Location: On south side of road leading up Guest River from Esserville, the present site of the Abe Wells house.

Date: About 1830.

Owners: George (Jackie) Hunsucker acquired this land before the organization of Wise County. He sold to his son-in-law Anderson Wells, May 1, 1874. Anderson Wells sold to Abe C. Wells, March 20, 1879. A. C. Wells sold to Nelson Hamilton, August 4, 1882. Nelson Hamilton's heirs resold to A. C. Wells, December 6,
1889. A. C. Wells sold to Patrick Hagan, April 16, 1890. Patrick Hagan sold to Tazewell Gallington Wells, December 3, 1897. T. G. Wells sold to A. C. Wells again July 1, 1904. The property is still in the possession of A. C. Wells's heirs.

Description: The exact site of the George Hunsucker house was at the spring at the Abe Wells' place. It was a two story log house of two rooms. Stone, mud daubed chimney. Two batten doors and no windows. Board roof. The house did not have a porch. Steps led up to the front door. During the War, Anderson Wells lived in this house and George Hunsucker had built a one room, one story unhewn log house about 400 yards from this house where he and his wife lived. Both these houses have been torn down and nothing is left to mark their location.

Historical Significance: George (better known as Jackie) Hunsucker was born in Burch Co., NC, in 1793, a son of John and Mindy Hunsucker. He was first married before he came to the present bounds of Wise County and his second wife was Sarah Wampler Rogers, a daughter of George and Barbara Wampler. He was eighty and she fifty-two years of age at their marriage in 1873. He was the first of the Hunsucker generation in Wise County. To the first union were born four sons and three daughters: James who married Loucinda Huff; Jonathan who married Martha Dean; John married Tabitha Whitlow and Archibald married Loudemia Baker. Sally married Dr. Anderson Wells; Patience married Loranza D. Huff and Margaret (Peggy) married Archibald Ison.
     Anderson Wells, who lived at the foregoing place, was a son of Robert and Nancy Collier Wells. He was a Confederate soldier and was taken prisoner by the Union Forces and imprisoned on Johnson's Island, Ohio. His rating was that of a Lieutenant in the Confederacy. While in this prison he was put in a hospital to care for the sick and gained enough knowledge of medicine to practice as a doctor when he returned to civilian life. He qualified as Collector for Gladeville Township in August 1870 and again in June 1871, as Assessor,
June 1874 and as Road Commissioner May 1894 and 1896. He had two sons, Jonathan and Patrick, and one daughter, Sylvania who married George Hill.
     Abraham C. Wells, was a son of James F. and Genettia Compton Wells. He was married to Maggie Bond and was living at this place at his death. His heirs are now in possession of the place.

Source of Information: J. M. Hill, J. E. Lipps, J. H. Kilgore and Court Records.
 

Archibald Hunsucker Home

Location: On the north east bank and near the head of Powell River, about 2 miles from the Birch Spring (the headwaters of Powell River). One mile beyond the William Robinett place.

Date: About 1850.

Owners: Arch Hunsucker bought before the formation of Wise County. The Virginia Coal and Iron Company bought the land and still own it.

Description: The house was a one room, one story log house. Stone chimney at the northwest end. The house had no porch, only steps leading up to the door. The house had one batten door and no windows. Puncheon floor. The house faced toward the river in a southwest direction.
     Near the house he had a one room round log building that he used for a Mill House. The mill had a tub wheel and the dam that furnished the water was built across Powell River and an opening in the bottom caused a swirl pool in the center of the mill dam. This hole, however, did not take the water out below running level for the mill. Both the house and the mill are gone.

Historical Significance: Arch Hunsucker was the youngest son of George (Jackie) Hunsucker and was married to Loudemia Baker. Besides being a miller he was a farmer. 

Source of Information: J. M. Hill, J. E. Lipps, Frank Gardner and Court Records.
 

James Hunsucker Settlement
 

Location: On west side of road leading up Guest River in the bottom just above Starne's Bridge.

Date: 1836.

Owners: The land upon which the James Hunsucker house was located was acquired by him before the County of Wise was formed. He had taken patents on other tracts though as early as 1836 in the same vicinity as his home. The land, after his death, was acquired by the Virginia Coal and Iron Company who still own it.

Description: The house was a two story hewn log building of two rooms one on each floor. Stone chimney, mud daubed at the east end. Clapboard roof. Two batten doors, one at the front and one at the back. No windows. The flooring of the second floor was laid of rough plank and was not nailed. It formed the ceiling overhead for the first room. The house had no porch, steps lead up to the door. Around the house at one time were some very fine sugar maple trees. In front of the house was an arched gate. The posts were unusually high, about ten feet and an arch was built from post to post.
     Just above the road and opposite the home on the east side of the road was a small log building that was used as a store house by Hunsucker. He sold goods at this place for a long time. The house and store house have long been torn away. Only part of the old chimney rocks still mark the spot.
     James Hunsucker was the eldest son of George (Jackie) Hunsucker. He married Loucinda Huff. They settled at the foregoing named place near the Beaver Dam on Guest River, reared their family and died there.
Unto this union were born children: John who married _____ Webb; Jonathan married Elizabeth D. Davidson, a daughter of Hiram and Sallie Davidson; Nancy married William Robinett; Martha married John Wilson Wampler and Patience who married Marion Roberts.
     The Hunsucker family emigrated to Wise County from Burch Co., NC. Their posterity is still scattered about over Wise County.

Source of Information: Dr. J. M. Hill, Frank Gardner, J. E. Lipps and Court Records.
 

Jonathan Hunsucker Home

Location: At the upper end of the Southerland Coal Company Coke Ovens on west side of the road leading from Dorchester up Powell River.

Date: 1852.

Owners: Land patented to Jonathan Hunsucker by the Commonwealth in 1852. His heirs sold to the Dorchester Coal Company who still own the land.

Description: The Jonathan Hunsucker house was a one room, hewn log building about 16 x 18 feet. Board roof, no ceiling overhead, puncheon floor. Porch across the front, stone chimney at end. The house had no windows and one batten door. Soon after the war the sons of Hunsucker built a new house across the river from
the old one which is still standing. 

Historical Significance: Jonathan Hunsucker was a son of George Hunsucker and was born in Buch Co., NC in 1822. He was married to Martha Dean, a daughter of Andrew Dean of Scott County and a sister to William H. Dean, Esq. late of the county of Wise. To this union were born children: Henry, married Roas Jones;
William married Zerrelda Wampler; Jonathan, Jr., married Mattie Hunsucker and Martha married Creed Ison.
     Jonathan Hunsucker was known by the name of Coots Hunsucker to distinguish between his brother John. He was a Confederate soldier and died of smallpox in Camp Douglas, Illinois prison.

Source of Information: Frank Gardner, J. M. Hill, N. J. Steele and Court Records.