Nestled in a mountain setting, the Neo-Rustic Country Cabin is a focal point of Wise County’s cultural heritage. The cabin was built around 1937 when Katherine (Kate) O’Neil Peters Sturgill wanted to create a community center. Her father, William O’Neil, an Irish immigrant, donated the site. The Works Progress Administration program provided funds for the building. Local young men erected the log building, and Kate taught guitar lessons, conducted musical programs, and organized community gatherings here. A local banjo player, Doc Boggs, who later performed at Carnegie Hall, often joined her. At the time of its listing in the registers, Country Cabin, owned by Appalachian Traditions, featured cultural exchange programs with touring artists and hosts regular Saturday evening events aired on local radio and television stations. Traditional mountain music, dances and crafts continued to fill the cabin.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Programs
DHR has secured permanent legal protection for over 700 historic places - including 15,000 acres of battlefield lands
DHR has erected 2,532 highway markers in every county and city across Virginia
DHR has registered more than 3,317 individual resources and 613 historic districts
DHR has engaged over 450 students in 3 highway marker contests
DHR has stimulated more than $4.2 billion dollars in private investments related to historic tax credit incentives, revitalizing communities of all sizes throughout Virginia