The country surrounding Galax was settled principally by people of the Quaker faith, a majonty of them coming up across the Blue Ridge from North Carolina after the battle of the Alamance in 1771, and the only wagon road across the mountain at that time was the Good Spur Gap road that reached the summit of the mountain at the old Morris Cemetery, near the present Fancy Gap Methodist Church, This road, being the first built, extended north, passing near Good Hope church and on by the present Poor Farm In Carroll County and on north crossing the river at or near Jackson's Ferry and on connecting with the road leading east to west at Fort Chiswell in Wythe County.
Stage Coaches and Oxen
It was stated that the stage coaches were used over this road when the weather would permit; it is also stated that a couple of yoke of oxen were kept at the foot of the mountain to assist the emigrants up and over the mountain.
A little later a road branched off this road near the Poor Farm and extended west through Grayson county to the Washington county line.
This was perhaps the first through-road built through the county and this road passed through the present city of Galax, crossing the creek near the present bridge on Route 58, following closely the present Stuart Drive, around the town and on out through West Galax, crossing Meadow Creek near Reavistown, on through Baywood, Cox's ford on New River, over Brush Mountain and on west to Washington county.
After Grayson county was cut off from Wythe county about 1792, other roads crossing the mountain were built, one from Pipers Gap to the County Seat of Grayson which was located at the present town of Oldtown, this road followed closely the present Piper's Gap Highway and crossed Chestnut Creek near the present Carroll Furniture plant and followed on the creek bank down to the present filtering plant, then crossing the hill passing in front of Brother Anderson's and the A. C. Painter home and West Galax on to Oldtown.
Also a road was established across the Low Gap and on through the Fairview section to Oldtown.
Earlier than the two last molitioned, a trail led from the mountain across the Coal Creek and Wards Mill Creek valleys and joined up with the road going west at the present Country Club.
Chestnut Yards was so inaccessible to reach by roads that it did not help the surrounding country very much; finally the people induced the N&W to extend their icains up to Blair where it would be more accessible to wagon traffic but the people soon realized that there was not sufficient room there to accommodate the business that had begun to pour in from all directions, whereupon they induced the N & W to extend the line up to the present site of the City of Galax.
J. P. Carico, a native of Stevens Creek community and a trader of horses and mules in the South, was perhaps the most successful promoter of enterprises this section has produced. While staying in Winston-Salem on a trip south with horses, he contacted Colonel Fries, who was a successful textile manufacturer, and induced him to build a mill. After he had helped establish this industry at Fries, and the N & W had agreed to extend their Railway up to the present City of Galax, he, along with J. B. Waugh and perhaps others formed a land company and purchased all the land between the Creek and the present highway on the west side of the creek up to the Anderson property, and proceeded to lay out the town. They secured an engineer from Lynchburg, Mr. DeMot, to whom was given the task of laying out the town which was destined to grow to a city of the second class in a period of fifty years.
Sheep Going to Market
'Good Ground Goin' to Waste!'
When the task of laying our the town was finished, a day was set for the opening of lot sales and a large crowd gathered for this opening sale. The most frequent expression heard from the crowd that day was "Why all these wide streets and sidewalks?; the town will never grow to where it needs street cars will be needed; it's just a wast of good ground."
When the crowd found that they could buy lots on the main part of town for $100 to $250 for corner lots and could buy lots a couple of blocks back for $50 they shook their heads and said it was entirely too much and many went home with the money in their pockets that they had brought with them for the purschasing lots.
But there are only a few of us left now to see just how wrong we were on that day, to know the prices that are being offered for the crowded condition of these wide streets now with automobiles, a thing that was hid from our thinking at that time.
But business people who saw the advantage of doing business at a point near a railway station began moving in and setting up buisness; also those who saw the advantage of having in a town where they would have more conveniences also began building homes here.
Among those moving up from Blair were J. B. Waugh & Co., Blair Grocery Co., William (Billy) Dalton, also the Bolens, Kapps, and others. The Ward brothers came in from the Pipers Gap or Wards Mill section, Jim Reavis and R. E. Jones from Reavistown, J. H. Witherow from Oldtown, and many others. Among the business firms that came to the town at the beginning and have continued under the same firm name to the present time are W. K. Early & Son, R. E. Jones & Son, J. C. Matthews & Co., Vass-Kapp Hardware Co., and Bolen Drug Co.
Early Parade in Galax
