BLACKSBURG - 1798

Blacksburg dates from 1798 when William Black and his wife Jane gave 38/ 3/4 acres + 20 poles for the town. In his petition to the state legislature, Black stated he had "a piece of ground, in a healthy climate, a fertile neighborhood, with excellent springs thereon, agreeably and well situated for a small town. . . " [2] On August 4, 1798 the land was deeded to the trustees of the town. The town consisted of 16 blocks with each block containing four almost one half acre lots (eight by nine poles). Lot 40 was assigned to the Methodists who immediately built a small log church. There is no evidence of any of the lots being left open. The land slopes gently to the southwest and is quite suited to the gridiron street pattern. This pattern and street names remain today except Rope Street is now Draper Road.

NEWBERN — 1810

Newbern, [3] the first seat of Pulaski County government, dates from March 3, 1810 when 29 lots were laid off "for the purpose of erecting a town to be called and known by the name of Newbern." [4] Each lot contained .48 acres (6 by 13 poles). The town had one street, the Great Road, running along the top of a ridge and one cross street. Near one end of the cross street was a spring which supplied the residents with water. The area between the end of the street and the spring was called the previledged way thus suggesting a common area reserved for the Newbern residents. With the tanyard located so the prevailing summer breezes would carry the odor away from town, suggests Adam Hance (the founder) was concerned about the comfort of the inhabitants. This street layout fits the topography very well.

TRIGGSVILLE — 1809

Triggsville was similar in plan to Newbern although slightly bigger. Established December 6, 1809 for the purpose of domestic manufacturing, Triggsville, having to compete with Newbern never flourished and developed. Triggsville contained 40 lots each 50 acre (8 x 10 poles), two streets, two cross streets and a 57' wide common. The community spring was located on the common. Triggsville is the only New River Valley town researched to use the word "common." Located on nearly flat river bottom land, the topography was ideally suited to the street pattern.

The three plans just discussed were typical of the town layouts in the New River Valley of the period. Street pattern and lot sizes were nearly identical and each worked with the topography. Public space was not provided. Mount Airy, a town in Wythe County that never developed, had a public square but no mention was made of its intended use. The next several plans represent towns of a later time period; 1880s, when several different types of open spaces were identified.

WYTHEVILLE — 1883

An 1839 map of Wytheville shows a plan similar to Triggsville, but very much larger. The first open space noted for Wytheville, a 1-3/4 acre graveyard, appears on this plan. By 1877, the town had more than doubled in area. The town map for that year showed a stream running through town, the Catholic church, the 1839 graveyard and, although not within the town limits, "The South West Virginia Agricultural Society's Fair Grounds." [5] Six years later the town map showed the county courthouse, two schools, three churches, two cemeteries and a park containing a spring and a chalybeate fountain. This is the first notation of a park to be found in any of the New River Valley towns researched. Wytheville was fortunate to have a public open space near the center of town; one block from the courthouse. Today, a church occupies much of the former park site. Most of the stream has been culverted, however, in a few areas it is still flowing free. By this time the railroad had arrived in Wytheville. Its influence can be seen in the way the street pattern has been changed to reflect the depot and the railroad tracks.

CHRISTIANSBURG — 1883

Known originally as Hans Meadow, the seat of Montgomery County became Christiansburg in 1792. A map of the town from the early 1800's shows the courthouse in the central square, streams and springs, the old academy with trees on the site. This is the only early town plan found that shows trees on a specific site.

By 1883 the town plan included the courthouse on a corner of the square, two churches, a cemetery, a public school and the female college. It is interesting to compare the size of the sites in Christiansburg with those in Wytheville of the same year. The larger sites suggests a recognization for future growth and/or a desire to provide a setting for the building. The most recent courthouse, opened in 1980, still occupies this site although is set farther back from the square. A public open space has been provided where the previous courthouse stood. Small public spaces have been developed in each of the remaining three quadrants, however, each space is cut off by streets and parking thereby making them undesirable to use. Monuments to local heros, wars and historical events are located in these spaces but overgrown shrubbery makes viewing them difficult.

PULASKI — 1888

The map of Pulaski in 1888 showed several large woodlots wrapping around the developed part of the town. These woodlots appear where the topography was too steep and difficult to develop at that time. Two streets run north, their location dictated by the hills on either side. A large cemetery occupies one of the hills. The only identified public open space is the courthouse site. Land owned by the Norfolk and Western railroad along Peak Creek provided private open space. In 1884 the railroad built the Maple Shade Inn for travelers passing through Pulaski and for visitors from the deep South and eastern Virginia to vacation in the mountains. The inn stood on a huge lawn shaded by stately maples. Here the guests enjoyed such outdoor activities as tennis, croquet, horseback riding and carriage rides. Whether the townspeople had access to the recreation opportunities at the Inn is unclear. In 1963 the Inn was razed for a shopping center and other parcels of railroad land were given to the town of Pulaski for a park. Here the railroad had more of an impact on the economic life of the town than on the physical form of the town.

RADFORD — 1888

In 1888 a new town named Radford was planned to be built across a deep ravine from the town of Central. There is no evidence that any public open space had been provided. All the land along the New River was allocated to industry and manufacturing. On the original map the ravine was delineated in a manner usually reserved for parkland, however, this land was not designated for this purpose. Today the land is a Radford park as is much of the land along the New River. The land in the residential area is steep and hilly, however, the street pattern does not reflect the topography. The street pattern is a flat land solution. Central is now a part of the city and is often referred to as east Radford.

FRIES — 1940

In April 1901 construction began on a 39' high dam across the New River for the purpose of generating power for a proposed cotton mill. With the construction of the mill, Fries, a cotton mill town on the New River, was built to house the workers. Small houses were built row upon row on narrow lots on the hillside above the river and the mill. An elementary school was constructed at the same time as the houses. Early in the history of the town a community center as built which soon became the hub of the social and recreational life of the town. The railroad depot also served as a social magnet. A long time resident stated that in 1903 . . . everyone went to the depot to watch the trains come in." [6] The 1940 map shows a cemetery and a ball field. At present the town is developing a walk along the river in the vicinity of the park and the cemetery. The early town was developed on the flatter land along the New River. As the need for housing grew, development climbed higher up the hills causing the street pattern to become more irregular.

NEW RIVER — Not dated

Of all the towns researched, New River has to be the most unusual. Probably planned around the 1890's, New River has the appearance of "just happening." The choatic street pattern has no relationship to topography, there is no indication of any public buildings, no industry or sense of organization. It is not too difficult to see why New River never developed.