About

One of Abingdon’s cherished historical sites is the Sinking Spring Cemetery. At the west end of Valley Street, the cemeteryis located on part of a 55-acre tract of rural land acquired by local Presbyterians from Dr. Thomas Walker in 1774. The log church they built on the site was the home of the first established congregation on the frontier west of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Beginning with Henry Creswell who was killed by Native Americans in 1776, about three thousand burials now fill the old churchyard, including two governors, at least nine Revolutionary War veterans and over 800 in the African American section.

Each year during the Festival, members of the Historical Society of Washington County stage guided "Living History" tours at Sinking Spring. Interpreters, many wearing period attire, tell the fascinating stories of some of the cemetery’s permanent residents. The staggered small-group tours take less than an hour on a gravel route; comfortable walking shoes are recommended. This fundraiser for the historical society costs $5 per person and begins at 5 p.m.