Abingdon
claims, “Every town has a history,
some just seem to have more than
others...” The town has a lived-in
look, one that isn’t created for
public entertainment but rather has
mellowed with age, retaining
historic buildings to serve current
needs. It is not a town with house
museums, but rather a town where
homes are redolent of the past. The
self-guided walking tour, available
at the visitors center at 335
Cummings Street, highlights
interesting spots in the 20-square
block historic district.
This part of
southwest Virginia was first
explored in 1749-1750 by Dr. Thomas
Walker, who was given over 6,000
acres by King George II. After
obtaining a look at his holding,
Walker sold a portion to Joseph
Black, who settled it and built a
small fort. The settlers and
indigenous Native Americans
coexisted peacefully during the
latter part of the 1760s and early
1770s. But by 1776 the Cherokees
were raiding settlements and many
pioneers fled to the relative safety
of Black’s Fort. That same year,
when the Assembly of Virginia
established Washington County, they
designated Black’s Fort, now
enlarged and strengthened, as the
meeting place for the first county
court. By 1778 the area around
Black’s Fort was incorporated as the
town of Abingdon.
The first
of the 33 points of interest on Main
Street is the 1860 Fields-Penn
House Museum. Down the street
are two of Abingdon’s most
well-known sites: the Barter Theatre
and the Martha Washington Inn (see
selection). The Barter Green
adjacent to the inn was at one time
the location of Governor John B.
Floyd’s house. It is now used for
the Virginia Highlands Festival Arts
and Crafts exhibit held the first
two weeks in August. The festival
began in 1948 and over the years it
has grown and flourished---it’s one
of the top 100 tourist events in
North America and one of the top 20
in the Southeast. There is a hot
air balloon event, plenty of
entertainment, juried craft shows,
regional cooking as well as
nationally-known writers, lecturers
and visual and performing artists
who offer distinctive programs. For
details on the festival call (800)
435-3440.
Eleanor
Roosevelt’s father Elliott was a
boarder at 116 East Main Street, the
1847 house of Judge John A.
Campbell. One of the houses to
survive the three major fires that
destroyed so many of Abingdon’s old
dwellings is the 1798 log section of
the Valentine Baugh House at 129
East Main Street. The western
section of the Andrew Russell House,
165-167 Main Street, was built in
1792. The house was used as a
Confederate officers’ headquarters
during the Civil War.
The Tavern,
222 East Main Street, has been
serving travelers since it was built
around 1779 on the Old Indian Trail
and Wilderness Road. It is not only
one of Abingdon’s oldest buildings,
it was one of the first built west
of the Blue Ridge. Travelers who
have stopped here include Henry
Clay, French King Louis-Philippe,
President Andrew Jackson and capital
designer Pierre Charles L’Enfant.
One noted visitor passed this way
before the tavern was built. Daniel
Boone was camped at the base of the
hill where the tavern stands.
Boone called the area Wolf Hills
because during the night his dogs
were attacked by wolves. The
location of the wolves’ den is
marked on a barn behind the Cave
House Craft Shop across the
street from the tavern. This
excellent shop is the home of the
Holston Mountain Arts and Crafts
Cooperative whose members produce
fine Appalachian craft items.
The first
tavern keeper, John Yancey broke
the law and enforced it. A month
after he applied for a license to
operate an ordinary, he was fined
for enclosing his sheep in the
courthouse, which was across from
his tavern. But by the following
summer of 1780 the court appointed
him Deputy Sheriff of Washington
County. Local patriots gathered at
the tavern in September 1780 before
joining other colonial supporters to
fight British Major Patrick Ferguson
at the Battle of King’s Mountain in
South Carolina, a significant
British defeat. During the Civil
War the tavern was used as a field
hospital. On the third floor,
charcoaled numbers can still be seen
on the plastered wall designating
the location of soldiers’ beds.
For more than 100
years The Tavern was owned and
operated by the Harris family. In
1965 Mary Porterfield, the wife of
Barter Theatre founder Robert
Porterfield, purchased the
establishment. In 1984, The Tavern
was restored to its colonial
appearance and it is now open for
lunch and dinner daily; phone (540)
628-1118.
Another
popular dining spot is the
Starving Artist Cafe, on Depot
Square, owned by Kim and Shawn
Crookshank. The latter is a noted
regional artist whose work, along
with many of his contemporaries,
often adorns the walls of this small
eatery. Most of the tasty dishes
are named for noted artists. Across
the parking lot is The Arts
Depot, a cooperative artists
association with large airy studios
in the 1890 Virginia and Tennessee
Railroad’s freight station. The
artists create and sell their work
at this bustling arts center.
Classes, workshops and readings are
held at The Arts Depot; call (540)
628-9091 for additional
information. Art is also exhibited
in Abingdon’s William King Regional
Arts Center.
Many of the
regional artists are inspired by
Abingdon’s splendid natural
surroundings. To get out and enjoy
the country, take a walk along the
Virginia Creeper National
Recreation Trail. It’s a 34
1/3-mile hiking, biking, horseback
riding and cross-country skiing path
from Abingdon to Whitetop. But even
an abbreviated hike gives you an
appreciation for the area’s scenic
appeal. The trail follows the route
of an old Indian path. It begins at
the site of Black’s Fort, now marked
by a steam engine. Four of Daniel
Boone’s campsites are documented
along this route. The trail is
named for the slow-moving
steam-powered Virginia-Carolina
Railroad that served the area during
the 1900s. To reach the in-town
trail head turn off Main Street onto
Pecan Street and travel two blocks;
the trail is well-marked. Another
access point that will put you into
the forest more rapidly is on Watuga
Road. From Abingdon take Route 75
south to Watauga Road and make a
left (it will be about three miles
past the intersection with I-81), in
a few miles you will come to a
parking area for the trail.
Another spot of
interest on the walking tour guide,
is really a drive-to location since
it’s 3 ½ miles out of town. White’s
Mill Road is popular with bicyclists
although it does not offer any paved
berm and cyclists must be alert for
traffic. Historic White’s Mill,
tucked away in a picturesque,
fertile valley beside a meandering
stream, is also popular with
photographers. This is one of only
a few operational water-powered
combination mills in the state.
White’s Mill is the only one that
can be run by the traditional
millstone method and by the roller
system. Thomas Moffet built a mill
on this site in 1790. Some of his
foundations were probably
incorporated into the new mill
Colonel James White built when he
acquired the property and
surrounding land in 1838.
White’s Mill
has two stories, plus a full-sized
attic and a down-slope basement in
which stands the original corner
fireplace. Be sure to walk out
behind the mill for a good
perspective on the metal overshot
water wheel run by the mill race.
The old equipment is still used to
grind corn, wheat and buckwheat by
traditional methods. You can
purchase White’s Mill ground flour
and cornmeal across the street at
White’s Mill General Store. The
store was built around 1830 and
still stocks a wide array of goods.
There is an admission to the mill, a
Virginia State Historic Landmark and
a site on The National Register of
Historic Places.
Five miles south
of Abingdon on Route 11 is Dixie
Pottery, whose slogan is “Shop
the World!” Like the Williamsburg
Pottery an amazing array of items
can be found at Dixie Pottery. It is
open daily from 9:30 A.M. to 6:00
P.M.; on Sunday it doesn’t open
until 1:00 P.M.
Directions: From I-81
take Exit 17, Cummings Street into
Abingdon and the visitors center
will be on the left. For White’s
Mill, from Cummings Street make a
right on Valley Street and travel
east, then make a left and head
north on White’s Mill Road.
