Burke's Garden
N 37° 07.502 W 081° 21.434
17S E 468266 N 4108802
Burke's Garden is known as "God's Thumbprint" and is one of the most beautiful areas of Tazewell County, Virginia
Waymark Code: WM1PEZ
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 06/16/2007
Views: 111
Sometimes referred to as "God's Thumbprint" because of its view from the air, this mountain-ringed bowl is 10 miles in diameter and filled with some of the most fertile farmland in the state. The area, which is the highest mountain valley in Virginia, was designated a National and Virginia Rural Historical District. The community can be viewed from the Appalachian Trail or by car from state route 623. Visitors can buy baked goods and vegetables, bike on area roads, hike and hunt in nearby Jefferson National Forest. First discovered in the 1740's by James Burke while hunting in the area. The name "Burke's Garden" was given to the valley as a joke in 1748 after Burke planted potato peelings by the campfire of a 1748 surveying party. The next year, a fine crop of potatoes was found. For an view of Burke's Garden from above: (
visit link)
The text of the marker reads:
BURKE'S GARDEN
"Known for its fertility and great natural beauty, the bowl-shaped Burke’s Garden is the highest valley in Virginia. James Burke discovered it during the 1740’s while hunting and settled here about 1754. After four years Burke and his family moved to North Carolina, where he died in 1783. The threat of Indian Attack and the remoteness of the area discouraged permanent white settlement until the early 19th century."