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B−History
History · Galax

Galax dates to 1906, and 12% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 46% of U.S. towns · #96 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it

7 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 67 buildings between them. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1922 on, and the census since 1910.

1906founded
7on the National Register
12%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
5famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Galax’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Galax began

When was Galax founded?

1906

Galax dates its founding to 1906 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1910.

First census: 755 in 19102020 census: 6,720120 years

How historic is Galax?

B−

More historic than 46% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Galax’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Galax is more historic than 46% of U.S. towns, #96 of 253 in Virginia. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.

B−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Galax’s overall grade.
Founding era1906, from Wikidata: founded 1900–1944, an older era than 9% of U.S. townsDHomes built before 194011.6% of homes (±4.0) · typical VA town 1.9% · U.S. 8.4%B−National Register7 listings, 76 historic buildings, 113 per 10,000 residents · typical VA town 3.6 · U.S. 2.4A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 46%
NewerOlder
Virginia towns of 2,500+ (253)Ahead of 62%

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 Galax’s 113 sits above most of its state (74% of Virginia towns have fewer) while its 76 historic buildings outnumber those of 88% 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 (±4.0 points). Two sources give 1906.

Founding year: Wikidata (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 Galax’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.A historic districtThe Galax Commericial Historic District takes in 65 historic buildings.Landmarks on the Register7 places on the National Register.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Galax’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Galax’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewKay Kraft Venetian guitar played by Fie…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
On the National Register

7 listings protect 76 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.

places listed
7
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
76
each building in a district counts
first listed
1997
Grayson County Courthouse and Clerk's Office, O…
Grayson County Courthouse and Clerk's Office, OldGordon C. Felts HousePless, A.G., Jr. HouseGalax Commericial Historic DistrictDr. Virgil Cox HouseGalax Commercial Historic DistrictRosenwald-Felts School
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Colonial Revival3
Federal1
Spanish Revival1
Commercial Style1
Classical Revival1
Italian Renaissance Revival1
Grayson County Courthouse and Clerk's Office, OldFederal
Gordon C. Felts HouseSpanish Revival
Pless, A.G., Jr. HouseColonial Revival
Galax Commericial Historic DistrictCommercial Style
Dr. Virgil Cox HouseColonial Revival
Galax Commercial Historic DistrictDistrict
All 7 listings
Rosenwald-Felts SchoolBuilding · listed 2024

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

The story

How Galax came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Galax.

Read it all →

The area that later became Galax was part of an 800-acre (320 ha) land grant given to James Buchanan in 1756 by the British Crown. The first plat map for Galax is dated December 1903; the town founders selected the site for the city on a wide expanse of meadowland bisected by Chestnut Creek and sitting at an altitude of 2,500 feet (760 m) on a plateau. The Virginia General Assembly officially chartered the town of Galax in 1906.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Galax, 1906 to 1985

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 20th century
  2. 1906
    FoundingGalax is established
  3. 1908Born hereBobby Dodd is born here
  4. 1920Born hereJack Kenny Williams is born here
  5. 1933On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1937In the archiveKay Kraft Venetian guitar played by Fields Ward of The Bog Trotters Band, in Galax, Viegi…
  7. 1938Born hereJim Scott is born here
  8. 1985Born hereMary Holland is born here
By decade

Galax, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1930s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1930s2 items
Kay Kraft Venetian guitar played by Fields Ward of The Bog Trotters Band, in Galax, Vieginia in 1937 (clip)1937Kay Kraft Venetian guitar played by Fields Ward of Th…Virginia-stringband-19371937Virginia-stringband-1937
1940s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today16 recent
Molly Tuttle and Shelby Means (1) with Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway - Blue Ridge Music Center - Galax VA - September 0…2022Molly Tuttle and Shelby Means (1) with Molly Tuttle &…Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway - Blue Ridge Music Center - Galax VA - September 03, 20222022Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway - Blue Ridge Music Cent…Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway (1) - Blue Ridge Music Center - Galax VA - September 03, 20222022Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway (1) - Blue Ridge Music …Kyle Tuttle and Molly Tuttle with Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway - Blue Ridge Music Center - Galax VA - September 03, 20…2022Kyle Tuttle and Molly Tuttle with Molly Tuttle & Gold…Dominick Leslie with Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway - Blue Ridge Music Center - Galax VA - September 03, 20222022Dominick Leslie with Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway - …Bronwyn Keith-Hynes with Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway - Blue Ridge Music Center - Galax VA - September 03, 20222022Bronwyn Keith-Hynes with Molly Tuttle & Golden Highwa…Bronwyn Keith-Hynes and Molly Tuttle with Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway - Blue Ridge Music Center - Galax VA - Septembe…2022Bronwyn Keith-Hynes and Molly Tuttle with Molly Tuttl…Bronwyn Keith-Hynes and Kyle Tuttle with Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway - Blue Ridge Music Center - Galax VA - September…2022Bronwyn Keith-Hynes and Kyle Tuttle with Molly Tuttle…Virginia Senate District 20 (2011)2019Virginia Senate District 20 (2011)1988 Jeep Cherokee (XJ) Pioneer Olympic Edition municipal service Galax Virginia 120151988 Jeep Cherokee (XJ) Pioneer Olympic Edition munic…Galax Fiddlers' Convention2013Galax Fiddlers' ConventionBetsy Rutherford2012Betsy RutherfordView of2009View ofGalaxmarker2007GalaxmarkerVAMap-doton-Galax2005VAMap-doton-GalaxGalax, Va2005Galax, Va
On the map

Galax on the map, 1933 to 1984

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Galax. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Galax on the 1933 USGS mapGalax on the 1965 USGS mapGalax on the 1970 USGS mapGalax on the 1984 USGS map1933Galax sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Galax.

Every building

Galax, building by building, 1922

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a sheet.

Galax fire insurance map, 1922, sheet 11922Sheet 1 of 9
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Kay Kraft Venetian guitar played by Fields Ward of The Bog Trotters Band, in Galax, Vieginia in 1937 (clip)
Retake this viewKay Kraft Venetian guitar played by Fields Ward of The Bog Trotters Band, in Galax, Vieginia in 1937 (clip), 1937

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Galax’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Galax, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,5006,0006,5007,0007,500192019401960198020002020Peak: 7,042

Between 755 and 7,042 people in every census since 1910.

12 censuses, 1910–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Galax’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

5 famous people were born in Galax

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
M
Mary HollandAmerican actress · b. 1985
Bobby DoddAmerican football coach and player, college ath… · b. 1908
J
Jim ScottAmerican politician · b. 1938
J
Jack Kenny WilliamsAmerican academic · b. 1920
T
Tim BeamerAmerican former football defensive back · b. 1948
Places that used to be

Old corners, places now gone and burying grounds

Old hamlets and crossroads still carry their names on the map.

Hamlets and corners on the map
CliffviewWest Galax
Gone or out of use
Oak Hill SchoolschoolPoplar Grove Schoolschool
6cemeteries and burying grounds inside Galax
BallardFelts MemorialGalaxGladevilleMonta VistaPainter

Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Galax’s history

What year was Galax founded?

In 1906, according to Wikidata. the census of 1910 counted 755 people here.

How does Galax rank for history?

Galax is more historic than 46% of U.S. towns, #96 of 253 in Virginia. 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 Galax?

7 listings: 5 buildings, among them the Grayson County Courthouse and Clerk's Office, Old (listed 1997, the first), and 2 historic districts, the Galax Commericial Historic District and the Galax Commercial Historic District, with 67 contributing buildings. 76 historic buildings in all.

How old are the homes in Galax?

12% of Galax’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.0 points), against a typical 1.9% for a Virginia town; the median home was built in 1967.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

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 (18), the National Register of Historic Places (7), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.