When the first white settlers came to this valley between two unnamed creeks, it was an uninhabitable forest of laurel thickets. Land grants were first issued in 1785, and the first homes were built downstream on more suitable land. Rough paths through the area had been created by the Cherokee and later used by early explorers such as Daniel Boone. In 1790 a land grant was issued to John Larimer covering much of what is now Damascus. In 1823 Henry Mock bought 91 acres from Larimer in what is now the main part of town and created a settlement called Mock's Mill. In 1886 General Imboden bought most of the town from the Mock family and changed the community's name to Damascus. Laurel Avenue, now the town's main street, developed over many decades and originally did not follow the straight line it has today. The first road from Abingdon crossed Laurel Creek at Han Crossing near where Laurel and Beaverdam creeks flow together, and in 1867 another road entered the valley from the north by fording Laurel Creek at Legion Island. This later became the Washington-Russell Turnpike linking Mountain City with Lebanon, Virginia, and served cattle drives and wagon trains. These early roads created the need for businesses to serve travelers. Before 1900 there was only one store in Damascus, a general store opened in 1893 by Mack Wright and later operated for decades by N.S. Wright. A wooden sidewalk was built to the store at Laurel and Shady to keep customers out of the mud. Over time many businesses lined both sides of the street, some moving to different locations, and many of the original buildings remain along Laurel Avenue, which stretches about 4/10ths of a mile between the bridges.