Chilhowie

Chilhowie is a Virginia historical marker in Smyth County, dedicated 2000.

Smyth County · dedicated 2000 · Rte. 11, just west of Whitetop Road

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About 1748, Col. James Patton patented land here and reportedly hoped this site would one day become a town. The region became known as Town House for a house known by this name that stood nearby. By the Revolutionary War, a settlement of the same name began to develop around the house. In 1856, the Virginia and Tennessee Railroad arrived and the settlement was renamed Greever's Switch for a local resident. The community's name was changed to Chilhowie in the late 1880s at the suggestion of George Palmer. Chilhowie is believed to be an Indian word meaning either "home of many deer" or "valley of many deer." The town was incorporated in 1913.

TodayHistorical map

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David Rumsey Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

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under a mile from where William Gabby lived in the 1760s

what this marker records spans 1777 to 1789, overlapping William Gabby's years here

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Chilhowie

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