnati & Ohio Railroad and the Clinchfield Railroad.

The stated goal of the convention was to discuss a routing that would connect “the Ohio River, the great Valley of the Tennessee River, and the Southern states.”

For More Information – Sources and Resources

The following are excellent resources for those of you wanting to explore and learn more about the history and operation of the Appalachian Railroads. These sources of information also serve as reference and historical materials for Appalachian-Railroads.org. Much of the content on the website is verified across multiple sources.

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