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History · Big Stone Gap East

Half of Big Stone Gap East’s homes were built after 1987

Most of Big Stone Gap East was built recently: 8% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1987. Below: maps from 1921 on.

0on the National Register
8%homes built before 1940
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What stands out about Big Stone Gap East’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Big Stone Gap East are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.On the map since 19215 editions of the USGS map, 1921 to 1991. Watch Big Stone Gap East change.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Big Stone Gap East’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Big Stone Gap East’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
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On the map

Big Stone Gap East on the map, 1921 to 1991

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Big Stone Gap East. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Big Stone Gap East on the 1921 USGS mapBig Stone Gap East on the 1935 USGS mapBig Stone Gap East on the 1957 USGS mapBig Stone Gap East on the 1969 USGS mapBig Stone Gap East on the 1991 USGS map1921Wise sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Big Stone Gap East.

The story so far

Big Stone Gap East, in brief

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Big Stone Gap East yet. The photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Big Stone Gap East is an unincorporated area and census-designated place (CDP) in Wise County, Virginia, United States. It was first listed as a CDP in the 2020 census with a population of 687. The CDP is located in the southwestern part of the county, on the eastern edge of the town of Big Stone Gap, outside the town limits. U.S. Route 23 and 58 Alternate, a four-lane expressway, curves to the south and east of the community, separating it from East Stone Gap to the south. Norton is 8 miles (13 km) to the northeast.

Intro from Wikipedia. Population: U.S. Census Bureau.

By decade

No old photos in the archives yet

Weddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.

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Famous people

Famous people close to Big Stone Gap East

Nobody well known was born in Big Stone Gap East itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

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George C. ScottAmerican actor, film director and producer · b. 1927
Peggie CastleAmerican actress who specialized in playing the… · b. 1927
Juanita M. KrepsUnited States Secretary of Commerce · b. 1921
Maybelle CarterAmerican country musician · b. 1909
Louise SlaughterAmerican politician · b. 1929
O
Ollan CassellAmerican sprinter · b. 1936
Places that used to be

Old corners

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
Big Stone Gap

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Stories next door

History across the town line

Each neighbor’s History grade, on the same three inputs.

Big Stone Gap8 historic placesB

Questions about Big Stone Gap East’s history

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
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Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From U.S. Geological Survey historical maps and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.