About Us

Giles County

Giles County was formed in 1806, but its history began much earlier. Native Americans were attracted by the New River and fertile hunting grounds. Later, Scots-Irish immigrants, pushing the borders of the western frontier, settled near the New River as well. The conflicts between the Native Americans and the European settlers are told in the stories of Mary Porter and Mary Draper Ingles. Towns began to form in the early 19^th century creating business centers for a largely rural population.

The Civil War saw Union forces marching through Pearisburg and Newport on their way to and from West Virginia. The Andrew Johnston property, now owned by the Giles County Historical Society, was used as Union headquarters briefly in 1862 by Col. Rutherford B. Hayes and Sgt. William McKinley, both later presidents of the United States. Driving the back roads of Giles County, more evidence of our history is visible from the remnants of mills and iron furnaces, limestone quarries, ferry and bridge crossings, small communities, old farmsteads, and the railroad tracks running on both sides of the New River. Come explore our past and learn about typical small town Virginia!

Giles County Historical Society

In 1987, the Andrew Johnston family heirs deeded the family home built in 1829, a small building built in 1857 which served as a doctor's office, and a modern two-car garage to the Giles County Historical Society. The property was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and an endowment fund was established to restore and preserve the property as a museum. The Historical Museum opened in October 1997 to house the many items of historical interest that present and former county residents had donated. The two car garage was transformed into a Research Room with documents of interest to Giles County historians and genealogists. The Historical Society is currently fundraising to build a barn that will house a visitors' center and items related to Giles County's agricultural history.

Mission