The region was long the territory of varying cultures of
indigenous peoples, including the
Chisca and
Xualae. From the late 17th-century, it was occupied by the Cherokee Nation, whose territory extended from the present-day area of borders of Tennessee, Virginia, and Kentucky through the spine of North Carolina and later into Georgia. Between 1748 and 1750, Thomas Walker, a principal in the Loyal Land Company, and his crew surveyed the land where the town of Abingdon is now situated. Walker wrote that the tract on which Abingdon was later built was known as the Wolf Hill Tract. In the twenty-first century, the town sponsored a public art event, in which artists created 27 wolf sculptures, which were installed around the town. Most were later sold at an auction to raise money for Advance Abingdon. Between 1765 and 1770 James Douglas, Andrew Colville, George Blackburn, Joseph Black, Samuel Briggs and James Piper settled in and around present-day Abingdon under purchases from Thomas Walker. By 1773 there were enough settlers, primarily Scots-Irish, to establish Presbyterian congregations, and the Rev. Charles Cummings became the first settled pastor west of the Allegheny Mountains. During
Lord Dunmore's War,
Joseph Black built Black's Fort in 1774 to protect local settlers in the region from attacks by the
Cherokee of the Lower Towns. The settlement was known as '''Black's Fort''' prior to being incorporated by the Commonwealth of Virginia as Abingdon in 1778. Black, Briggs and Walker donated the 120 acres of land upon which the original town was laid out. The area was at the intersection of two great Indian trails, which had followed ancient animal migration trails through the mountains. It was a prime location as a trade center and access point to the west and south. In 1776 the community of Black's Fort was made the county seat of the newly formed Washington county. In 1778, Black's Fort was incorporated as the town of Abingdon. The reason for the name is disputed. Some sources indicated the town was named for
Abingdon-on-Thames the ancestral home of
Martha Washington in
Oxfordshire, England. Other possible namesakes for the town include Jake Dore's home in Abington, Pennsylvania, or Lord Abingdon, friend of settler
William Campbell. The post office was first established in Abingdon on August 20, 1792, on the same day as the Charlottesville and Lexington post offices and the Danville KY post office. Only ten post offices existed in Virginia prior to that date; Abingdon's and Danville's were the first ones established west of the
Eastern Continental Divide. The Abingdon postmaster appointed on that date, William Conn, declined the position and never served. Gerrard T. Conn became the first person to serve as postmaster on January 14, 1793 and served until January 15, 1796. With a bequest of $10,000 from salt entrepreneur William King, the
Abingdon Male Academy opened in 1803. By 1830, over forty students were enrolled. It continued to thrive until 1861 when classes were suspended during the Civil War, and eventually closed in 1905. The property later became the Abingdon High School, and is now home to the William King Museum of Art.
Martha Washington College, a school for women, operated in Abingdon from 1860 to 1932 in the former residence of Gen.
Francis Preston which was built about 1832. Since 1935 the building has been occupied and operated as a hotel, the
Martha Washington Inn. In 1867, Roman Catholics opened Villa Maria Academy of the Visitation for the education of young ladies. The Stonewall Jackson Female Institute operated from 1868 to 1930 in the former residence of Gov.
John B. Floyd next to the Preston home. The
Barter Theatre, the state theatre of Virginia, was opened in Abingdon in 1933 during the
Great Depression. It is now the longest-running professional equity theatre in the United States. Abingdon is the final stop along the
Virginia Creeper Trail, which allows pedestrian, cyclist and equestrian traffic. This rail-to-trail conversion is 35 miles long, extending from
Whitetop Mountain through
Damascus, Virginia, with the trailhead in Abingdon. The Historical Society of Washington County, Virginia, located in Abingdon, serves as a regional genealogy center, in addition to being a repository for Washington County history. The
Abingdon Historic District,
Abingdon Bank,
Mont Calm,
Moonlite Theatre,
Dr. William H. Pitts House,
White's Mill, and
Baker-St. John House are listed on the
National Register of Historic Places. == Climate ==