Cody Johnson, SWVA

03/26/2026

UPDATE 4/6/26 8:45am: all trees have been reserved!

The Abingdon Tree Give Away is back! Registration will open on Monday, April 6, 2026, at 7:00am. Be sure to mark your calendars, registration fills up fast!

Trees will be available for pick- up on Saturday, May 2, 2026, from 9a-12p, at the Coomes Recreation Center.

03/20/2026

90 Years of Preserving Our Story

Ninety years ago in 1936, a group of dedicated residents came together with a single mission: to ensure that the rich, diverse history of Washington County, Virginia, would never be forgotten.

This year, the Historical Society celebrates nearly a century of protecting the letters, photographs, and records that define who we are. To celebrate our 90th Birthday, we are launching a special milestone campaign: $90 for 90 Years.

Your donation of $90—just one dollar for every year of our existence—directly supports:

📚 The Archives: Protecting photographs, rare documents and genealogy records for future generations.
🏛 Our Home: We are close to paying off the mortgage of our current home your donation will help secure the home for our artifacts.
💾 Conservation: Ensuring our collections survive another 90 years and beyond.

History isn’t just in the past; it’s what we build together today. Help us blow out the candles and secure our future! A donation of any amount is also appreciated and will help the Society achieve our goals!

Donate today at: https://www.hswcv.org/donations.php

02/23/2026

If you love history, then you know this year marks the 250th birthday of our country. Friends of Smyth Chapel is honored to sponsor the showing of the PBS documentary: Resolved to Live and Die; a story that has been 250 yrs in the making. Come join us on March 5th at 6 pm for the hour-long viewing that focuses on the importance of Southwest Virginia during the Revolutionary War.

Following the viewing there will be a Q&A discussion with some of the people involved in the project. While at the screening, you can also enjoy a pull-up banners exhibit courtesy of the Alleghany DAR Chapter and replica Rev War flag display offered by the Fincastle Resolutions SAR and Wilderness Road Regional Museum.

So come join us for the viewing and step back in time in our beautiful, historic 1892 chapel. Bring a friend. Admission is free. Donations are welcomed. And help us out by sharing this post! See less

02/07/2026

The Town of Abingdon is developing a Cultural Heritage Tourism Plan to identify priorities for the preservation of historic resources and we need your help!
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AbingdonCHT

The Town of Abingdon is developing a five-year Cultural Heritage Tourism Plan to identify priorities for the preservation of historic resources, development of historic and cultural experiences, marketing, and visitor engagement, strengthening the positive impact of tourism in our community.

Please take approximately 10 minutes to complete this 18-question survey by February 20, 2026. All responses will remain confidential and will be reported only in aggregate to help set goals and establish desired outcomes for the plan.

This survey will help us better understand community needs and ensure the plan reflects how we can best serve both Abingdon residents and visitors.

Please feel free to share this survey with anyone who would like to provide input and help shape the future of cultural heritage tourism in Abingdon.

If you have any questions or would like additional information about the survey or planning process, please contact Isaiah Thomas at [email protected] or 276-628-3167.

To participate in the survey, please visit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/AbingdonCHT

12/31/2025

🥂 As the clock strikes midnight on this New Year's Eve let us toast not just to 2026, but to reclaiming some LIBERTY. Yes, here it comes! You know what? It’s also my birthday and I can cry if I want to! Washington doesn’t have a party problem, it has a power problem. Career politicians drunk on endless terms and our tax dollars. 🕚 Time's up! We need term limits NOW. The swamp is most certainly not drained. You know what else? I’m a proud Millennial, staring down a future that's crumbling for my kids if we stay on this path. Our democratic republic hangs by a thread and we’re left crushed under mountains of waste and taxation. Just look at the 2025 Festivus Report (Link in the comments)—it's a wake-up call on how elected bureaucrats squander billions. Some people just shake their head and say it's too late, that we can't vote our way out. I refuse to have that stance and you should as well. Don’t know where to begin? Start small: Attend your local council or supervisors meeting. No traction? Welcome to the fight— Go again… it's not going to be easy. Don’t feel like you are qualified. Really? Have you seen some of these clowns in office? You don't need a PhD; you need guts and you need to do what’s right with no backroom special interests pushing your decision. Busy with family, career, or just trying to survive? I get it – we all are. In 2026 make the resolution to lead where you stand: Write your representation, rally a group for a meeting, and if they ignore you? VOTE THEM OUT! Get connected, get involved—local, state, federal, doesn't matter. Your voice is the spark. LIBERTY demands action. Patriots weren’t sitting around 250 years ago today. They were acting and their lives were at stake. 🇺🇸

12/25/2025

🎄It was December 25th, 1776. With Washington in command, the revolution had lost a lot of steam and popularity with colonials. Defeats in New York had scattered the Continental Army, enlistments were expiring, and morale plummeted like the winter snow. But then, on the anniversary today—Christmas Day—we remember how George Washington and a group of men with a common idea of liberty completed the unthinkable. It was a frigid Christmas night of howling winds and sleet that turned the Delaware River into a treacherous slurry of ice. Washington gathered 2,400 weary soldiers on the Pennsylvania shore. "Victory or death," he whispered to his aides, knowing a bold strike against the Hessian garrison in Trenton could reignite the fight for independence—or seal their fate, and doom it forever. The boats creaked under the weight of men, horses, and cannon as they shoved off into the darkness. Hours ticked by in suspenseful agony as Colonel Henry Knox's artillery teams wrestled 18 cannons and ammunition across, their breaths fogging the air, while scouts whispered warnings of patrols on the far bank. By 4 a.m., they had miraculously crossed, marching nine miles through blinding nor'easter to surprise the enemy at dawn. Bayonets fixed, they charged with honorable fury, capturing nearly 900 british hired Hessian mercenaries with minimal losses. It wasn't just a battle won—it was patriot hope reborn, proving that desperate men united by liberty could defy the odds. On this anniversary, let's honor that spirit. What "unthinkable" will you tackle in 2026? 🌟

11/17/2025

The Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) is mourning the line of duty death of a Corrections Officer following an attack by an inmate Monday morning at River North Correctional Center in Independence.

The attack occurred at approximately 7:53 a.m. Monday, November 17. The Officer was pronounced dead at a local hospital.

Another Officer was attacked in this incident and was transported for outside medical treatment.

River North Correctional Center is currently secure.

“Our agency and the entire Commonwealth are in mourning today,” said VADOC Director Chad Dotson. “Our hearts are with the Officer’s family, the other Officer who was attacked, and to our public safety heroes at River North. The VADOC will do everything in its power to ensure this vicious attack is prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

The VADOC’s Office of Law Enforcement Services is actively investigating this incident. More information will be released as it becomes available.

09/07/2025

I'm honored and humbly proud to share that I was recently interviewed for the Southern States Police Benevolent Association 2024 Blue Review about a life-saving situation over this past Christmas. Grateful to have been in the right place at the right time, and deeply thankful for the training that equipped me to act when it mattered most. Check out the article here:https://www.sspba.org/sspbafile/PDF/SSPBA/2024_Blue_Review.pdf

08/08/2025

White's Mill—a historic grist mill dating back to the 1790s, located right in our back yards! They're open Friday-Sunday and admission is free; however, donations are appreciated to assist with the preservation of the site. For more information check them out here ➡️ https://www.whitesmill.org/

07/26/2025

📣 The Virginia Highlands Festival is LIVE in Abingdon, VA! This year, the Historical Society of Washington County VA is shining, sharing Washington County’s rich history with locals and visitors alike. Bring the family, enjoy amazing events, and dive into our storied past! Questions? DM me! 🇺🇲