Bristol Doctor Was A Man With A Mission

It is said that in order to be truly happy, one must have a strong purpose for which to labor and live. A mission to accomplish is another way to put it.
Dr. George E. Wiley, long a practicing physician here in Bristol, certainly would have fit into this category. For years, he intensely sought to reach a noble goal.
Dr. Wiley was a son of the Rev. E.E. Wiley, who once served as the president of Emory & Henry College at Emory, Va. As a young man, he graduated from this college, then went on to become a medical doctor.
On Jan. 1, 1879, he married Sarah Elizabeth Scarff. Around 1900, he moved to Bristol and established his home at 512 Harmeling St. His first office was located in a former residential house at 108 Moore St.
A younger brother, William S. Wiley, came here with him. He later received a medical degree, and, by 1906, was practicing with his brother in the building at 108 Moore St.
He continued to live with his brother’s family on Harmeling Street until he married Susie Brown, who then lived with her father, Mayor Brown, at 234 Solar St. in Bristol, Va. He then moved in with the Browns.
This marriage and move took place about 1922. The former Brown home is now owned by Betty Hunt.
The Wiley brothers maintained the office at 108 Moore until about 1910, when they moved to an upstairs office at 517 State St. About 1920, the office was moved to 603 State St.
Dr. George Wiley was long the city physician of Bristol, Va. and, at one time, was president of St. Luke’s Hospital. A portion of this hospital still stands on the northeast corner of 10th and Shelby streets in Bristol, Tenn.
Dr. George E. Wiley had what might be called a noble obsession.
Early in life, he had formed a strong rapport with the many slaves in the neighborhood where he grew up.
From them, he had heard many interesting stories, and he had well learned their unique dialect.
By the time he moved to Bristol (around 1900), many of those ex-slaves had grown old and were unable to earn a living. Some of them were destitute and homeless, living only by the kindness of friends or family members.
There were also many black orphans of their race who needed tender care.
Dr. Wiley, kind and compassionate as he was, greatly desired to buy a large farm in this area, upon which to establish a home for these needy folks.
He also planned to take a few homeless men and women who were yet young and strong. They would work the farm and provide for all.
He made his plan known by various methods. In time, he received the approval of many outstanding citizens, including Virginia Gov. A.J. Montague and ex-Gov. J. Hague Tyler.
To raise money for his noble project, Dr. Wiley wrote a book of stories that he had heard from the slaves. He also would make an effort to use their dialect to make the book even more interesting and valuable.
The book was published in 1906 by the Broadway Publishing Company in New York City.
Two titles were used for this book. Some were published under the name “Plantation Tales,” while some used “Southern Plantation Stories.”
While many copies were sold, profits were not enough to finance the project envisioned by its author.
As far as I can determine, his noble obsession was never realized.
Though apparently his goal was never reached, he should be honored for having tried. It is better to try and fail than to never have tried.
Of the several places considered for this project, two were of the most interest to him.
One was old “Morningside,” the former Madison Beattie place near Emory, Va. (more recently the Floyd Paris farm).
The other was “Cedar Hill” (now known as Painter Place) on the Virginia/Tennessee state line, in Holston Valley near Bristol. Either of these would have been an ideal place for the fulfillment of Dr. Wiley’s dream.

BUD PHILLIPS is a local historian and author. He can be reached at (276) 466-6435.