The McClure home in Smyth County VA

It's great that a lot of the history of the McClure family has been preserved.

This could be considered one of the most historically-important, recent discoveries in Southwest Virginia - a log fort house built in 1768 by Nathaniel McClure, Jr (1747-1796) located in the St. Clair's Bottom area of present-day Smyth County, Virginia. This frontier-era landmark had been effectively "hiding in plain sight" until I [Robert Reid Edmonds] was fortunate enough to purchase it from Nathaniel's direct 5th great-granddaughter. Amazingly, this property had remained within the original McClure family for the last 257 years - a family seat bravely established on the Virginia frontier during a time when the colonies were still under the thumb of the British monarchy. This discovery effectively rewrites what we thought we knew about the oldest still standing (in situ) structure in Smyth or any of the surrounding counties.

According to family lore, sometime in the late 1760s several members of the McClure family of Rockbridge County, Virginia would make the decision to head out towards the state of Kentucky in search of a better life. The settling party would consist of Nathaniel McClure, Jr and his cousin, Halbert McClure along with his wife and children. Along the way, somewhere on the frontier, Nathaniel would meet his first wife with whom he would have his first child, Sarah, born in 1770 in the fortified log house that he would eventually build two years prior to her birth. Eventually the party would make their way to the area in Virginia known as St. Clair's Bottom, which was located in Augusta County at the time (current day Smyth County) - this area had previously been explored and settled some years prior, led by a man named Colonel James Patton who in 1748 had erected a substantial home a short distance away known as "Town House".

The story goes that Nathaniel and his new wife were so enamored with the area around St. Clair's Bottom that they would make the decision to stop their journey and put down roots there, a decision which didn't sit too well with cousin Halbert - this would cause a heated argument between the two men resulting in Nathaniel staying put and Halbert going on towards Kentucky without him. Halbert wouldn't make it to Kentucky - he would make it as far as nearby Rich Valley, stopping there and establishing a homestead for himself and his family, a decision which would end up being a fatal one years later when he and much of his family were killed by Native Americans - read about that terrible tragedy here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/HSWCV/posts/3658269327600747/

Nathaniel built his fortified log house out of large chestnut logs, using hand-chiseled limestone blocks for its massive chimney. He decided to build the house as a typical one-over-one setup with only a front door, a back door with two gun ports located in the loft above - he knew the dangers of the frontier and this setup was his safest option for him and his future family. This layout is extremely similar to the Kilgore Fort House located in nearby Scott County, Virginia.

No one really knows what happened to Nathaniel's first wife but in 1780 he would marry a woman by the name of Dorcas Cole, who was the direct 4th great-granddaughter of the Mayflower passenger Stephen Hopkins. They would end up having several children together, effectively ensuring a long-term presence in the area for the McClure family.

Over the years Nathaniel's fortified log home would go through several changes; the first change would come in the 1830s when a large wood-frame addition was added to the rear elevation. Then, in the 1890s, a man named John Dolinger, a local woodworker, would marry one of the McClure girls and update the rear sections with his own touch, adding an amazing walnut staircase inside the rear addition and covering the log section of the house with clapboard siding; he would also remove the original winder staircase out of the log section, add extra windows to this part of the house, including enlarging the front gun port to insert a paned window.

The house would then be passed down to several more McClure family members until it was last lived in during the late 1980s.

Two entrances

Since purchasing the home, I've started peeling back some of the layers of the more contemporary remodels, removing old drywall and drop ceilings to reveal the original tongue and groove which is still covered in its original old milk paint. After removing the old drywall in the first floor of the log section, I was amazed to uncover the original cock-beaded beams in the ceiling and the old hand-scraped and square-nailed planks on the walls, still covered in their old butternut yellow paint. Amazingly when the old exterior wooden siding was removed from the logs under the porch, several names were revealed that had written in pencil on the old chinking, also showing where children had been practicing their ABC's.

The McClure family has also generously donated several items original to the home including the original rope bed that belonged to Nathaniel and Dorcas. Many items have also been discovered in the attic, including an oval portrait of Squire McClure and another red-washed rope bed. The portrait that hangs over the fireplace is of Nathaniel's son, John James McClure (his name is inscribed on the reverse). The palace-sized Smyth County loomed rugs seen on the floor of the blue bedroom are believed to be original to the house - these were sold out of the house decades ago but were graciously returned to me by a very good friend and local historian in nearby Seven Mile Ford, so they're now finally back in their rightful place.

Thanks to FaceBook page Robert Reid EdmondsEarly American

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And wait till you see  more "McClure homes" I found when searching for this one before posting!

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Today's goddess:

Goddess on the Throne from the Vinča culture circa 5100 BC

Thanks Jenny Mendes Ceramics on FB

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Winter Solstice is just five days away. Some cultures call it Yule.

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Thanks Girl Scouts!