Maces Spring, Virginia
Encyclopedia
Maces Spring is a small unincorporated community
in Scott County
, Virginia
, United States
, along State Route 614. The settlement consists of a small number of houses. There are now no stores in Maces Spring and its main claim to fame is its association with the country music
group, the Carter Family
. Alvin Pleasant Delaney Carter also known as "Doc" or "AP" was born in Maces Spring and in 1914 he brought his sixteen year old bride Sara Dougherty Carter
to live there. They are both buried in the graveyard behind Mount Vernon Methodist Church. AP, Sara and AP's sister in law Maybelle Carter
formed the Carter Family in 1927.
Route 614 is now called the AP Carter Highway and two of AP and Sara's children, Joe (now deceased, 2005) and Jeanette (now deceased, 2006), have opened a music hall called "The Carter Fold
" on the Clinch Mountain
side of the road. The Carter Family Fold features traditional country music every Saturday much like that sung and played by the Carter Family.
The community is part of the Kingsport
–Bristol (TN)
–Bristol (VA)
Metropolitan Statistical Area
, which is a component of the Johnson City
–Kingsport–Bristol, TN
-VA Combined Statistical Area
– commonly known as the "Tri-Cities
" region.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Scott County
Scott County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 23,403 people, 9,795 households, and 7,023 families residing in the county. The population density was 44 people per square mile . There were 11,355 housing units at an average density of 21 per square mile...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, along State Route 614. The settlement consists of a small number of houses. There are now no stores in Maces Spring and its main claim to fame is its association with the country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
group, the Carter Family
Carter Family
The Carter Family was a traditional American folk music group that recorded between 1927 and 1956. Their music had a profound impact on bluegrass, country, Southern Gospel, pop and rock musicians as well as on the U.S. folk revival of the 1960s. They were the first vocal group to become country...
. Alvin Pleasant Delaney Carter also known as "Doc" or "AP" was born in Maces Spring and in 1914 he brought his sixteen year old bride Sara Dougherty Carter
Sara Carter
Sara Carter was an American Country music musician. Known for her deep and distinctive singing voice, she was the lead singer on most of the recordings of the historic Carter Family act in the 1920s and 1930s....
to live there. They are both buried in the graveyard behind Mount Vernon Methodist Church. AP, Sara and AP's sister in law Maybelle Carter
Maybelle Carter
"Mother" Maybelle Carter was an American country musician. She is best known as a member of the historic Carter Family act in the 1920s and 1930s and also as a member of Mother Maybelle and the Carter Sisters.-Biography:...
formed the Carter Family in 1927.
Route 614 is now called the AP Carter Highway and two of AP and Sara's children, Joe (now deceased, 2005) and Jeanette (now deceased, 2006), have opened a music hall called "The Carter Fold
Carter Family Fold
The Carter Family Fold is a musical performance and concert venue located near Hiltons, Virginia. It is dedicated to the preservation and performance of old time country and bluegrass music...
" on the Clinch Mountain
Clinch Mountain
Clinch Mountain is a mountain ridge in the U.S. states of Tennessee and Virginia, lying in the ridge-and-valley section of the Appalachian Mountains...
side of the road. The Carter Family Fold features traditional country music every Saturday much like that sung and played by the Carter Family.
The community is part of the Kingsport
Kingsport, Tennessee
Kingsport is a city located mainly in Sullivan County with some western portions in Hawkins County in the US state of Tennessee. The majority of the city lies in Sullivan County...
–Bristol (TN)
Bristol, Tennessee
Bristol is a city in Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 26,702 at the 2010 census. It is the twin city of Bristol, Virginia, which lies directly across the state line between Tennessee and Virginia. The boundaries of both cities run parallel to each other along State...
–Bristol (VA)
Bristol, Virginia
Bristol is an independent city in Virginia, United States, bounded by Washington County, Virginia, Bristol, Tennessee, and Sullivan County, Tennessee....
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Kingsport-Bristol-Bristol, TN-VA MSA
The Kingsport–Bristol–Bristol, Tennessee-Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area is a Metropolitan Statistical Area in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget...
, which is a component of the Johnson City
Johnson City, Tennessee
Johnson City is a city in Carter, Sullivan, and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee, with most of the city being in Washington County...
–Kingsport–Bristol, TN
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
-VA Combined Statistical Area
Combined Statistical Area
The United States Office of Management and Budget defines micropolitan and metropolitan statistical areas. Metropolitan and micropolitan statistical areas consist of one or more counties...
– commonly known as the "Tri-Cities
Tri-Cities, Tennessee
In Tennessee and Virginia the name "Tri-Cities" refers to the region comprising the cities of Kingsport, Johnson City and Bristol and the surrounding smaller towns and communities in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia...
" region.
Further reading
- In The Country of Country: A Journey to the Roots of American Music, Nicholas Dawidoff, Vintage Books, 1998. ISBN 0-375-70082-X