Abingdon
Part I: Wolf Hills- Blacks Fort- Abingdon
Abingdon was originally named Wolf Hills because a pack of wolves emerged from a cave and attacked Daniel Boone’s dogs here in 1760. In the 1770s, the
name changed to Blacks Fort after Joseph Black built a fort nearby to protect settlers against Indian raids. 
Part I: Wolf Hills- Blacks Fort- Abingdon
Abingdon was originally named Wolf Hills because a pack of wolves emerged from a cave and attacked Daniel Boone’s dogs here in 1760. In the 1770s, the
name changed to Blacks Fort after Joseph Black built a fort nearby to protect settlers against Indian raids. 
Blacks Fort’s name was later changed to Abingdon in honor of Martha Washington's British home, Abingdon Parrish.
It doesn’t matter what you call it- Abingdon is fantastic. 
They have a Historic District that stretches for 20 blocks, the annual Highlands Festival, the nearby Creeper Trail, one of the oldest theaters in America- the Barter Theater; the enchanting Sinking Springs Cemetery, and a Planning Department that resembles an archaeology lab.
Tune in for Abingdon, Part II: The Planning Department
They have a Historic District that stretches for 20 blocks, the annual Highlands Festival, the nearby Creeper Trail, one of the oldest theaters in America- the Barter Theater; the enchanting Sinking Springs Cemetery, and a Planning Department that resembles an archaeology lab.Tune in for Abingdon, Part II: The Planning Department
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4 comments:
The story about Boone naming the place Wolf Hills is a myth which was created in 1884. The drawing of the fort dates also from 1884 and was made by a man who does not appear in records in Abingdon until the census of 1884. He stated in a letter that only one other person knew the story until he told it. The name of Abingdon does not come from Martha Washington's ancestral home. Her family (Dandridge)had no connection with Abingdon Parish in Virginia or Abingdon, England. I am writing a new history of the county.
James W. Hagy, PhD.
The census date is 1880, not 1884.
Can anyone give a source to purchase the "History of Castle's Woods and Early Russell County History" thks in advance
e mail cabinetlady@aol.com
It has long been out of print and will not be reprinted. If you live in the area, you can go to the Russell County Library. I told them they could make copies for people,
James Hagy
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