The Mountain Laurel
The Journal of Mountain Life

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Post Offices Of Laurel Fork and Carroll County, Virginia

By Eula Mae Spencer © 1987

Issue: May, 1987

The following is an informal history of several post offices near Laurel Fork, in Carroll County, Virginia. The names of these post offices may be helpful to those of you who are tracing your ancestors, as many of them were closed not long after the turn of the century.

The Princeton Post Office was kept by Rush Harris at his home, on or before 1892. This place now belongs to Miss Mae Turman, located just off state road 638, near the Tate Goad old home place. It was moved to the home of my grandfather, Johnson M. Spence on state road 638 sometime after 1892. He renamed it Bolt. About 1903 or 1904, it was moved to the home of James W. Thompson. It was discontinued around 1910, when the Dugspur rural route was established. Essie Spence Goad now lives at the site of her grandfather's home place.

The application for a post office at Nester was made June 8, 1886 with Isaac Nester being the proposed postmaster. At this time Nester Village had a population of three hundred. It was kept by Andrew (Andy) Nester at his home on the old 58 Highway in the late 1800's and the early 1900's. Since the road change, the home site is now on state road 813 off 654 and owned by Raymond and Regina Largen. Raymond is a grandson of Andy Nester. The post masters at Nester were: Isaac Nester, June 29, 1886; E.B. Jackson, March 16, 1895; and William W. Jackson, October 4, 1897.

The Bronze Post Office was kept by David Spence in the very early 1900's. It was later kept by A.D. "Mont" Sutphin at the same place near Buffalo Mountain Presbyterian Church.

The Brio Post Office was kept by Matthew G. Nester on the north side of state road 664, in the vicinity of Ertel Jackson's place. Mrs. Cora Kemp Sutphin recalls walking there to pick up her father's mail around 1904 06.

The Minerva Post Office was kept by James M. (Jimmie) Vaughn at his home now on state road 627 about one quarter mile off 638. It is presently the home of his daughter, Mrs. Flossie Wilson, who gets her mail on the Willis, Virginia rural route.

The Clung Post Office was kept for a few years in the early 1900's by C. Frank Cain (grandfather of Essie Spence Goad) at his home on road 638. The old place became the Billy Jackson home for years and now belongs to Wayne Bowman. It is located at the junction of roads 638 and 652. Previous to that time, Alfred Marshall was the post master. In the 1900 Laurel Fork District School Census is this item: Minda O. Webb, Clung, Va. Blind.

The Quaker Post Office was kept by J. Barney Thompson at his home on the south side of Laurel Fork Creek, state road 654. It was named for the Quakers who settled along the creek years earlier. The creek crossing there was called Quaker Ford.