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Every Town Has A History -
Some Just Seem To Have More Than Others!
Just west of the Blue Ridge Mountains, nestled in the
foothills of the Appalachians and secured in the valley formed
by the Holston River is Abingdon, Virginia, a town rich
in history and tradition.
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When
the area was a rugged wilderness, the Cherokee nation lived
to the South, while the Shawnee made their home to the North.
However, neither made the Abingdon area their home. Legend has
it that the Great Spirit forbade them to come to this lush area
because the living would just be too easy.
Recorded Abingdon history dates to 1748. During the years 1748-1750,
Doctor Thomas Walker surveyed 6,870 acres of this prime
land west of the Blue Ridge. In 1760, Colonel William Byrd
and his regiment cut the Great Road through what is now Abingdon
and on to present-day Kingsport, Tennessee.
That same year, legendary frontiersman and trailblazer Daniel
Boone, on his first trip to Kentucky, camped at the base of
what is now Courthouse Hill, next to the path that was to become
Wilderness Road. During the night, Boone's dogs came under attack
by wolves emerging from a cave at the hill's crest, giving Abingdon
its first name - "Wolf Hills."
Abingdon carried the name "Wolf Hills" until 1774 when Joseph
Black erected a fort in the area, and gave it the name "Black's
Fort." After fierce Indian invasions, the fort was enlarged
to hold up to 600 men, women, and children. Here, the townspeople
remained during the raiding season from early Spring to late Fall.
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In
December of 1776, the General Assembly of Virginia established
the present-day Washington County, the first region in the world
named after George Washington. Black's Fort was designated
the county seat, and remained so until the incorporation of the
town of Abingdon in 1778. The town's name was derived from
Martha Washington's English home of Abingdon Parish.
On October 7, 1780, the turning point of the Revolutionary
War took place in the Battle of King's Mountain. Abingdon
was located far enough west to escape the major effects of the
War; however, when men were needed to fight the British Major
Ferguson at King's Mountain, the people of Abingdon responded.
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Two
hundred volunteers assembled and marched out under the command
of General William Campbell. The volunteers aided in defeating
Ferguson which resulted in a three month delay for the British
Commander Cornwallis. This time was valuable for the troops
of Virginia to prepare for the final campaign of 1781.
By 1800, Abingdon was a well-established population center of
Southwest Virginia, attracting Francis Preston in 1830.
Upon arrival, Preston immediately began construction of a mansion-like
home, now known as the Martha Washington Inn.
In 1858 the Preston home was purchased by the Martha Washington
College for Women. The first session of classes ran from March
to July 1860. The College struggled throughout and after the Civil
War, closing permanantly in 1931 due to the effects of the Great
Depression.
The Inn, as it appears today, was restored in 1984, and is surrounded
by stories and legends: a horse who lost its Union rider to a
Rebel bullet still supposedly roams the grounds on moon-lit nights,
a beautiful student whose sweet violin melodies were played for
a dying soldier can still be heard, and the blood of a Confederate
soldier still reappears as a ghostly stain.
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Abingdon
was not left untouched by the Civil War. After Virginia seceded
from the Union on April 17, 1861, Colonel James F. Preston
became leader of the Washington Mounted Riflemen. He led his troops
from Abingdon to Saltville to protect Southwest Virginia's valuable
salt mines. The Union quickly realized the South's need for salt
to preserve the soldiers' meat, and began pressing toward Saltville
to blockade the railroad.
Several Confederate troops also moved through Abingdon en route
to Northern Virginia to fight such battles as the Battle of
Fredericksburg and the Battle of Manassas (or Bull
Run).
In December of 1864, as the War was nearing its end, Union General
Stephen Burbridge invaded Tennessee and moved North to conquer
Abingdon. The local Confederate troops, led by General Basil
Duke, realized their defeat early and fled. Burbridge moved
on after his success; however, one Union soldier, Captain James
Wyatt, remained in Abingdon to seek revenge for a wrong done
him before the War.
Wyatt set Main Street's Court House on fire, and continued
by burning all the buildings along the South side of the road.
He stopped atop Court Street, unholstered his rifle and watch
the defeated little town go up in flames. Two Confederate soldiers,
clad in the protection of Union uniforms, witnessed this
disastrous event and succeeded in shooting Wyatt, later leaving
town on his horse. Soon, the Civil War ended, and Abingdon, along
with the rest of the South, was left to rebuild.
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Abingdon
bounced back quickly from the War Between The States, and by 1875,
prosperity had returned. By the early part of the 20th Century,
Abingdon followed a trend sweeping the Appalachian Mountains:
lumbering. In 1903 the Hassinger family came to Abingdon from
Pennsylvania to appraise the timber country surrounding Whitetop
Mountain. William Hassinger built his home here in 1906.
This Victorian house now contains the Abingdon Convention and
Visitors Bureau. A great flood in 1916, and the onset of the Depression,
led to the demise of Abingdon's lumber business.
The
Depression, however, brought Abingdon one of its greatest treasures:
The Barter Theatre. In 1933, Robert Porterfield
gathered 22 fellow actors and headed to his hometown of Abingdon.
Here, he established the idea of "Ham for Hamlet," bartering foodstuffs
in exchange for a ticket. Playwrights Noel Coward, Tennessee
Williams, and Thornton Wilder agreed to accept Virginia
ham as royalties. (One exception was George Bernard Shaw,a
vegetarian, who bartered the rights to his plays for spinach.)
Barter
Theatre became the State Theater of Virginia in 1946, with
the help of Eleanor Roosevelt. In 1965, Lady Bird Johnson
bartered a potted plant for a ticket. Barter's heritage is rich
and colorful and includes many famous thespians: Ernest Borgnine,
Hume Cronyn, Gregory Peck, and Ned Beatty,
to name but a few.
Today, Abingdon is proud of its history and rich heritage - strolling
down shaded brick sidewalks, it's as if one has stepped back in
time. Easily imagineable are the frightful nights spent by Daniel
Boone, the girlish laughter echoing in The Martha Washington Inn,
and the applause of poor farmers at the Barter Theatre. |
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©2002 Abingdon-Va .com
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A
LONG HISTORY &
A MODERN VITALITY
Abingdon, the county seat of Washington County,
Virginia, enjoys a long and distinguished history. But don't think of
this oldest town west of the Blue Ridge Mountains as a museum - modern
accommodations flourish alongside 200-year-old landmarks in Abingdon's
blend of the venerable and the new:
SHOPPING
Abingdon visitors can browse in modern shopping malls, vintage 1850
crafts cooperatives and "shop the world" at Dixie Pottery.
The Cave House Craft Shop,
a Victorian structure built in 1857 above the cave where Daniel Boone
fought off Abingdon's wolves.
LODGING
For lodging, elegant bed and breakfasts are within walking distance of
most Abingdon attractions.
White Birches Inn,
is
the only bed & breakfast in Abingdon Virginia that can offer you a
king-size bed, in-room fireplace,
over-sized whirlpool tub, and a private walk-in tiled shower.
DINING
Abingdon boasts more excellent restaurants and eateries than most cities
of comparable size.
The
Starving Artist Cafe, doubles as a local art gallery and offers
affordable lunches and dinners.
The
Tavern, Abingdon's oldest remaining building, has served travelers
continuously since its construction around 1780. Today, the Tavern offers
food and drink in both indoor surroundings and a landscaped and manicured
outdoor patio and is a Registered National Historic Site.
ARTS
Arts flourish at many of Abingdon's premier attractions.
The Barter Theatre,
the State Theatre of Virginia, is the oldest residence theatre in the
nation, and is housed in a structure dating back to 1831.
MAIN STREET
Modern-day Main Street in Abingdon continues to offer historical riches,
updated to 20th century luxury and tastes.
The Martha
Washington Inn, is the centerpiece of the downtown Abingdon. Built
in 1832, the building is now a hotel which is open to the public.
NATURE
Situated in hilly terrain at 2,300 feet above sea level, Abingdonians
enjoy spectacular views of the surrounding mountains.
Mount
Rogers National Recreation Area, boasts the three highest mountains
in Virginia, including Mount Rogers (5,729 feet) and Whitetop Mountain
(5,540 feet).
The Virginia Creeper
Trail is a complete hiking and biking trail situated on a retired
railroad line.
SITE-SEEING
Bristol,
Virginia, just down Highway 11 towards the birthplace of country
music,
The
Moonlight Drive-In Movie Theater is one of America's last remaining
Drive-In movie theaters, and a fully-restored piece of Americana.
White's
Mill, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, is tucked
away in a scenic, fertile valley along a meandering stream, four miles
from downtown Abingdon, White's Mill is the only water-powered, commercially
run mill still operating in Southwest Virginia. The mill is a rare example
of a combination mill which can be run by the traditional burr (millstone)
method and the later later roller mill method introduced in the early
19th century. Visitors browse in the old general store across from the
mill and experience the atmosphere of an early 20th century store, with
long counters, pot-bellied stove, and antique register. Specialty goods
and crafts, gifts, antiques, and of course, fresh-milled flour and cornmeal
are offered. Guided tours of the mill are conducted by the millwright
who lives in the mill house, and stocked ponds behind the mill are open
for fishing.
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