Abingdon, VA news and local guide

Black's Fort became the seat of the new Washington County in 1776, and in 1778 Virginia incorporated the settlement as the town of Abingdon, on 120 acres donated by Black, Briggs and Walker. The origin of the name is disputed; suggestions include Abingdon-on-Thames in England, the ancestral home of Martha Washington, and Lord Abingdon, a friend of settler William Campbell. The post office opened on August 20, 1792, and in 1803 the Abingdon Male Academy opened with a $10,000 bequest from salt entrepreneur William King. Martha Washington College for women operated from 1860 to 1932 in General Francis Preston's former home, since 1935 the Martha Washington Inn. In 1933, during the Depression, the Barter Theatre opened, now described as the longest-running professional equity theater in the United States. The Virginia Creeper Trail runs 35 miles from Whitetop Mountain through Damascus to its trailhead in Abingdon. Sources Wikipedia: Abingdon, Virginia