For over 200 years, Abingdon has been the cultural, political, and sometimes the economic center of the entire region, and that rich history draws people to Abingdon.
Explore History with Us!
2026 Local History Events
Our Local History committee is “knee-deep” in planning a spectacular line up honoring the 250th celebration of our great land!
Plans are evolving….Stay tuned!
Barter Theatre: History and Backstage Tour
Friday, July 24: 11am and 4pm
Friday, July 31: 11am and 4pm
$15 (payable at the event)
Learn about the history of Barter Theatre, from its beginnings during the Depression of the 1930s to its becoming the State Theatre of Virginia and one of the most respected repertory theatres in the United States. Visit the backstage area, dressing rooms, and maybe even get to see the mysterious “Barter tunnel.”
This tour will be at least 1.5 hours long and includes several flights of stairs, as well as lengthy periods of standing. Tours are limited to no more than 25 people, on a first-come, first-served basis.
127 W. Main Street, Abingdon, VA
Virginia Highlands Quilt Show
Daily: 10am-4pm, Sundays: 1-4pm
Free
The annual Virginia Highlands Quilt Show features over 100 quilts created by local stitchers in various patterns. A “Viewer’s Choice Award” is granted for a contemporary quilt that has been made in the last five years as well as a quilt raffle! Winner to be drawn on August 2
Tour of White’s Mill
Friday, July 24 - Sunday, July 26: 10am-5pm
Friday, July 31 – Sunday, August 2: 10am -5pm
Free
White’s Mill is a historic water-powered gristmill that offers visitors an opportunity to explore the past, where traditional corn grinding and the rhythm of the waterwheel bring history to life. With roots dating back to the 18th century, the mill continues to serve as a place of learning and community connection.
12291 White’s Mill Road, Abingdon VA
Friends of the Library: “Festival Book Sale”
Friday, July 24, 5-7 pm - Preview Night for Members, $10 (Membership can be purchased that night)
Sat., July 25, 10am-5pm / Sun., July 26, 2-5pm / Mon., July 27 through Sat., August 1—10am-5pm
Sunday, August 2, Bag Day, 2-5pm (All the books you can put in a bag, $5—Bring your own bag!)
Thousands of gently used hardcovers and paperbacks, including popular and classic fiction, crafts, cookbooks, art, reference, history, religion, military, romance, travel, collectibles, dvd/s, jigsaw puzzles, and children’s books.
Cash, debit and credit cards are accepted.
Washington County Public Library, 205 Oak Hill St., Abingdon, VA
Sinking Spring Cemetery Tour
Saturday, July 25, 10-11am
$5 cash only
Russell Rd. at Valley St. (meet at cabin)
Take a Tour through Sinking Spring Cemetery's “First Circle” with historian Donnamarie Emmert, where she will introduce you to some of Abingdon's Colonial citizens and Revolutionary War soldiers. Learn about local history and get a lesson in “graveyard dowsing” as well.
One of Abingdon’s cherished historical sites is the Sinking Spring Cemetery. At the west end of Valley Street, the cemeteryis located on part of a 55-acre tract of rural land acquired by local Presbyterians from Dr. Thomas Walker in 1774. The log church they built on the site was the home of the first established congregation on the frontier west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Beginning with Henry Creswell who was killed by Native Americans in 1776, about three thousand burials now fill the old churchyard, including two governors, at least nine Revolutionary War veterans and over 800 in the African American section.
Sawdust Festival
Saturday, July 25: 10am-5pm
Free
The annual Sawdust Festival at Holston Mountain Artisans will feature several of the cooperative’s woodcarvers and woodworkers demonstrating their skills, as well as featuring other members demonstrating a variety of arts and crafts.
Duncansville One-Room Schoolhouse Tour
Saturdays, July 25 & August 1: 10am-4pm
Sundays, July 26 & August 2: 2pm-4pm
Free
Tour the fully restored late 19th-century schoolhouse, hosted by the Washington County Retired Teachers, who give visitors a glimpse of what early education was like, including wooden desks, inkwells, slates, and a pot-bellied stove.
225 Stanley St. between the Coomes Center and E. B. Stanley Middle School
A Conversation with Thomas Jefferson and George Washington
Sunday, July 26 & Monday, July 27
6:30pm with a cash bar opening at 5:30pm
$25 per person, with a child 12 or under free when accompanied by a ticketed adult.
Martha Washington Inn & Spa ballroom
Many visitors don't realize that Abingdon's roots predate the Declaration of Independence so they may be surprised to find Thomas Jefferson and Georgia Washington greeting people at this year's Festival.
For the past five years the Historical Society of Washington County has brought Bill Barker, an internationally recognized historical interpreter of Thomas Jefferson now based at Monticello, to Abingdon.
Our area's connections with Jefferson and Washington are numerous. Jefferson, of course, served as Secretary of State in Washington's administration and helped forge the structure of our nation's government and economy. Thomas Jefferson's father Peter played a pivotal role in surveying the western lands where we now live and piqued his son's lifelong interest in the western frontier. Washington County was created in 1776 - one of the first counties created by the newly independent Commonwealth of Virginia - and named in honor of Mrs. Washington's husband, Gen. George Washington. For almost two centuries the building in which they will be performing has been associated with the name of America's first First Lady.
We are honored to have these two Nation Builders in Abingdon as we celebrate for America's 250th birthday next year. It's a rare opportunity you and your family won't want to miss.
MORE INFO COMING SOON!
THANK YOU to the generous sponsors for this fantastic event!
Ben & Merry Jennings
Carl & Mary Coalson
Brett & Jessica Compton
Walter & Rose Ann Jenny
Creeper's End Lodging
First Bank & Trust
Appalachian Memory Keepers
New Peoples Bank
Abingdon Olive Oil Company
Eye Physicians of Southwest Virginia, PC
Historical Interpretation Workshop
Monday, July 27: 1:30pm at SVHEC
Free to participate
Anyone who has visited Colonial Williamsburg has seen what appear to be time travelers – dozens of people who evoke the 18th Century in attire, speech and manners.
What’s it like to interpret a figure from history? Have you ever wanted to share stories about your ancestors in the first person?
Bill Barker and Kurt Smith have over 40 years of experience portraying Thomas Jefferson. Barker is considered by many to be one of the earliest historical interpreters, first in Philadelphia, then at Colonial Williamsburg and today at Jefferson’s Monticello. Smith now portrays the younger Jefferson as he would have appeared in Virginia’s colonial era.
They will appear together in a rare opportunity to share tips and answer questions from the public. The free workshop, sponsored by the Historical Society of Washington County, will take place at the Higher Education Center
St. Thomas Episcopal Church Luncheons
Monday, July 27: 11am-1pm
Wednesday, July 29: 11am-1pm
Adults, $14, Children (under 10) $10
Having lunch at St. Thomas Episcopal Church is a 30-year tradition at the Virginia Highlands Festival. Everyone is welcome. The menu includes quiche, salad, dessert, and a beverage. Ham biscuits can be purchased for an additional $5.00. All proceeds are donated to ministries in the Abingdon area, the Appalachian region, and the global community.
St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 124 E. Main St., Abingdon, VA
Abingdon Downtown Walking Tour
Wednesday, July 29, 7:30pm
Sunday, August 2, 7:30pm
Free
How are the salt industry, Shangri-La, Daniel Boone, Eleanor Roosevelt, and the American Southwest all connected to Abingdon? Join local historians and Abingdon natives Garrett Jackson (on Wednesday or Sunday) or Donnamarie Emmert (on Saturday) on this walking tour of Abingdon’s known and little-known history. Learn how a small frontier town in the 1770s became a center for the arts, culture, politics, and religion in Southwest Virginia.
Meet at the front steps of the Washington County Courthouse
Abingdon Historic Homes & Buildings Tour
Saturday, August 1: 10am-4pm, Downtown Abingdon
$25, Cash or Credit Card
Abingdon prides itself on its well-preserved downtown historic district and its commitment to historic preservation. Tour the interiors of a variety of the best-preserved Federal, Victorian, and early 20th-century houses and buildings in Virginia, all within walking distance downtown. Guided tours of the Martha Washington Inn and Spa will be every half hour.
Ticket Purchasing Options: $25 each. Purchase tickets online at the link below, or during the month of July at Shady Business (180 East Main St.). On the day of the tour, tickets will be for sale on the porch of 262 Bradley St. or at Shady Business.
*Even if you have purchased a ticket online, you must pick up the printed house guide and map to the houses at Shady Business or at 262 Bradley St. on the day of the tour.
Abingdon Spirit Tours
Every night of the Festival, except Sunday, August 2, 7:30pm
$20 (Cash only)
Join Abingdon’s “Haint Mistress” Donnamarie Emmert as she guides participants on her Abingdon Spirit Tour, now in its 29th year. Walk along historic Main Street delighting in the town’s history and the ghost stories of businesses and homes along the way. Not recommended for children under 10, or people in wheeled conveyances. Tours will be called off in case of heavy rain.
Meet at Wolf Hills Coffee, 112 Court St
Abingdon Muster Grounds Activities
The Abingdon Muster Grounds celebrates where the militiamen from western Virginia gathered during the American Revolution and then traveled over the mountains to fight at the Battle of Kings Mountain, a turning-point event of the war. There is an interpretive center at the Grounds, which is also the northern terminus of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail.
There are several events every day of the Festival at the Muster Grounds reflecting life in the late 18th-century in the Backcountry of Virginia , including music, crafts demonstrations, storytelling events, reenactments, and even conventicles which represented the style of preaching of that era.
Abingdon Muster Grounds, 1780 Muster Place, Abingdon, VA 24210
William King Museum of Art: Exhibits
Daily, 10am-5pm — Sundays, 1-5pm
Free
Enjoy four extraordinary exhibitions:
New body of work by regionally renowned artist Charles Goolsby in the new exhibition “Points of Departure.”
Showcase of Scottish art from the 19th Century reflecting a place of conflicting emotions.
The history of stained glass in SWVA is inseparable from the movement of people through the Appalachian region.
Ray Byram, oil painter and printmaker, with a specialization in landscape using his own innovative techniques.
The House, The Highlands & The Great Big Sea:
March 5 – August 30, 2026
Points of Departure: Recent Landscapes by Charles Goolsby
April 2 –August 2, 2026
Sanctuaries In Stained Glass
April 30 – November 29, 2026
