Founding year: the first Glade Spring post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Glade Spring’s History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Glade Spring is more historic than 82% of U.S. towns. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its National Register listings ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.
A−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Glade Spring’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 Glade Spring’s 103 sits above most of its state (73% of Virginia towns have fewer) while its 22 historic buildings outnumber those of 80% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A−. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±5.2 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 Glade Spring’s past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
The original name of Glade Spring derives from the Indian word Passawatami which means "this is the place". According to early records, near the town is a field where Native American tribes held a type of Olympics in the fall, with athletic competitions, dancing and socializing. The Porterfield family, who arrived about 1760, were some of the earliest permanent settlers.
During its first years, the town was called Glade Spring Depot to differentiate it from the community centered on Glade Spring Presbyterian Church, two miles to the southwest on the old stage road, now U.S. Route 11. The post office was moved from Old Glade to Glade Spring Depot in 1856 due to the arrival of the railroad.
Passages that mention Glade Spring, cut from the printed page as they were published.
History of southwest Virginia, 1746-1786, Washington County, 1777-18701903 · page 689Read the page →
Read the text
The Virginia and Tennessee railroad was completed to this place in the spring of the year 1856. A depot was built, and for a short time was called Passawatamie, but it was changed within a short time to Glade Spring by the request of all the citizens of that community. The name Glade Spring was derived from Glade Spring Presbyterian church, located some distance south of the town.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
History of southwest Virginia, 1746-1786, Washington County, 1777-18701903 · page 690Read the page →
Read the text
By the year 18G1, a considerable village had grown up around the depot at Glade Spring and considerable business was transacted there. This is one town in Southwestern Virginia that escaped the ravages of the Federal forces in 1864-1865, the depot being saved at the request of David (Proctor) Edmondson.
Text read by machine from the scan; it may contain errors.
Scans and text from the Internet Archive. Books published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.
Glade Spring’s post office has been open since 1833.
Hamlets and corners on the map
Clarksville
US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
Questions about Glade Spring’s history
What year was Glade Spring founded?
The Glade Spring post office opened in 1833, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Glade Spring rank for history?
Glade Spring is more historic than 82% 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 Glade Spring?
One place: the Glade Spring Commercial Historic District (listed 2013).
How old are the homes in Glade Spring?
15% of Glade Spring’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±5.2 points), against a typical 1.9% for a Virginia town; the median home was built in 1971.
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), the National Register of Historic Places (1), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and old county and town histories (Internet Archive). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
2008
2006