"The first Virginia-Carolina locomotive reached Damascus on January 25, 1901, and the way for hauling out timber was opened. Whiting's sawmlll in Abingdon began receiving its supply of lumber from Damascus at once."
"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…
"Northern capital rushed in with an eye on millions to be made from virgin oak, chestnut, pine, and poplar. Trees were cut ruthlessly without regard for future growth. White Top and Cat Face stand as lasting memorials to the denuding of mountains.…
"A promotional booklet published by the Damascus Board of Trade in 1941 stated that there were 18 retail businesses in Damascus, with an investment of $80,000, and annual sales of $252,000. Material for the book was collected by J.H. Montgomery,…
"The first factory to be established in Damascus aside from the lumber industries was the Beaver Chemical Company. The plant received its charter on January 19, 1919, with a capital stock of $50,000, and proceeded to manufacture dyes."
"The Calcium-Sulfide Corporation was given a charter on February 13, 1929. The plant, manufacturing Cal-Mo-Sol fungicides and insecticides, was built in East Damascus near the Douglas Bridge."
"In the fall of 1945, after World War II ended, expansion of the Damascus Lumber Corporation, owned by the Lincoln Furniture Company of Marion, began."
"Outside of the church organizations the first clubs formed in Damascus were for young people. About 1915, or soon after, Boy Scouts and Camp Fire Girls were organized."
"In November 1930, Mrs. Mildred Wright Dungan called a meeting of other teachers who were interested in forming a study and service club. The name Au Courant Book Club was given to the organization."