Last updated: 10/28/2012
Abingdon, Virginia
Street Address
306 Depot SquareAbingdon, VA 24212
Mailing Address
P. O. Box 484Abingdon, VA 24212
phone: 276-623-8337
e-mail: office@hswcv.org
web: hswcv.org/

Hours

Sunday - Monday
closed
Tuesday - Friday
10 AM - 4 PM
Saturday
11 AM - 4 PM
The society is closed on all Federal holidays and closes during inclement winter weather.

Admissions

Free

Staff

Martha Keys
Description

Located in downtown Abingdon, Virginia, the Historical Society is headquartered in the Old Norfolk&Western Train Depot. The Society is a leading center in the region for genealogical and historical research.

Mission
MISSION STATEMENT

The Historical Society of Washington County has roots in the past and a vision for the future. The Society recognizes that history is the key to understanding who we were, who we are, and who we shall be. The Society will provide the facility and means to collect, preserve and share information regarding the heritage of the County and surrounding region, and encourage interest in historical and genealogical research, and preservation of local historic properties, sites and artifacts.

History
ESTABLISHED IN 1936

25-30 YEARS - MAINLY A DISCUSSION GROUP, INFORMAL RESEARCH, PUBLIC LECTURES

1960s - COUNTY CEMETERY INVENTORY, "HIGH ON A WINDY HILL", SET THE TONE AND DIRECTION FOR THE FUTURE

INCORPORATED IN 1965; GRANTED NON-PROFIT, 501[c][3] ORGANIZATION STATUS IN 1973

1995 - STARTED COMPUTER-BASED INDEX SYSTEM

2002 - MOVED INTO THE HISTORIC PASSENGER DEPOT IN DOWNTOWN ABINGDON

Artifact Collections
Over 1,200,000 indexed records

1,000+ family files
52,000 pages of digitized documents
27,000 digitized photos
Records from nearly all Virginia counties
Records from bordering states
Local architectural surveys and histories
Listings of early SWVA Virginia settlers
Bible records, obituaries, letters, diaries, etc.
Marriage license project = 14,000 licenses recovered from courthouse basement
Buildings, places and events
Audio/visual recordings of veterans telling about war as they saw it
Research Collections

The Historical Society has digitized over 27,000 photographs and over 52,000 pages of documents. These images are divided into three main categories: People; Places and Objects; and Documents.

The People master index lists digitized photographs of people in varying scenes both posed and candid.
The Places and Objects index lists the images we have digitized of churches, houses, schools, bridges, mills, railroads, tombstones, historical scenes, etc.
The Document index lists digitized images of documents covering a wide range of historical interest, such as marriage certificates, obituaries, military documents, letters, newspaper articles, business receipts, etc.
All of the images are viewable at the Historical Society Library and copies are available for purchase.
Library

Research Library, staffed by volunteer assistants

Access: General Public, Students, Scholars
Appointment required: No
Publications

Quarterly Newsletter

Services

Searchable computer data base

research assistance

copies of digitized documents and photos for sale

other local history and genealogy related books for sale

extensive information available on small family cemeteries

a large collection of tombstone photos

Special Note!

The Historical Society is staffed by volunteers and there are times that we do not have enough staff available to keep the library open five days a week. If you are planning a trip to visit us, please call ahead to be sure we will be open.

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Wheelchair Accessible
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