Abingdon, Virginia

Abingdon is a town in Washington County, Virginia, 189 miles (304 km) west by south of Lynchburg. In 1910, 1,757 people lived here. The population was 7,780 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Washington County^GR6. The town is included in the Tri-Cities Metro area of Johnson City-Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA.^[1]

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 Notable residents
5 References
6 External links

[edit] History

Barter Theatre

The land that the city of Abingdon is situated on was originally surveyed between the years 1748 and 1750 by Dr. Thomas Walker and was part of the Great Road that Colonel William Byrd III ordered cut through the wilderness on to Kingsport, Tennessee.^[2] In 1760, famed frontiersman, Daniel Boone, named the area Wolf Hills, after his dogs were attacked by a pack of wolves during a hunting expedition. The original location of the attack is located on 'Courthouse Hill' and is also the location of The Cavehouse Craft Shop. ^[2] During Lord Dunmore's War, Black's Fort was established in 1774 by Joseph Black to protect local settlers in the region from Indian attacks.^[2]

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, said to be named for the ancestral home of Martha Washington. Martha Washington College, a school for women, operated in Abingdon from 1860 to 1932 in a former private residence; since 1935 the building has been occupied by a hotel, the Martha Washington Inn. The Barter Theatre, the state theatre of Virginia, was opened in Abingdon in 1933. Virginia Governors Wyndham Robertson, David Campbell, and John B. Floyd lived here. Abingdon is also the final stop along the Virginia Creeper Trail, which allows pedestrian, cyclist and equestrian traffic. The Washington County Historical Society is located in Abingdon and serves as a regional genealogy center, in addition as a repository for Washington County history.

[edit] Geography

Abingdon is located at 36°42′35″N, 81°58′32″W (36.709773, -81.975694)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 21.6 km² (8.3 mi²), all land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 7,780 people, 3,522 households, and 2,092 families residing in the town. The population density was 360.2/km² (932.6/mi²). There were 3,788 housing units at an average density of 175.4/km² (454.1/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.99% White, 3.41% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.64% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.80% of the population.

There were 3,522 households out of which 23.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.6% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.6% were non-families. 36.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.08 and the average family size was 2.72.

In the town the population was spread out with 18.3% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 20.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females there were 81.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $30,976, and the median income for a family was $46,106. Males had a median income of $32,005 versus $22,844 for females. The per capita income for the town was $22,486. About 7.3% of families and 10.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.4% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Notable residents

Robert Armstrong (1792-1854), born in Abingdon, United States Army officer and candidate to be Governor of Tennessee^[3]
Martin Beaty (1817-?), born in Abingdon, United States Congressman from Kentucky ^[3]
Francis Preston Blair, (1791-1876), born in Abingdon, journalist and politician ^[3]
James King Gibson, (1812-1879), born in Abingdon, United States Congressman from Virginia ^[3]
John W. Johnston, (1818-1889), nephew of Gen. Joseph E. Johnston, served as United States Senator after Virginia readmitted to the Union in 1869.
Joseph E. Johnston, (1807-1891), lived in Abingdon as a boy, Confederate General in the American Civil War.
William McMillan, (1764-1804), born in Abingdon, lawyer. district attorney, and United States Congressman from Ohio territory. ^[3]
Granville Henderson Oury, (1825-1885), born in Abingdon, captain in the Confederate Army and later United States Congressman from Arizona. ^[3]