* Learn of Abingdon's First Family, Gen. Francis
Preston and his lovely young bride Sarah, whose summer
home is now one of Abingdon's most well-known
landmarks. During their stays in what was once one of
the most elegant homes in Southwest Virginia, friends
and acquaintances would pay their respects and relate
stories they were hearing. One of these visitors was
Mrs. Henegar, an old woman with a peculiar malady and
a more serious reputation......
* Revisit the scene and decide for yourself: was James
Wyatt's death a battle fatality or murder? Hear the
incidents leading up to the historic events of
December 14, 1864, the description of one of
Abingdon's most fiery tragedies, and the mysterious
fate of one of the primary witnesses.
* Stand in front of the county's oldest business and
learn about one of its owners, Woodrum Wood Lyon.
His dedication to the business appears to have been so
complete he couldn't let go... And he's been dead for
nearly 50 years!
* Visit the oldest---and most haunted---building in
Abingdon, The Tavern, built in 1779. (Former Gov.
Campbell wrote in his memoirs that his first memory of
Abingdon was that it was a town made up of five
buildings---and three of them were taverns! This was
one of the buildings to which he was referring!) Hear
tales of the various ghostly spectres abiding under
the eaves, especially the most precocious and active
ghost whom we call The Tavern Tart.
All of the stories and many more make Abingdon's
Spirit Tour a thrilling stroll through history and the
paranormal.
