Most of Chilhowie was built recently: 7% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1973. 4 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 11 buildings. Below: maps from 1935 on and the census since 1920.
The Chilhowie post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name. Another post office, Town House (1850), opened inside today’s town and later closed.
First census: 572 in 19202020 census: 1,654138 years
How historic is Chilhowie?
B−
More historic than 50% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.
Founding year: the first Chilhowie post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Chilhowie’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Chilhowie is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Chilhowie’s overall grade.
Virginia towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Virginia town has 3.6 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Chilhowie’s 70.0 sits above most of its state (69% of Virginia towns have fewer) while its 17 historic buildings outnumber those of 79% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C to B. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±3.3 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Chilhowie’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Chilhowie was often the starting point of longhunter expeditions in the 1700s. In 1748 the area was visited by Colonel James Patton and Dr. Thomas Walker. They constructed a small fort, likely just a blockhouse. An early settler was Samuel Stalnaker (1715-1769) who converted Patton's fort into a tavern known as the Town House, and lived there until the late 1760s. The town sustained severe damage from an EF-2 tornado during the 2011 Super Outbreak.
A.C. Beatie House, H.L. Bonham House, Chilhowie Methodist Episcopal Church, and the Downtown Chilhowie Historic District are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Lost post offices, old corners and burying grounds
Chilhowie’s post office has been open since 1888. Another post office, Town House, opened and closed inside today’s town.
Town House
1850–1889
Chilhowie
1888–today
18501940today
Hamlets and corners on the map
Sulphur Springs Heights
3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Chilhowie
BeatieGreeverSulphur Spring
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Chilhowie’s history
What year was Chilhowie founded?
The Chilhowie post office opened in 1888, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Chilhowie rank for history?
Chilhowie is more historic than 50% of U.S. towns. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Chilhowie?
4 listings: 3 buildings, among them the Chilhowie Methodist Episcopal Church (listed 1991, the first), and 1 historic district, the Downtown Chilhowie Historic District, with 11 contributing buildings. 17 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Chilhowie?
7% of Chilhowie’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±3.3 points), against a typical 1.9% for a Virginia town; the median home was built in 1973.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (2), Wikidata (4), the National Register of Historic Places (4), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
2013
2008
