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Bus Station

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

Although there is not much to be known about this bus station as records were sparse, it was constructed in the early 1940’s and was first built as a pickup station for World War II soldiers. This bus station, formerly owned and operated by Greyhound, was the last place that many soldiers would see before being sent to war. After Greyhound sold the bus station to an unknown Big Stone Gap native, it was intended to become a local bar. However, due to unknown reasons (but it was suspected that the owner could not afford the upkeep and rent), the owner only got a small bar built before it was surrendered back to the city. The time period is unclear, but this was suspected to be in the mid-1970’s. For a while, the bus station became abandoned and unoccupied until it was purchased by Stat Video and was a video rental operation for a short number of years. In the late-1990’s to early 2000’s, it was used as a radio station broadcasting 92.5 (unclear of the station, still trying to determine that fact) in conjunction with Norton, Virginia’s 93.5. The current owner of the bus station is an independent craftsman with the shop “Appalachian Artisans”, offering homemade Appalachian crafts and a multitude of classes, such as sewing. Lastly, records state that the bus station was at one point owned by a woman, an incredible fact of the time! To date, these are the only known operations operating from the former bus station.

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

Although there is not much to be known about this bus station as records were sparse, it was constructed in the early 1940’s and was first built as a pickup station for World War II soldiers. This bus station, formerly owned and operated by Greyhound, was the last place that many soldiers would see before being sent to war. After Greyhound sold the bus station to an unknown Big Stone Gap native, it was intended to become a local bar. However, due to unknown reasons (but it was suspected that the owner could not afford the upkeep and rent), the owner only got a small bar built before it was surrendered back to the city. The time period is unclear, but this was suspected to be in the mid-1970’s. For a while, the bus station became abandoned and unoccupied until it was purchased by Stat Video and was a video rental operation for a short number of years. In the late-1990’s to early 2000’s, it was used as a radio station broadcasting 92.5 (unclear of the station, still trying to determine that fact) in conjunction with Norton, Virginia’s 93.5. The current owner of the bus station is an independent craftsman with the shop “Appalachian Artisans”, offering homemade Appalachian crafts and a multitude of classes, such as sewing. Lastly, records state that the bus station was at one point owned by a woman, an incredible fact of the time! To date, these are the only known operations operating from the former bus station. 

Sources

“Virginia Greyhound Bus Stations .” RoadsideArchitecture.com Home Page. Accessed April 4, 2020. http://www.roadarch.com/roadside.html.

This resource indicates when the bus station was disbanded as a bus station by Greyhound. 

Bus Station History (Interview). Emily Mullins, Kendra Mullins. February 11, 2020. 

Appalachian Artisans Facebook Page (for hours of operation)