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Population in 1880--White 7,671; colored -101; total 7,772
County Seat, Wise C.H., Population: 200
Vote of county, November 2d 1886: Democrates, 508, Republicans 660
Value of real estate, 1887: $357,462.82
Value of personal property: $173,694.00
Tax on real estate: $1,429.85
Tax on personal property: $694.78
Captation Tax: White, 1,213, colored, 15

This county lies at the eastern base of the Cumberland mountains, in the extreme southwestern portion of the State, and was formed from Russell, Lee and Scott in 1856, and named in honor of General Henry A. Wise, the then Governor. Some of the finest timber lands in the State are found in this county. There is also an abundance of the finest coal and coke and very large beds of iron ore; also, very fine mineral springs. The surface is very broken and the county sparsely settled. The valley lands are quite rich, and large crops of Indian corn and buckwheat are raised, as well as oats and wheat. This county is also noted for having some of the finest grazing lands in the State. It is a fine fruit-growing section. The county is well watered by the Guests and Powells rivers, tributaries of the Clinch, in the southern and eastern portions, and by the branches of the Big Sandy in the northern part. Wise C.H. is about the center of the county, and has a population of 200. Estilville, in Scott county, is the nearest railroad point. It contains an area of 783 1/3 square miles, and the lands have an average assessed value of about 65 cents per acre.

Post Offices

Big Stone Gap
Bond's Mills - Rev. J. H. Stallard
Butcher's Fork
Crane's Nest
Dwina - T. B. Hillman
Eolia
Gilly
Guests River - James H. Durham
Guests Station - R. E. Smith
Pound
Wise C.H. - William D. Nottingham

Courts

The Circuit Court of the Seventeenth Circuit meets at Wise Court House on the third Monday after the fourth Monday after the fourth Monday in March and August.

Judge: H. S. K. Morrison
Clerk: J. E. Lipps

The County Court meets at the Courthouse on the Tuesday after fourth Monday in each month.

Judge: T. G. Wells
Clerk: J. E. Lipps

County Officers

Sheriff: J. W. Hutchinson
Treasurer: B. B. Redwin
Surveyor: J. B. Sprolls
Commissioners of Revenue: D. C. Dean and P. M. Alley
Commonwealth's Attorney: R. P. Bruce

Magistrates

B. F. Bickley, Bickley Mills; J. F. Evlin; James Ruffin and James Hunsucker, Wise C.H.; A. M. Lee, Big Stone Gap; Reuben McFall, Pound; Hugh L. Pennington, Bond's Mills

Attorney's at Law

Alderson, George - Guest's Station
Bruce, R. P. - Wise C.H.
Bullett, J. F. - Big Stone Gap
Fulton, E. M. - Wise C.H.
Kilgore, C. F. - Wise C.H.
Kilgore, G. W. - Wise C.H.
McCarty, Weldon - Dwina
McDowell, H. C. - Big Stone Gap
Miller, W. T. - Wise C.H.
Ramey, B. C. - Guest's Station
Skeen, H. A. W. - Wise C.H.
Vicars, A. M. - Guest's Station
Wales, T. G. - Wise C.H.
Wells, W. M. - Big Stone Gap

Cattle Dealers

Banner, D. K. - Guest's Station
Gilly, John - Wise C.H.
Robinett, Samuel - Big Stone Gap
Wells, Ellington - Big Stone Gap

Dentists

Trent, C. F. - Guest's Station

Coach Makers

Freeman, Beverly - Guest's Station

Distillers

Hamilton, Nelson - Wise C.H.
Ramey, Henry - Wise C.H.
Wheatley, Jonathan - Wise C.H.

General Merchants

Banner, Carico & Co. - Guest's Station
Bond & Nash - Guest's Station
Corn, Greer & Co. - Guest's Station
Dotson, W. P. & Co. - Pound
Dotson, H. H. - Wise C.H.
Durham, J. W. - Guest's Station
Derifield, David & Son - Dwina
Flanery, C. F. - Wise C.H.
Flanery, J. M. - Big Stone Gap
Gilly, John - Big Stone Gap
Gilly, John B. - Big Stone Gap
Greer & Co. - Guest's Station
Hale, J. M. - Guest's Station
Holbrook, James, Jr. - Dwina
Hylton, J. B. - Clintwood, Dickenson Co.
Kelly, J. J., Sr. - Guest's Station
Mann, J. A., Jr. - Wise C.H.
Mullins, Ephraim - Clintwood, Dickenson Co.
Mullins, S. L. - Clintwood, Dickenson Co.
Richmond, H. C. - Wise C.H.
Short, D. A. - Bond's Mill

Hotels

Alderson, George - Guest's Station
Corn, J. B. - Guest's Station
Dickenson, N. E. - Guest's Station
Dotson, H. H. - Guest's Station
Hylton, Wm. - Wise C.H.
Mann, J. A., Jr. - Wise C.H.

Mills--Corn and Flour

Boles, Rufus - Guest's Station
Dotson, M. D. L. - Pound
Bruce, D. W. - Guest's Station
Durham, J. M. - Guest's Station
Gilly, Elkanah - Big Stone Gap
Hall, Henry - Clintwood, Dickenson Co.
Hamilton, Nelson - Wise C.H.
Horton, H. N. - Big Stone Gap
Kelly, Mathias - Big Stone Gap
Kilgore, W. E. - Wise C.H.
McFalls, Wm. - Clintwood, Dickenson Co.
Roberson, James - Pound
Salyer, L. H. N. - Wise C.H.
Soyard, Jefferson - Pound
Vanover, W. Y. - Clintwood, Dickenson Co.

Mills-Saw

Davis, J. T. - Guest's Station
Gilly, Elkanah - Big Stone Gap
Gibson, C. - Big Stone Gap
Hamilton, Nelson - Wise C.H.
Kelly, Mathias - Big Stone Gap
Kilgore, W. E. - Wise C.H.
Robertson, James - Pound
Sayler, L. H. N. - Wise C.H.
Wells, Solomon - Wise C.H.

Physicians

Davis, J. F. - Guest's Station
Hagery, G. W. - Bond's Mill
Hillman, J. W. - Pound
Redwine, B. B. - Wise C.H.
Short, D. H. - Bond's Mill
Short, R. S. - Bond's Mill
Sparks, J. L. - Guest's Station
Stallard, J. H. - Dwina
Taylor, M. B. - Wise C.H.
Wells, Anderson - Wise C.H.
Wells, Jeremiah - Wise C.H.

Saddlers and Harness Makers

Ashworth, F. A. - Guest's River
Nottingham, W. D. - Wise C.H.

Schools

Gladesville College - Crane's Nest

There are 33 white and 1 colored public schools in this county. Superintendent, J. B. Gilly - Big Stone Gap

Tanners

Durham, J. M. - Guest's River
Eaton, J. S. - Guest's River
Spencer, W. G. - Guest's River

Principal Farmers

Bond's Mill--Reuben Bolling, A. L. Bolling, J. D. Bolling, Gilbert Adams, Thomas Williams, D. H. Short, Thomas Williams, D. H. Short, Thurston Banner, J. H. Stallard, Jr., Lewis Cantreal, A. J. Dotson

Butcher's Fork--John M. Robinett, H. C. Slemp, John Lipps, David M. Lipps, Johnson Wells

Crane's Nest--Frank Hutchenson, Duncan Stallard, John D. Davis, Washington Bevins, Spencer Bennett, Wilson Adkins

Dwina--S. C. Holbrook, C. J. Patterson, H. Stallard, Sr., C. H. Stallard, Sr., C. H. Stallard, Jr., M. T. Evans, J. M. Evans, Wilson Holbrook, Jas. Bond, Robert H. Bond, William Bond, G. W. Hall

Guest's River--N. J. Horn, S. F. Greer, T. M. Greer, Wm. Horn, Saml. Horn, S. S. Counts, M. J. Bruce, E. Moore, J. Flanary, H. C. Carter, Henry Sexton, H. H. Sexton, J. M. Sexton, Sr., J. M. Sexton, Jr., L. Gibson, H. C. Bruce, D. W. Burce, Wiley Boles, T. J. Horn, Wm. McNeill, Wm. A. Hoback, Mrs. Jennie Horn, Dan Hoback, J. B. Miller, Wayman Riggle, W. H. Nash

Guest's Station--N. E. Dickenson, W. M. Greear, H. H. Kilgore, George Alderson, D. K. Barmer, R. Boy Dickenson, George Ramsey, J. B. Corn, J. M. Carico

Wise C.H.--Wm. Dean, T. G. Wells, Ed. Hubbard, Levi Hoback, L. C. Holdaway, J. F. Johnson, Win Wells, Bricky Wells, C. F. Flannary, George Beverly, Jno. Beverely, Jonathan Wheatley, W. R. Wheatley, Joel Wheatley, E. Friley, Hoge Bruce, Henry Ramey