The History Of Abingdon, Va In 1760, while traveling on an extended hunting trip from his home in Kentucky, Daniel Boone decided to camp in the area now known as Abingdon, Va. At one point during his stay in the area, several wolves emerged from a near-by cave and attacked the dogs in his party. This prompted Boone to give Abingdon her first name: Wolf Hills. The cave where the pack of wolves lived is located on the eastern slope of "Court House Hill", just a few yards from Main Street! In 1774, Joseph Black built a fort in the Wolf Hills area to protect the people who lived there from Indian raids. He then changed the name of Wolf Hills to Black's Fort. In 1776, the Virginia General Assembly carved out what is present-day Washington County, including the area around Black's Fort. Since Black's Fort was the largest community in the area, it was designated the county seat of the newly created Washington County. In 1778, in honor of Abingdon Parrish (Martha Washington's British home) Blacks Fort was incorporated as the town of Abingdon, Va. The town has been called Abingdon ever since. Abingdon's citizens have played many important roles in America's wars. Her citizen-soldiers' heroic service at the battle of King's Mountain helped bring on the end of the Revolutionary War. During the Civil War they helped defend the near-by town of Saltville from attacks by Union forces. The salt mines in and around the Saltville area provided the cooks of the Confederate army with a means to preserve meat that the troops depended on for sustenance during the war. The people of Abingdon and the surrounding area played a huge role in keeping the Confederate Army fed and clothed. Today, a leisurely stroll along the red brick sidewalks of down-town Abingdon provides a glimpse into her rich past. Historic buildings, several of which were built in the 1700s and 1800s, line both sides Main Street in the vicinity of Court House Hill. Abingdon is in fact home to some of the oldest homes and buildings west of the Blue Ridge Mountains!