Historic Downtown Wise Virginia is known for three distinct buildings located along Main Street. The National Register of Historic Places has named the Colonial Hotel, the Wise County Courthouse, and the E. M. Fulton House as historic destinations in the heart of Appalachia.
Dotson Hotel, an inn, was operated by Captain Henderson Dotson and utilized as a hotel and tavern during the Civil War until it caught fire in 1909. The inn was later rebuilt with the help of local businessmen and Virginia Governor George Peery in 1910, and the newly restored structure was renamed the Colonial Hotel. Since 1910, the building has been renamed yet again to The In at Wise Courthouse. Many artifacts are on display at the inn to tell the stories and trials of the guests who once rested there.
Wise County Courthouse was originally built in 1858, just after the formation of Wise County, and was later destroyed by Union troops during the Civil War in 1864. In 1896, a larger courthouse was built to better facilitate the community’s judicial system. Today, the courthouse serves as the chief administrative building for the county. Wise County Courthouse features Renaissance style architecture. In 1981, the courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
E. M. Fulton House became a part of the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. E. M. Fulton House was built of stone and brick and features architecture reminiscent of Colonial Revival inspired by Queen Anne. The two-and-a-half story home sits on less than one acre along Main Street in Historic Downtown Wise VA. The property features three seventy-five year old spruce pine trees.
For more information on the great history of Wise County Virgina, please visit the
Wise County Historical Society website.
Visit the
Wise County Tourism website for more information on these and other fun events.
For more information about The Journey’s Inn, call 276-328-6876 or 1-800-359-4049, e-mail us, or use our
online request form.
