Wythe County was officially formed by the Virginia General Assembly in 1790.  The town was originally named Evansham, in honor of a prominent county citizen, Jesse Evans.  The town trustees officially changed the name to Wytheville in 1839.  Wytheville has always been a crossroads of early transportation and became a supply center and stopping point for early settlers heading to the western frontier.  Click here for a map of Wythe County

Blessed with natural mineral spas and a moderate mountain climate, the county became a summer resort for families seeking to escape the heat and disease of the summers in the deep south.

During the Civil War there were four major skirmishes in Wythe County.  Many homes and businesses were destroyed in these battles.  Wytheville's history includes:  The "first female American President", Edith Bolling Wilson; Virginia Govenor, E. Lee Trinkle and Col. Robert Enoch Withers.  Confederate Generals James Walker and William Terry practiced law in Wytheville and are buried in the historic East End Cemetary.  Learn more of Wythe County's rich cultural heritage with a visit to The Haller-Gibboney Rock House, The Thomas J. Boyd Museum and the Edith Bolling Wilson Birthplace Foundation and Museum.

Wythe County is surrounded by the beautiful mountains of the Blue Ridge and offers an abundance of outdoor recreational opportunities.  Hiking on the numerous mountain trails will provide visitors with the opportunity to see breathtaking forest and foliage in many relatively untouched areas.  You may spy a family of deer enjoying breakfast, or see rabbits and squirrels scampering through the leaves.  A variety of recreational activities await visitors from hiking, camping, fishing, horseback riding...all within convenient distance to numerous restaurants, motels, campgrounds and attractions!

Wythe County is represented on the Virginia Historical Marker Guide that provides residents and visitors to Wythe County with a backdrop of local history as memorialized in the twenty-three (23) Virginia historical markers located in the county. To view the guide, click here.