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Local Author Joe Tennis Explores Route 58 in New Book

For Joe Tennis, writing a book called "Beach to Bluegrass" about U.S. Highway 58 became a personal venture.

For a year, the author lived at Weber City, just off the highway, and has lived since 1994 at Bristol, also off Highway 58.

Local folks will have an opportunity to talk with the author during a special book signing planned for Nov. 27 at the Scott County Public Library.

"I was actually born off the road - almost where it begins - at Virginia Beach," said Tennis, a longtime writer for the Bristol Herald Courier. "I love the places along this highway. Still, what really sparked my interest in writing about Route 58, was when I worked on a series of newspaper articles dealing with the road construction."

A graduate of Radford University, Tennis spent a year as a reporter and photographer for the Kingsport Times-News. While there, in 1993, he focused his camera on Lee County's road construction widening on U.S. 58 for a photo essay, published in 2003.

"It was funny," Tennis said. "All the guys on the crew kept talking about how long the road stretched. It goes over 500 miles. They said, 'This goes all the way back to Virginia Beach.' And I said, 'Yeah, that's where I was born.'"

Later, Tennis decided to link Daniel Boone's Wilderness Road across Scott and Lee counties with The Crooked Road and go on to the Tobacco Road of the Southside and then to Hampton Roads, he said.

Before long, he had written the new "Beach to Bluegrass: Places to Brake on Virginia's Longest Road" (The Overmountain Press, $17.95).

The 58-chapter book follows the path of U.S. Highway 58 but actually starts just north of the road at Cape Henry - the place where the Jamestown settlers landed in 1607.
"That's where Virginia begins," Tennis said. "The settlers spent three days there - getting into a squabble with the Indians and stealing their oysters."

"Beach to Bluegrass" explores the lighthouses of Fort Story and the swamps of First Landing State Park. Then, the book's motoring trail goes south for about five miles to U.S. 58 and begins the long journey west, eventually arriving in Abingdon, Bristol, Hiltons, Weber City, Gate City and Clinchport.

"Each chapter is its own short story," said Tennis. "And what's among my favorites is the story of Johnny and June at the Carter Fold."

Featuring never-before-published photos of the famous musicians and their son, John Carter, this chapter focuses on the time Johnny Cash and June Carter spent in Virginia, at Scott County, and includes accounts by local residents Fern Carter Salyer and Rita Forrester.

"I was fortunate, too, to meet both Johnny and June," Tennis said. "And I wanted that part of their story - the time they spent in Virginia - to be a big part of this book."

Tennis's first book, "Southwest Virginia Crossroads," focused on the life of Janette Carter and The Carter Family in its Scott County chapter. A 180-page work, "Southwest Virginia Crossroads" surveys 17 counties including Russell, Washington, Scott, Lee, Wise and Montgomery counties. "Southwest Virginia Crossroads" (The Overmountain Press, $29.95) tells how places took their names and where to find waterfalls, parks, lakes, historic sites and natural landmarks.

"I wanted 'Beach to Bluegrass' to be like a follow up to 'Crossroads,'" Tennis said. "I started out writing another book about Southwest Virginia and then combined that with something on Patrick County - what I was calling the 'Piedmont Virginia Crossroads.'"

Then, Tennis found that he could connect his hometown, Virginia Beach, with the places he loved in Southwest Virginia, like the Clinch River, Grayson Highlands State Park, Virginia Creeper Trail and Scott County.

"Route 58 simply worked," Tennis said. "It's a long, winding road. And it's probably not the natural way to the beach from Gate City or Bristol. But it tells the story of every great war. It passes some largely unknown but fascinating stories. And it tells about all these famous people."

R.J. Reynolds, the cigarette manufacturer, was born off the road, near Stuart. Adolph Coors, the man with his name on beer cans, died off the road at the Cavalier Hotel in Virginia Beach.

Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart was born off the road in Patrick County. Gen. Douglas MacArthur is buried off the road in Norfolk.

"Now, nobody knows where Hank Williams died," Tennis said. "But there's the story of 'Hank's Last Ride' in this book, and that talks about the confusion between his chauffer stopping in either Bluefield or Bristol. At some point, Hank's Cadillac would have crossed Route 58 at Bristol."

Comical accounts in "Beach to Bluegrass" include how people once traded turtles, snakes and pigs to get in the door of Abingdon's Barter Theatre; how Virginians quarrel with Georgians over where Brunswick Stew originated; and how an April Fool's Day joke at Mount Trashmore Park in Virginia Beach landed a radio station staff on suspension.

"There is also a mystery to this road," said Tennis. "Everybody knows it goes from Virginia Beach to Cumberland Gap. But I'll bet few have really driven this highway all the way across the state. Still, maybe some will, now that The Crooked Road is becoming more popular."

Stories from Scott County include an account by the late Lucille Cowden Necessary, who survived the 1929 tornado at Rye Cove; Natural Tunnel State Park manager Craig Seaver discussing how the park gets mixed up with Natural Bridge; and an explanation of the rare mussels in the Clinch River.

Elsewhere, "Beach to Bluegrass" focuses on stories of the Civil War at Emporia, Danville, Boydton, Jonesville and Suffolk; tells the story of the bloody slave rebellion by Nat Turner in 1831 at Courtland; and explores the legends of Grace Sherwood, the alleged witch who was tossed into the Lynnhaven River in 1706 at Virginia Beach.
"Route 58 runs through all these places," Tennis said. "It goes by the real Mayberry on the Blue Ridge Parkway, just past the courthouse shooting site at Hillsville, and over to the largest lake in the state at Clarksville."

More than just a collection of stories, "Beach to Bluegrass" includes road directions between each stop and features more than 100 original photos - including color shots in Scott County at the Natural Tunnel, Rye Cove and the Copper Creek Trestle at Speers Ferry.

"And it's personal," said Tennis. "My wife was born off this road in Bristol. My daughter was also born off this road, at Abingdon. And then, last year, just as I was finishing the book, my son, John Patrick, was nearly born on the road as I was racing my wife to the hospital in Bristol. Naturally, I dedicated this book to him."


Tennis is signing copies of his new book at the Scott County Public Library on Tuesday, Nov. 27, from 6 to 8 p.m., in Gate City, 297 W. Jackson Street, and speaking on his books, including "Beach to Bluegrass," "Southwest Virginia Crossroads" and "The Marble and Other Ghost Tales of Tennessee and Virginia." For more information, call 386-3302.

Tennis has scheduled another book signing for Dec. 15, 9 a.m. to noon, at Waldenbooks in Kingsport, Fort Henry Mall. Call (423) 246-1818.

Ordering Information: To order "Beach to Bluegrass" or "Southwest Virginia Crossroads," call (800) 992-2691 or (800) 888-4741. Email orders@overmtn.com  or visit  www.Amazon.com  or www.ipgbook.com.

"Beach to Bluegrass" is also available at B. Dalton in Bristol; Christian Book Warehouse in Bristol; Waldenbooks in Kingsport; Zazzy'z in Abingdon; Wild Mountain Thyme at Pennington Gap; Cave House Craft Shop; Abingdon Visitor Center; Natural Tunnel State Park.

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