The old inn in Wise

**MikeJones** · August 21st, 2009, 12:07 AM

What makes it so historical? I used to agree with fixing it up. Ive lived not far from it for 25 yrs and have never been able to explore it. I did buy weed in the rooms behind it before. Also how historic is our courthouse? We had some hangings there. Not knocking repairing either one of them. They just get called historic so often. We have alot more historic places in Wise County.

**LCAS_712** · August 21st, 2009, 12:32 PM

i really think that they should tear it down and make one intersection instead of that mess that they have.

**steer** · August 21st, 2009, 01:40 PM

The Old Wise Inn was the first sheriff/policeman of Wise County's home. Which was my Great Great grandfather, Andrew Jackson Dotson.
I think the courthouse has just been around a long, long time.. and the hangings, maybe something to do with Red Fox?

**MikeJones** · August 21st, 2009, 05:04 PM

Steer that's pretty cool. In noway am I trying to take away from your family's heritage either. I just look at that flower garden they have made across the street from it and was wondering what a useless thing to do. It's not big enough to even have a yard sale at. They should have made a place for a farmers market or something other than a huge flower bed. Wich got me wondering about the the INN. I would hear stories about it but most were untrue and was wondering is it really that historic of a place? I would rather put money in to preserve a place with historic value. Like killing rock. You walk to it and there is a power pole planted right beside it.

**steer** · August 23rd, 2009, 11:22 AM

totally understood... the actual first Wise Inn caught on fire, and the version we see now is the newer.

I look for Wise to kick into full gear with renovations of everything, and making it more "historic", the whole town.... especially with UVA-Wise officially going to a "University".... it'll finally become a more college/appealing town.

**retiredteach** · August 23rd, 2009, 04:04 PM

Wise received some Community Development Block Grant money to do the garden and other things in Downtown. So don't fret folks, it was not accomplished with local money. It does look better. However, I was also told that the Methodist Church wanted to purchase the property for a parking lot, so that should have been an option also. Would love the see The Inn revamped and in use again.

**pvfan** · August 23rd, 2009, 04:56 PM

Imo, way to much money has been spent on the Inn and the courthouse over the last 5 years. My grandmother worked at the Inn for a long period and I've heard numerous stories about it during its glory days. However, at this point I think it's time for it to go. The college brought in roughly 550 students this year as freshman, it's not far fetched that Uva-Wise will be home to 2,500 students in the next 5 years or so. I've been in favor of the town or somebody building a parking deck for some time as I think it would help the local businesses in downtown. As it currently stands very little parking exists and what does is mostly owned by a law firm and the courthouse. If you can get a parking deck in people might actually be able to park and go to the shops on main, the new restaurant, and I can actually have somewhere to park when I let Ronnie or Jack cut my hair. I'm sure the town will seek out money for grants or take tax dollars and fix that clock again (I hate that clock, it never works for more than 2-3 years and is it really that big of a deal that it works?) or continue the so called renovation on the Inn.

**MikeJones** · August 23rd, 2009, 10:16 PM

Wise for sure needs some parking. Have to park at Payless if you have to go to court. I agree On the church getting that land should have been an option for sure. While the Garden thing is pretty it's seems useless. Even with it being a grant. Who will have to pay for the upkeep in the years?

**centennialdawg** · August 23rd, 2009, 10:33 PM

I remember when I was a young feller that Payless had an employee Christmas dinner there. It was around 1977 or so. Other than that, I just don't remember much of it other than it becoming an "eye sore" to the town and the county for that matter. And as for the clock on the courthouse, didn't they fix that a couple of years ago and it tore up again, shortly afterwards?