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Abingdon VA

Abingdon Virginia
“It’s Always Play Time In Abingdon”

Town of Abingdon VA

The town of Abingdon is located in Washington County Southwest of Roanoke in the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains. Visitors come to Abingdon, VA because of its picturesque scenery as well as its performing arts, and outdoor recreational playground. One of the biggest attractions is the Virginia Creeper Trail completed in 1984 formerly a railroad steam engine route used to transport lumber from the area. The Virginia Creeper Trail is 34 miles long and used by hikers, horseback riders, and bicyclists. Visitors grab a shuttle and bike rental and get dropped off at the top of Whitetop Station and continue down hill through farmland, bridges, visitor centers, and small communities even Damascus, VA.

There are many other things to do outside in the Abingdon area such as hike the Appalachian Trail through the Mount Rogers National Park Recreation Area. If you are lucky you might see some of the wild ponies grazing on the grassy bald knobs. There is also world class fly-fishing, rock climbing, and natural scenic beauty surrounding Abingdon.

The other main attraction is the famous Barter Theatre which back in the 1930s became a launch pad for rising stars. Barter Theatre 80 years later is still the epicenter of the downtown area. The downtown area of Abingdon offers shopping, nightlife, live music, art galleries, craft breweries, wineries, and many restaurants.

Abingdon Virginia is known as one of the , “10 Best Southern Small Towns, “National Rail Trail Hall of Fame”, “Southeasts Top Adventure Towns of 2018”, and “America’s 20 Most Charming Small Towns”.

History of Abingdon VA

Abingdon has a long history of indigenous people including the Chisca, Xualae, and Cherokee Nation. Dr. Thomas Walker surveyed the land of Abingdon in 1750 due to the fact it was on the Great Road that Colonel William Byrd ordered a road cut through the wilderness to Kingsport, TN. Daniel Boone on his way through the area gave Abingdon the name of , “Wolf Hills” after his dogs were attacked by a pack of wolves.

From 1765-1770 many settlers bought land from Dr. Thomas Walker. One man in particular, Joseph Black built a fort in 1774 to protect local settlers from the Cherokee Indians. The fort was used during an :Idian attack by the war leader Dragging Canoe and his Chickamauga Cherokee forces.

Abingdon was at the intersection of two great Indian and animal migration trails through the mountains. It was a prime location for trade and travel to the West and the South. In 1778 Black’s fort became the county seat and the town was incorporated under the name of Abingdon.

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