"The town of Whitetop, nestled at the foot of White Top Mountain, was incorporated in 1913, the year the railroad arrived. Before the train, the main industry was farming: families eked out a living raising cattle, hogs, sheep, corn and other crops.…
"In 1912 the Virginia-Creeper Railway was bought by the Norfolk and Western and extended on to West Jefferson in North Carolina. The line has been in operation under Norfolk and Western ownership continuously since that time, and Damascus is the only…
"In 1902 the Thayer Company Dimension Plant was established by T.W.Thayer, head of the Thayer Company in New York state. Mr. Thayer never lived in Damascus and the Damascus plant was a branch plant manufacturing material for sashes, doors, and table…