Located in Washington County, Virginia, just 133 miles southwest of Roanoke, the rural Appalachian Town of Abingdon shines like a beacon to those who play bluegrass music and those who love to listen to it. Located on the Crooked Road, Virginia’s music heritage trail, Abingdon has many historically significant sites and a thriving fine arts and crafts scene in addition to the music. Just drive down Main Street, and you’ll see a plethora of art galleries and museums to explore.
Quite possibly, Abingdon’s biggest cheerleader, Tonya Triplett, serves as the town’s economic development and tourism director. “Abingdon has always been a center of commerce and trade,” says Tonya. “And this was the place people came to have their wagons repaired.” Of course, people liked to be entertained while they were in town.
The epicenter of the town’s cultural offerings is the Barter Theatre, named after how patrons paid for the shows they attended. “People bartered livestock, vegetables, and other commodities in exchange for watching a show,” Tonya explains. “Four out of five theatergoers paid their way with vegetables, dairy products, and livestock. Often, the performers ate better while on the road than they did in their own homes. They called it ‘Ham for Hamlet.’ The first year the theatre was open, it only cleared $4.35 cash, but the actors had a collective weight gain of over 300 pounds.”
The theatre opened during the Great Depression in 1933, celebrating its 90th season last year. It has become an economic driver in the town, drawing audiences from a wide regional area and employing actors, stagehands, and craftspeople from the local community. The Barter Theatre has an interesting history. The earliest theatrical event known to be performed at the theatre was a production of The Virginian in 1876. The proceeds of the show were used to repair the facility. The Sons of Temperance transferred the building’s title to the Town of Abingdon in 1890 to be utilized as a town hall. The building did double duty as a fire hall, and until 1994, a fire alarm was positioned on the roof of the Barter Theatre. If the siren sounded during a performance, actors would freeze in position on stage until the alarm ended, then they would resume the show.
Many of the lavish interior furnishings in the theatre were salvaged from the Empire Theatre, built in 1875 in New York City, before its destruction. Over $75,000 seats, lighting fixtures, carpeting, paintings, and tapestries were salvaged. The lighting system from the Empire, designed and installed by Thomas Edison, was used at the Barter Theatre through the mid-1970s.
In 1946, the Barter Theatre was designated as The State Theatre of Virginia, making it the first professional theatre to attain such a status. The theatre claims some famous alumni, including Gregory Peck and Earnest Borgnine. The Earnest Borgnine Award is presented to the best new actor of each season. Actress Patricia Neal is another alum, and she helped establish Barter’s Day of the Woman, where the Patricia Neal Scholarship is awarded to Barter acting interns.
The annual Appalachian Festival of Plays and Playwrights offers regional writers an opportunity to work with actors and directors to fine-tune their plays. Nick Piper, Barter’s artistic director of the festival, says audiences love to hear new stories. At least one of the plays will eventually have a full production at the theatre. “One of the stories from the festival was about the Carter family, called Keep on the Sunny Side,” Tonya says. “It was written by a local dentist.”
Music is an essential part of Abingdon’s make-up as well. The town of just over 8,000 is wedged into the westernmost tip of Virginia, centered between West Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and North Carolina, where bluegrass traditions are perhaps the strongest. Each year, the Town of Abingdon is home to music festivals, camps, and workshops from March through September.
The Bluegrass Jam Camp was held March 15 through 17 at the Jubilee House Retreat Center in Abingdon. Students attending the popular camp were taught the Wernick Method by Gilbert Nelson.
The third annual Fiddlin’ at the Fairgrounds event, hosted by Tim White, will be held June 21 through 23 at the Washington County Fairgrounds. There will be an old-time Gospel and bluegrass competition, with $8.500 in prizes. The winning bluegrass band will receive a one-day recording session at Billy Blue Records. Campers are welcome. Pre-festival events will be held in the area June 16-20. “Events are spread all over the county,” says Tonya. “It’s grown larger than we ever imagined.”
The Southwest Virginia Higher Ed Center will be the site of the Monroe Mandolin Camp from September 4 through 8. “Participants come in from all over the world for this event,” says Tonya. In its eleventh year, the theme this year is “The Old Lonesome Sound of the 70s and 80s. The camp promises world-class instructors who understand music, culture, folklore stories, and traditions that make up original, traditional bluegrass. There will be over one hundred classes for mandolin, fiddle, banjo, guitar, upright bass, harmony singing, and songwriting. There will also be special guests, presentations, and activities.
Lodging options are abundant in and around Abingdon, from chain hotels to vacation rentals available through popular booking sites. Perhaps the most interesting place to stay is the historic Martha Washington Inn and Spa, built in 1832 as a private residence for General Francis Preston. The father of nine children, Preston built the home as a place where he could retire with his family after his successes in the War of 1812. The residence was sold for $21,000 in 1858 and converted into an upscale college for women for the next 70 years. It was named after the nation’s first-ever first lady, Martha Washington. During the Civil War, the college was used as a makeshift hospital, and the students served as nurses to wounded soldiers from both sides.
“Abingdon is also on the Virginia Creeper Trail.” Says Tonya. Stretching 34.3 miles, the Virginia Creeper National Recreation Trail is a rail-to-recreation trail that traverses two counties from Abingdon through Damascus and ends in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area along the Virginia-North Carolina border. “We want to invite everyone to come visit us in Abingdon,” says Tonya. “We have a little of everything.”
Feature photo by Jason Barnette