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Wythe County History Wythe County Population - (1990 US Census) - 25,466 Wythe County Land Area - 460 square miles A Brief History Wythe County was founded in 1790, from Montgomery County, which was founded from Fincastle County in 1776. Wythe County was settled early in the history of our country, primarily because of the good access to water (the New River and many creeks). The eastern end of the county was settled as early as 1745 and was known as "Mack's Meadows." This is the area now known as Max Meadows. Rough roads were established, near the path of current modern interstate highways. Early settlers in Wythe county were, in a large part, German, and Scot-Irish. A fort was built before the Revolutionary War and was known as Fort Chiswell. It was used to protect settlers from Indian attacks. The approximate site of this fort can be seen today beside where Interstate 81 & 77 intersect. It is a stone marker in the shape of an arrowhead. The pioneers in Fincastle (now Wythe) County were early patriots. They wrote and delivered the Fincastle Resolution (which was similar to, but earlier than, the Declaration of Independence), January 20, 1775, to the Continental Congress at Philadelphia. By the time of the Revolutionary War, lead had been found in Austinville and the Shot Tower had been built on the New River, producing ammunition used in the Revolutionary War. In 1790, Wythe County was formed and named for George Wythe, the first Virginia signer of the Declaration of Independence. A place near the middle of the county was chosen as the place for the county seat, and was then called Evansham, although it eventually became Wytheville. During the Civil War, Wythe County had a unit, the Wythe Greys, and a Home Guard organized. General William Terry was first Captain of the Wythe Greys and later became commander of the Stonewall Brigade. Jacob Haller was a doctor during this time period, in Wytheville and his home is now the Rock House Museum. Dr. Haller had to contend with a smallpox outbreak in addition to war time strife. In the Battle of Wytheville, in 1863, Federal troops marched down Tazewell Street and were fired upon by citizens in their homes on either side of the street. The Federal troops were trying to get to the railroad depot to blow it up to interrupt the flow of necessary salt from the mines at Saltville. Although several private residences were burned, damage to the depot was repaired within an hour. The assault on Wytheville failed. There was a second raid in 1864, which was known as The Battle of Crocketts Cove." Union and Confederate Troops fought most of one day in a field and by dusk, Union troops retreated out of the Cove in defeat once more. There were to be two other raids in Wythe county - One near Mt. Airy (now Rural Retreat) and the lead mines at Austinville, and one final assault on Wytheville, the lead mines near Ivanhoe, and railroad bridges over Reed Creek and near Max Meadows. Of note is the fact that Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart's aunt and uncle lived in Wytheville and he spent a large part of his youth here. Wythe County was always progressive and boasted of early educational institutes for women. There has always been religious diversity in the county, and culturally, there was an opera house in Wytheville before the turn of this century. In the last century, Wythe County was a mineral water spa mountain resort location where people from the hot, humid areas such as Charleston, South Carolina and New Orleans, Louisiana came for the summer to escape malaria and typhoid fever outbreaks. Several springs had hotels built near them, such as Wyrick Springs in the community of Crockett. Others bottled their water and shipped it by rail to New York City and other locations. When the national Polio epidemic hit the country, in the 1950s, Wythe County was one of the hardest hit locations in the nation. There was hardly a family that wasn't touched by this terrible disease. Perhaps it is one reason why a county of this size has had its own hospital facilities for so long. When interstate highways came to Wythe County, they increased the economy as well as the comfort to citizens, with the increase of good restaurants and chain stores that usually locate in larger towns. Through all the changes, Wythe County has retained the small town and rural charm that makes it a place for quality living. It has benefited from forward thinkers who planned well for the future of the community.
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