1909 Map of Abingdon

About this map

The town of Abingdon serves as the focal point for this early twentieth-century survey of Southwest Virginia, where the Norfolk and Western RR cuts a path through the valley between Clinch Mountain and Walker Mountain. This landscape is defined by its deep agricultural and early industrial roots, evidenced by the presence of a County Farm and a Quarry near Glade Spring. To the north and south, the terrain becomes increasingly steep as it approaches the Virginia-Tennessee and Virginia-North Carolina borders. Local history is recorded in the placement of rural landmarks like Greenfield Church and Bethel Church, alongside water-powered industry at Dinsmore Mill and Dove Mills. The Holston River and Beaver Creek wind through the southern portion of the quadrangle, illustrating the importance of natural drainage in the settlement patterns of Watkins and Wyndale.