 Grayson County was formed in 1793 from part of Wythe County and was named for William Grayson, one of Virginia's first two senators. William and Rosamond Bourne came to the Knob Fork area on the New River in 1765. They found eight other families already living here.William Bourne was elected as first Clerk of the County at the first court session held in a log barn located on the Bourne farm near the present town of Fries.
In 1850, the county seat was moved from Old Town in the eastern part of the county to Independence, a more centrally located site. The first courthouse was built in Independence and served until 1904, when it was condemned. A new courthouse was completed by builder E.L.Robbins in 1908. Today, the Historic 1908 Courthouse functions as the art and cultural center of Grayson County.
Isolated by its topography, Grayson saw little action during the Civil War, but after the war, the period of its greatest economic growth and prosperity began. Railroads were built; power dams and sawmill industries created jobs; farmers grew cash crops and livestock. The county's first textile mill was built at Mouth of Wilson by Col. Fields J. McMillan, and Col. F. H. Fries harnessed the power of the New River for a second mill. The most accessible timber and iron ore was depleted before World War I and many of the prosperous boom towns like Fairwood, Troutdale and Whitetop nearly disappeared. Between the two World Wars Grayson people coped with the depression by working the land and enlisting in the Civilian Conservation Corps. About 2500 Graysonites saw service in World War II, but after the war many found work elsewhere.
After a lifetime of working away from the county, many older people came back to retire and enjoy the beauty and splendor of the mountains. Other retirees have "discovered" Grayson County and many people have found its clear air, clean water, low crime rate and friendly people to be the perfect place to raise a family. Grayson County is an ideal spot in which to vacation. With spectacular mountains to hike, crystal clear waters to fish or canoe, wildlife and wildflowers to observe, and festivals which feature local culture and mountain crafts, there is something for everyone in Grayson County.
History of Fries, VA
 The Town of Fries (pronounced "freeze") is located in Grayson County on the north banks of the New River. It is fifteen miles northeast of the county seat of Independence on Route 94.
The town was named for Colonel Francis Fries of Salem, North Carolina. He realized that even though the place was in a remote area, it had great possibilites because of the New River.
After purchasing the land, a special Act of Congress gave permission for a dam to be built at Bartlett Falls on the New River. In April of 1901, a deep cut was made in the mountain ridge. Timber was carted over trails by mule and oxen teams; bricks were made from nearby clay deposits and boulders were quarried from the mountain side. Construction was underway and in a matter of months a great dam, 39 feet high spanned the river and changed the face of the surrounding countryside.
A new town mushroomed. It was named for Colonel Fries and backed by Washington Mills Company. Approximately three hundred houses, a company commissary, post office and other necessary business structures were built for the new population.
In February 1903, the mill was sufficiently built and equipped to start operation. The swiftly moving water turned the big wheel. A new town was born in Southwest Virginia.
The town grew around the mill and although the textile mill ceased operation in 1989, the Town of Fries is a lovely spot. The New River still gushes over the dam and laps at grassy banks and curls around low branches. In 1998, the New River was designated the first American Heritage River and at no other location is it more beautiful.
(Fries History Written by Avery Bond and Martha Nichols)
History of Independence, VA
 The Town of Independence came into being in 1850 as the settlement of a dispute about where to locate the county seat. At that time, a controversy arose between the people of Old Town and people of the Elk Creek area. Each group wanted the County seat in its area. The final decision, made by three commissioners from adjacent counties, was to locate on the site favored by a group of "independents" and to call the town Independence. These commissioners hiked to the top of Point Lookout Mountain and looked down into a grove of trees where 5 streams met and decided that would be the site for the new town.
Independence is located 15 miles west of Galax, 40 miles east of Marion, 29 miles south of Wytheville, and 10 miles north of Sparta, North Carolina. The town provides water, sewer, police, and garbage services.
The population in 1990 was 988. Independence is an incorporated town with a Mayor/Council form of government. Town Council meets the 2nd Tuesday of every month at the Independence Town Council Chambers located at 136 E. Main St.
History of Troutdale, VA
 Troutdale, Grayson's westernmost incorporated town, encompasses a circle within a mile of the town's center. The town imposes no taxes, has no police department and sells no auto decals. Troutdale has a municipal water system that serves 75-80 homes. Law enforcement and garbage collection services are provided by Grayson County.
If you visited back in the 1920s or 30s, you could have ridden the old Marion & Rye Valley Railway , a narrow-gauge logging train that connected with the main railroad line in Marion. The railway company went out of business and pulled up its tracks in 1943. Troutdale was a lumbering "boom town" with a population of 2,800. The town had stores, a railroad depot, an electric power company, a chair factory, a photograph galley, a theater, a couple of hotels, a newspaper and even a soda pop factory.
Troutdale began its decline when the chair and furniture factories lost a big order from the Cuban government in the 1920s. They went bankrupt and both burned. By 1925, the land near Troutdale was timbered out and the lumber companies also closed.
Geneology & History Related LInks
Grayson County Historical Society
The Grayson County Historical Society is committed to preserving the history of Grayson County and asking all who are searching for their Grayson County “roots.” The Society has a vast amount of historical information about Grayson County, the state of Virginia, and surrounding areas. Genealogies, photographs, maps, newspaper articles, Civil War history, marriage certificates, original letters and journals are mount the many reference materials that the Society has available to the public.
A highlight of the Society’s collection is a dress worn by Eleanor Roosevelt to the 1939 Whitetop Music Festival. The dress is currently preserved in an acid-free box. Roger Marshall is constructing a display case to museum-quality standards that will allow the dress to be loaned to other organizations for display.
The Society also publishes a quarterly newsletter that provides its members articles on local historical events and family history, as well as providing updates on the Society’s current activities.
Grayson County Virginia Heritage Foundation
578 E Main St Suite F
Independence, VA 24348
(276) 773-2126
We have an extensive collection of research support materials including funeral home cards, obituaries, previously researched family histories,
marriage records, cemetery records and published family's histories. We have a special collection of group sheets for black families in the county
which have been abstracted from census, marriage; death and cemetery data.
The Foundation supports research with office hours of 10 AM - 4 PM on Thursday and Friday (May-September). During the rest of the year the office
is normally open from 10 AM-4PM on Fridays.
Appointments are available for research at other times by emailing research_support@graysonheritage.org or by calling 276-233-2039 or
276-676-3654.
The office is in the Guynn Shopping Center Mini-Mall on East Main Street in Independence, Virginia.
Virginia Historical Marker Guide
This guide provides residents and visitors to Grayson County with a backdrop of local history as memorialized in the fifteen Virginia historical markers located in the county.
To access the site with information about all of Grayson County's Historical Markers go to
|