Bristol was settled in 1765, as Sapling Grove, Virginia. The city was first surveyed in 1794. In 1865, Bristol was incorporated and divided. The two separate cities of Bristol, Tennessee and Goodson, Virginia were established. In 1890, the name for Goodson, Virginia was changed to Bristol.  

In the late 1960's, the area which Joseph Benjamin Van Pelt Elementary School now serves was sparsely populated.  As the city population increased, this area was developed into residential sites.  The city of Bristol, Virginia annexed this area in January 1972, from Washington County.

Ground was broken for Joseph Benjamin Van Pelt Elementary School in 1974, on thirteen acres of land, and it was designed to house eight hundred students. The construction was complete in 1975, at a cost of 1.8 million dollars.  

 
In August 1975, Joseph Benjamin Van Pelt Elementary School was opened. It was named in honor of Dr. Joseph Benjamin Van Pelt, Superintendent of the Bristol, Virginia Public School System. The original school enrollment was 566 students.  
 
 

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