Grundy is a town in
Buchanan County,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
, United States, an area located within the
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...
region. It is the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
of Buchanan County.
The town is home to the
Appalachian School of Law
The Appalachian School of Law (ASL) is an ABA-approved private law school on a four building campus in Grundy, Virginia, a small town near the convergence of Virginia, Kentucky, and West Virginia. The school offers a three-year Juris Doctor de ...
. The population was 875 as of the
2020 census.
Legislation establishing Buchanan County in 1858 designated a plat of land at the confluence of the
Levisa Fork River and Slate Creek as the seat of government for the county and directed the erection of the county courthouse on the plat, which marked the beginnings of what would be Grundy.
Although originally developed along the
Levisa Fork River, which provided a transportation and power waterway, the town suffered from nine major floods since 1929 that have caused extensive damage, the last of which occurred in 1977. It is notable for having major businesses relocated in the 21st century to higher ground to prevent such damage in the future. A mountain opposite the historic town was blasted to provide a kind of plateau where much of the town was relocated and redeveloped. The federal project included construction of bridges and a
flood wall
A flood wall (or floodwall) is a primarily vertical artificial barrier designed to temporarily contain the waters of a river or other waterway which may rise to unusual levels during seasonal or extreme weather events. Flood walls are mainly u ...
, as well as the relocation of some roadways.
During the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
, the town served as a stop-over for
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
troops on their way to the
Battle of Saltville.
History
The town, founded in 1858 upon the formation of
Buchanan County, was named for
Felix Grundy
Felix Grundy (September 11, 1777 – December 19, 1840) was an American politician who served as a congressman and senator from Tennessee as well as the 13th attorney General of the United States.
Biography
Early life
Born in Berkeley Cou ...
(1777–1840),
United States Attorney General
The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...
(1838–1839) and
United States Senator
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
from
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
(1839–1840). It was incorporated in 1876. The present
courthouse dates from 1905 and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1982. Since the late 19th century, this area depended on coal mining as the basis of its economy. The decline in mining resulted in a loss of jobs and population.
Civil War events
In October 1864, Union raiders under Brigadier General
Stephen G. Burbridge passed through Grundy on their way to destroy the saltworks near
Saltville
Saltville is a town in Smyth and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 2,077 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Kingsport– Bristol (TN)– Bristol (VA) Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a compon ...
in
Smyth County
Smyth County is a county located in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 29,800. Its county seat is Marion.
History
Smyth County was formed on February 23, 1832, from Washington and Wythe counties. The county ...
. There they were met by
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
troops commanded by Brigadier General
Alfred E. Jackson at the
Battle of Saltville. The Union troops were defeated in the battle, but returned later and succeeded in destroying the saltworks.
Red Jacket Mine explosion
On April 25, 1938, a catastrophic mine explosion happened in the Keen Mountain Coal Mine. 45 were killed and 3 injured. This is widely regarded as one of the worst mining disasters in Virginia's history. The disaster was reported in the
Charleston Gazette
The ''Charleston Gazette-Mail'' is the only daily morning newspaper in Charleston, West Virginia. It is the product of a July 2015 merger between ''The Charleston Gazette'' and the '' Charleston Daily Mail''. The paper is one of nine owned by HD ...
.
Grundy Flood-control Project
Since 1929, Grundy has suffered nine major floods of the adjoining
Levisa Fork River. After the inundation of April 4, 1977, many businesses did not reopen, and owners abandoned the buildings that housed them. In 1984 many businesses flooded again.
A 21st-century project to relocate much of the town to higher ground has been completed. The project started in 2001. The mountain on the other side of the
Levisa Fork was blasted to create of relatively level land. After a few years of blasting, utilities were placed and new bridges were built across the river. A new town center on the west bank features a multi-level
Wal-Mart
Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...
with a parking deck.
Buildings backing on the river have been demolished, and a new flood wall protects the county courthouse.
U.S. Route 460
U.S. Route 460 (US 460) is a spur route of U.S. Route 60. It currently runs for 655 miles (1,054 km) from Norfolk, Virginia, at its parent route U.S. Route 60 at Ocean View to Frankfort, Kentucky, intersecting its parent route once ...
was relocated to the top of the flood wall. Businesses formerly located downtown were relocated to an industrial building located just outside town.
State Route 83 will be rerouted to meet
U.S. Route 460
U.S. Route 460 (US 460) is a spur route of U.S. Route 60. It currently runs for 655 miles (1,054 km) from Norfolk, Virginia, at its parent route U.S. Route 60 at Ocean View to Frankfort, Kentucky, intersecting its parent route once ...
down the street where
U.S. Route 460
U.S. Route 460 (US 460) is a spur route of U.S. Route 60. It currently runs for 655 miles (1,054 km) from Norfolk, Virginia, at its parent route U.S. Route 60 at Ocean View to Frankfort, Kentucky, intersecting its parent route once ...
originally took a directional split to go through downtown Grundy. Additional work upriver is under study to reroute
U.S. Route 460
U.S. Route 460 (US 460) is a spur route of U.S. Route 60. It currently runs for 655 miles (1,054 km) from Norfolk, Virginia, at its parent route U.S. Route 60 at Ocean View to Frankfort, Kentucky, intersecting its parent route once ...
inland from its current path.
Base of a regional grocery store chain
![Grundy Town Center](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Grundy_Town_Center.jpg)
Grundy was the home of the predecessor to the
Food City Stores, when Jack Smith opened a
Piggly Wiggly
Piggly Wiggly is an American supermarket chain operating in the American Southern and Midwestern regions run by Piggly Wiggly, LLC, an affiliate of C&S Wholesale Grocers. Its first outlet opened in 1916 in Memphis, Tennessee, and is notable fo ...
franchise in 1955. The store was Smith's first and the chain has now grown to 150 stores, primarily located in
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
,
Kentucky
Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...
,
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
Georgia and Alabama. The chain is known for sponsoring the
Food City 500
The Food City Dirt Race is an annual 250-lap, NASCAR Cup Series points race held at the Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee. This is one of two NASCAR races held at Bristol, the other being the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race. It was the ...
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...
race at
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway, is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961. Bristol is among the m ...
.
The Grundy store remained open one day short of 50 years. It closed in November 2005. A new store opened up just outside the town limits in
Vansant. The Grundy store was re-opened on June 29, 2011, as one of the
KVAT Food City Stores. It is a Super Dollar Foods Center location.
Education as a new sustaining industry
Grundy is home to the
Appalachian School of Law
The Appalachian School of Law (ASL) is an ABA-approved private law school on a four building campus in Grundy, Virginia, a small town near the convergence of Virginia, Kentucky, and West Virginia. The school offers a three-year Juris Doctor de ...
, which opened in 1997, and the
Appalachian College of Pharmacy
The Appalachian College of Pharmacy (ACP), formerly known as the University of Appalachia, College of Pharmacy, is a private doctoral pharmacy school located in Oakwood, Virginia. The school, established in 2003, is Virginia's only three-year ac ...
, which opened in 2005.
Buchanan County chose Grundy as the site for the ASL to revitalize the town, which had been in a steady economic decline since the Flood of 1977. The ASL has generated $12 million for the local economy. Its presence has increased demand for construction of rental homes and stimulated the opening of additional businesses in the area. Additionally, ASL has successfully demonstrated the concept of creating institutions of higher education as an economic development tool.
This success contributed to the founding of the Appalachian College of Pharmacy, located in
Oakwood.
Like the Appalachian School of Law, it was created as part of a continuing economic redevelopment effort in the region. ACP is forecast to add $20 million per year to the local economy.
Appalachian School of Law shooting
On January 16, 2002, Dean Anthony Sutin, Professor Thomas Blackwell, and 1L student Angela Dales were shot and killed on the campus of the
Appalachian School of Law
The Appalachian School of Law (ASL) is an ABA-approved private law school on a four building campus in Grundy, Virginia, a small town near the convergence of Virginia, Kentucky, and West Virginia. The school offers a three-year Juris Doctor de ...
by Peter Odighizuwa, 43, of
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
, a student. At his trial, Odighizuwa was found to be mentally competent. He pleaded guilty to the murders to avoid the death penalty, and was sentenced to multiple life terms in prison.
Geography
![WV plateau](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/48/WV_plateau.jpg)
Grundy is located at (37.276760, −82.095038).
The town is located at intersection of
U.S. Route 460
U.S. Route 460 (US 460) is a spur route of U.S. Route 60. It currently runs for 655 miles (1,054 km) from Norfolk, Virginia, at its parent route U.S. Route 60 at Ocean View to Frankfort, Kentucky, intersecting its parent route once ...
and
State Route 83 directly on the banks of the
Levisa Fork River. Grundy is located in the coalfields of the
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...
.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of t ...
, the town has a total area of 5.0 square miles (13.1 km
2), all of which is land.
Grundy is located in the
Cumberland Plateau Region.
Transportation
Grundy is served by the
Grundy Municipal Airport
Grundy Municipal Airport was a public-use airport located three nautical miles (6 km) southwest of the central business district of Grundy, a town in Buchanan County, Virginia, United States. It was publicly owned by the Town of Grundy a ...
located in
Vansant, which serves general aviation traffic. Commercial traffic can be found at
Beckley Raleigh County Memorial Airport in
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the B ...
and at the
Tri-Cities Regional Airport
Tri-Cities Airport (also known as Tri-Cities Airport, TN/VA), is in Blountville, Tennessee, United States. It serves the Tri-Cities area (Bristol, Kingsport, Johnson City) of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. The airport is governed ...
in
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
.
Four County Transit maintains a local trolley system that services downtown locations. Stops include the Grundy courthouse, Grundy Church of Christ, the former Food City parking lot, the Grundy Community Center, the Appalachian School of Law, and the former downtown parking lot.
The
Norfolk Southern Railway maintains tracks and runs trains through the town. However, there are no passenger rail services or stops currently in Grundy.
Grundy is served by
U.S. Route 460
U.S. Route 460 (US 460) is a spur route of U.S. Route 60. It currently runs for 655 miles (1,054 km) from Norfolk, Virginia, at its parent route U.S. Route 60 at Ocean View to Frankfort, Kentucky, intersecting its parent route once ...
. The
Coalfields Expressway will be built just to the north and east of town.
State Route 83 is also a major highway in the area.
Demographics
As of the
census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...
of 2000, there were 1,105 people, 405 households, and 249 families residing in the town. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...
was 219.3 people per square mile (84.7/km
2). There were 519 housing units at an average density of 103.0 per square mile (39.8/km
2). The racial makeup of the town was 79.19%
White
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...
, 17.92%
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.45%
Asian
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.09%
Pacific Islander
Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...
, 1.81% from
other races
Other often refers to:
* Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy
Other or The Other may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack
* ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 0.54% from two or more races.
Hispanic
The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad.
The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...
or
Latino
Latino or Latinos most often refers to:
* Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America
* Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States
* The people or cultures of Latin America;
** Latin A ...
of any race were 2.81% of the population.
There were 405 households, out of which 22.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% were
married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.3% were non-families. 36.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.72.
In the town, the population was spread out, with 32.2% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 21.4% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.5 males.
The median income for a household in the town was $37,411, and the median income for a family was $47,143. Males had a median income of $40,236 compared to $24,821 for females. The
per capita income
Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population.
Per capita i ...
for the town was $19,531. About 10.5% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 12.8% of those under the age of 18 and 14.0% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Grundy is the home of two public institutions. The town is also home to a private, Christian academy. Additionally, the town is home to a graduate-level college, granting law degrees.
Public schools
*
Grundy Senior High School
* Riverview Elementary/Middle School
Private institutions
* Mountain Mission School
Post-secondary education
*
Appalachian School of Law
The Appalachian School of Law (ASL) is an ABA-approved private law school on a four building campus in Grundy, Virginia, a small town near the convergence of Virginia, Kentucky, and West Virginia. The school offers a three-year Juris Doctor de ...
Notable people
*
Heath Calhoun
Heath Calhoun (born June 29, 1979) is an American alpine skier and veteran of the United States Army, who achieved the rank of staff sergeant. A double-leg amputee due to injuries received in the Iraq War, Calhoun uses a sit-ski in competitions. ...
– U.S. Paralympian, spokesperson for Wounded Warrior Project
*
Roger Keith Coleman
Roger Keith Coleman (November 1, 1958 – May 20, 1992) was a convicted murderer and rapist from Grundy, Virginia, USA, who was executed for the rape and murder in March 1981 of his sister-in-law, Wanda McCoy. That day, he had been laid off fro ...
– convicted of rape and murder of sister-in-law ; attracted support due to his claims of innocence, before being executed in 1992. He was the second man in the US to have post-execution analysis of
DNA; in 2006 this conclusively proved that he was guilty.
[Maria Gold and Michael D. Shear, "DNA Tests Confirm Guilt of Executed Man"](_blank)
''Washington Post'', January 12, 2006; Quote: "The testing in Coleman's case marks only the second time nationwide that DNA tests have been performed after an execution. In 2000, tests ordered by a Georgia judge in the case of Ellis W. Felker, who was executed in 1996, were inconclusive."; accessed May 26, 2017
*
Jayma Mays
Jamia Suzette "Jayma" Mays is an American actress. She is known for playing Emma Pillsbury in the Fox musical series '' Glee'' (2009–2015) and for her starring roles in the films ''Red Eye'' (2005), '' Paul Blart: Mall Cop'' (2009) and ''Th ...
– actress
*
Ryan O'Quinn – actor, writer
*
Bev Perdue
Beverly Eaves Perdue (born Beverly Marlene Moore; January 14, 1947) is an American businesswoman, politician, and member of the Democratic Party who served as the 73rd governor of North Carolina from 2009 to 2013. She was the first female gov ...
– Former
Governor of North Carolina
*
Lee Smith Lee Smith is the name of:
Arts, entertainment and media
*Lee Smith (fiction author) (born 1944), American author of fiction
* Lee Smith (film editor) (born 1960), Australian film editor
* Lee Smith (musician) (born 1983), American drummer
* Lee Sm ...
– writer
*
Mel Street
King Malachi "Mel" Street (October 21, 1935 – October 21, 1978) was an American country music singer who had 13 top-20 hits on the Billboard country charts.
Biography
Street was born near Grundy, Virginia, United States.Nelson, Dick (August ...
–
country music
Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
singer
*
Joshua James Burkes –
Slank
Slank is an Indonesian rock band. It was founded in 1983 by teenagers in an alley street in Jakarta called Gang Potlot. The band is also known for its song which are often accompanied with political and socially conscious lyrics. It continues t ...
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and mild to cool winters. According to the
Köppen Climate Classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
system, Grundy has a
humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.
Climate Summary for Grundy, Virginia
/ref> The Trewartha climate classification
The Trewartha climate classification (TCC) or the Köppen–Trewartha climate classification (KTC) is a climate classification system first published by American geographer Glenn Thomas Trewartha in 1966. It is a modified version of the Köppen ...
is temperate oceanic due to five months of winter chill (monthly means below 10 °C (50 °F)), abbreviated "Do" on climate maps.
See also
* The Virginia Mountaineer
References
External links
City-Data.com
Town of Grundy
*
{{Authority control
Towns in Buchanan County, Virginia
Towns in Virginia
County seats in Virginia
Populated places established in 1858
1858 establishments in Virginia