Ryan's field trip to the Exchange Place

Ryan and his 3rd. Grade class visited The Exchange Place. It is a very educational and interesting place to visit. Ryan learned how people from the 1800's lived and even experienced candle making and some games they played. He also "attended" school and dressed the way they did back then.
It was originally part of a 3,000-acre land grant given to Edmund Pendleton in 1756, Exchange Place remained wilderness until John S. Gaines and his wife Letitia received 160 acres as bounty for his service in the War of 1812.

Gaines gradually increased his holdings to more than 2,000 acres, and in 1846 traded the western portion of the plantation, including the main house and its dependencies, for the Holston Springs property in Scott County, Va.

The new owner, John M. Preston, presented it to his son, James Wilson Preston, upon his marriage to Catherine Ann Greenway.

The family tradition is that Mr. Preston bought it because he found a Daniel Boone carving on the property. As the story goes, Mr. Gaines advertised in the Knoxville Gazette that he had some property for sale. Well, Mrs. Gaines was flabbergasted that in only two months Mr. Preston came to see about it.
The property transfer between Gaines and Preston is one theory behind Exchange Place's name. But it certainly isn't the only one. There was also the exchange of stagecoach horses and currency.

The stagecoach came through three times a week and by law the horses on the stagecoach had to be replaced every four hours, so this was one of the stops for the stagecoach where they would change horses. There were two or three others between here and Abingdon. They were called relay stations. This relay station was right close to the border between Tennessee and Virginia.

At that time, every state had its own money system. Mr. Gaines was in the business of exchanging money. For a fee, he would change your Tennessee money for Virginia money if you were traveling from here into Virginia and vice-versa.