Saltville, Virginia, billed as "The Salt Capitol Of The Confederacy", is a tiny southwestern Virginia town that played a...
(05/19/11) Saltville, Virginia, billed as "The Salt Capitol Of The Confederacy", is a tiny southwestern Virginia town that played a very important role in the American Civil War. The area's numerous salt mines provided "table salt" to the Confederate army for the soldiers to season their food items with. They also used it to cure any meat that was added to their meager rations (when they actually had some). Saltville was so critical to the South's hopes for success that the Union army attacked the town twice with the mission of destroying the salt works. The Confederates successfully defended the town against a Union attack in October 1864, but just two months later troops led by Major General George Stoneman successfully destroyed Saltville's ability to mine and distribute the precious mineral for the remainder of the war. The subsequent lack of salt helped lower the morale of the Confederate troops and quite possibly hastened the end of the war four months later on April 9, 1865. Today, the...See less
available at rlrouse.com
Agriculture has played a dominant role in the Commonwealth of Virginia's development since the establishment of the...
(05/19/11) Agriculture has played a dominant role in the Commonwealth of Virginia's development since the establishment of the first permanent English settlement at Jamestown in 1607. John Rolfe, a 17th-century colonist and husband of Pocahontas, introduced tobacco to England via the Virginia Colony in 1614. Thereafter, tobacco was king in the Tidewater area colony throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. Colonists only grew corn and wheat for use by their families. Other crops were grown, but mostly for individual consumption. As Virginia's Piedmont became more populated during the 19th century, the area became a major tobacco producer. Lynchburg, Blackstone, and Danville were tobacco centers, with Lynchburg being one of the largest in the world in the early 19th century. The Jamestown colonists introduced both wind-powered gristmills and water-powered gristmills to their settlement in the Virginia colony. These mills were necessary to grind grain into grist or meal. The meal could then be sifted...See less
available at nps.gov
In 1843 doctor Felix Boczkowski formulated that the presence of the air in the salt mines in Wieliczka in Poland...
(05/19/11) In 1843 doctor Felix Boczkowski formulated that the presence of the air in the salt mines in Wieliczka in Poland saturated with dry salt particles caused healing effects on people with pulmonary and respiratory problems. Today the Wieliczka Salt Mine is operating as the largest Underground Rehabilitation and Treatment Center. They are the world leader in providing innovative rehabilitation and treatment of respiratory diseases by combining both the natural microclimate of the underground salt excavations and the best practices of contemporary medicine. Using the Wieliczka model, The Williamsburg Salt Spa is almost identical in terms of physical, chemical and biological conditions that are present in the mine which creates a positive effect on health. The appearance and structure of the mine excavation has been reproduced with extraordinary care, and the ventilation system that is used maintains temperature, humidity and the unique microclimate that prevails in the mine. Williamsburg...See less
available at williamsburgsaltspa.com
History Mining in Virginia has taken place in one form or another since mans initial habitation of the land. Early...
(05/19/11) History Mining in Virginia has taken place in one form or another since mans initial habitation of the land. Early mining in Virginia began with the retrieval of flint and stone by American Indians for use as tools, and with the mining of bog iron ore near Jamestown in 1609. The first ironworks were set up in 1619 about 66 miles above Jamestown on the James River. The Virginia ironworks were small local operations using local sources of ore for raw material. The only other metal of any importance in colonial America was lead, which was used mostly for bullets. The Austinville Lead/Zinc Mine in Wythe County, Virginia operated in the 1700s and was important in the Revolutionary War. Salt mines, located in the town of Saltville, were utilized for preservation purposes during the Civil War. In the 1800s numerous gold mines existed in Virginia. Shafts were sunk and drifts driven to explore and mine the deposits of gold, copper, iron, lead, and silver. As the mineral deposits in the...See less
available at dmme.virginia.gov
The State of Virginia is moving in a great work of internal improvement, and is making a railroad that will reach...
(05/19/11) The State of Virginia is moving in a great work of internal improvement, and is making a railroad that will reach thegreat salt mines of its mountains, and in a few years that salt will be distributed over the whole of the eastern States-its superior quality will ensure for it a ready sale everywhere; for it is better worth one dollar per bushel for table use than any other salt that ever came to our market is worth twenty five cents. It is a pure chloride of sodium, and will remain as dry as flour in any latitude from tile equator to the pole. This great salt mine is in a trough between two mountains, at an elevation of 1,882 feet above the level of the sea, andnear the waters of the north fork of Holston river, a tribute of the river Tennessee, and near the rivers of the States of Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina, where these border on a southwestern point of the State of Virginia. The fossil salt lies about 220 feet below the surface of theground, and is encased in a vast...See less
available at newrivernotes.com
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