Virginia/North Carolina Boundary

On 9 February 1901 a centuries-old dispute between Virginia and Tennessee ended. As early as 1663, leaders in Virginia and Carolina disagreed on the boundary line between the two colonies. As the years went by, and parts of Carolina became the state of Tennessee, both Virginia and Tennessee commissioned surveys to determine the correct boundary line. Unfortunately, the two states could not agree on which survey to accept.

The problem erupted in the area of Goodson, Virginia, and Bristol, Tennessee, both established in 1856, and both known today as Bristol. Because of the disputed boundary, city officials encountered problems when they tried to enforce laws. For example, if a person committed a crime on the Virginia side, they could simply walk to the Tennessee side of town to avoid punishment. Also, Virginians took advantage of Tennessee's marriage laws, by which females could marry at twelve and males at fourteen. After near bloodshed during the "Bristol Water Works War of 1889," a result of the continuing boundary dispute, both states wanted to address the issue once and for all.

The United States Supreme Court helped to solve this problem at the beginning of the twentieth century, ruling in favor of the Tennessee version of the line, established in 1803. Despite this decision, the exact location of the boundary still remained unclear. The Supreme Court reacted by ordering a new survey in 1902. Possibly to maintain good relations with Virginia after the recent court decision, Tennessee ceded Virginia the northern half of State Street, allowing the boundary of the two states, and the two cities, to fall in the center of that thoroughfare. Thankfully, the two separate cities coexist today in a cooperative environment, sharing, for example, a single chamber of commerce.