Browse Items (22 total)

According to The Historical Markers Database (HMdb.org) there are 23 Historical Markers and War Memorials in Abingdon. Many of the markers, but not all, were issued by the Virginia Conservation Commission and are listed in the Virginia Landmarks…

"A repertory theater group was organized here in the 1930s by Robert Porterfield for out-of-work actors. From bartering admission tickets for anything from huckleberries to lamb chops, it has grown into the State Theatre of Virginia. Drawing…

"Located one block south of Main Street...the Depot Square Historic District began taking shape around 1856 when the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad extended the first railroad through Abingdon and constructed a depot. The advent of the railroad made…

Adam Hickman was a local builder and town councilman who built this house and the nearby William Pitts House in the 1850's. Both houses are distinctive but the Hickman House bears an additional distinction from the legendary status of the cave behind…

The Sinking Spring Cemetery marks the site of the first church building bearing the Sinking Spring name. Built as a front-log structure in the early 1700’s, it was supplanted by a larger building sometime in the 1780’s. This continued as the church…

Saltville native Robert Porterfield was an out-of-work actor in New York City when he decided to return to southwestern "Virginia in 1932. He brought with him twenty-two other unemployed actors, and together they founded Barter Theatre, allowing…

"The Abingdon Branch crossed some of the highest and most scenic terrain of any standard gauge railroad in the United States. In the 55½ miles from Abingdon to West Jefferson, there were 108 bridges, most made with timber, and no…

"Aerial view of Wolf Creek and the Abingdon Muster Grounds"

"Taverns played an important role in the early years of Abingdon, when large numbers of settlers were passing through the area on their way further west. Governor David Campbell wrote that when he first saw Abingdon as a boy in 1783, there were only…

"…Porterfield persuaded a company of 22 unemployed and hungry New York actors to follow him to Abingdon and exchange culture and entertainment for food. Town officials, intrigued by Porterfield’s audacious idea, agreed to let him stage plays in the…