Some old photos of Tazewell
Hundreds, if not thousands, of photographs were taken in the late 19th century and early 20th century of locations and people in Tazewell County. A great many were catalogued and published by the Tazewell County Historical Society, and also by the Library of Virginia. The vast collection is now owned by the Jeffersonville Branch of the Tazewell County Public Library.
From time to time, we will add interesting photos to this website just to share online. Click the bold-face title to be directed to the photo.
Taylor's Mill. A photo taken about 1890 of a landmark grain mill that has recently been restored, near Maxwell on U.S. 19 and 460 west of Tazewell.
Pocahontas, 1911. This is an aerial view made at the time when Pocahontas was the most bustling community in the county.
Cedar Bluff Hotel. A three-story frame hotel that was a popular destination at the beginning of the 20th century. Its construction is typical of small hotels built in the mountains of Virginia, Kentucky, North Carolina and Tennessee at that time.
Main Street, Tazewell. A view of part of Main Street taken in the late 1930s, during a snowstorm.
To the Peak from Town. An early photo of the area now known as Buskill Subdivision, taken from downhill in town. At the time, it was simply uphill farmland.
Tazewell College In the late 1800s, there was a men's college (Tazewell College) and a women's college (Tazewell Female Seminary), founded locally to educate the young adults of the immediate region. Here is a photo of the men's college -- including some coeds from the women's college, which had burned down. The men's college also burned to the ground a few years later.
The Town of Tazewell about 1890. Photo is the property of the Virginia Historical Society, Richmond. It was taken by a photographer from Lexington, VA and apparently was his effort to replicate the view sketched by George Bickley for an engraving in his 1850 book on Tazewell County. In it may be seen the rear of the Courthouse; the steeples of Stras Memorial Episcopal Church, Tazewell Baptist Church, Tazewell Presbyterian Church and Main Street Methodist Church. Among the buildings that were later torn down is the 1850s Catholic Church on Marion Avenue, sold and converted to a chapel and auditorium by the Tazewell High School, then on Main Street.
