People know very little about Appalachia and much of what they know is wrong. "A story about flatboating on the Tennessee River in the 19th century suggests one of the reasons why this is so: flatboatmen taking a valuable cargo of products down the…
The White Top Folk Festival grew out of a suggestion made to Abingdon attorney John Blakemore that a fiddler’s contest be held on White Top on the 4th of July. 13 In addition to being an attorney, Blakemore was a well-connected politician and an…
For most people, Appalachia conjures up images of majestic mountains, old-time music, and a simpler way of life. Since its recognition as a distinctive region in the late 19th century, Appalachia has been a source of enduring myths and distortions…
"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…