Located in downtown Abingdon, Virginia, the
Historical Society of Washington County, Virginia (HSWCV) is headquartered on Main Street. Since its founding in 1936 the Society has grown from a small collection housed in founders' homes into one of the finest small historical and genealogical research facilities in Virginia. The Society has achieved this reputation through the depth of our holdings and the ability to make information easily searchable and available to visiting researchers. We have a reference library of over 7,000 volumes, and searchable databases of over one million indexed records (the index is available on this site), and over 180,000 digital images of photographs and historical documents. The Society also owns many rare artifacts pertaining to the history of the county. Our Vision is to be an educational resource and community leader committed to collecting, preserving and sharing the records of people, places and events, so that future generations may find common interest and knowledge in the unique heritage of our County and surrounding region. We encourage you to visit us, either in person or online, and find your Southwest Virginia roots.
In addition to using our website, the Society also maintains a YouTube page and a Facebook group. So if you get a chance, drop in on our
HSWCV YouTube page.
Also visit our
HSWCV Facebook group. Keep up with what's going on with the Society and share research with other members on our Facebook group page. Just click on the Facebook icon to log in to Facebook and go straight to our group page. Anyone can read the posts, but to be able to reply, ask to join the group. You will be added to the group list within a day or two. We currently have
over 10,000 members so there are lots of possible undiscovered cousins out there!
Donate. Most of our staff are volunteers. We derive funding from memberships, donations and store sales. Monies received are used to meet library operating expenses and for the preservation of our regional history. Your donation supports our mission to collect and preserve the history of Washington County, Virginia. Please give what you can. Any contribution will be greatly appreciated.
Visit Us. So whether you would like to volunteer, become a member, or just visit as you are passing through town, we would love to hear from you. Feel free to browse or search our website and, if you can, come by and see us. Oh, and leave a review at TRIP ADVISOR by clicking the link on the right. The feedback will help us improve the services we provide to visitors. We make sure to read each review so tell us how your feel about your visit.