Historical Markers
People using rifles near trees - civil war sites

Self-guided · County in Virginia

Civil War Sites in Wise County, VA

Battlefields, forts, earthworks, hospitals and homes touched by the Civil War, listed with the record behind each, including the parts that are hard to read.

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Photo: Scott Umstattd on Unsplash

Every region holds some piece of the country's story. Wise County is one of 134 counties in Virginia. The markers and register listings are where those pieces are written down, and the closest ones to Wise County, VA are listed below.

Civil war reenactment with soldiers and a burning building - civil war sites
Photo: Vít Luštinec on Unsplash
Group of men holding hunting gun and flag - civil war sites
Photo: Jen Theodore on Unsplash
Soldiers waving flag in battlefield - civil war sites
Photo: Jen Theodore on Unsplash

On the record near Wise County, VA

The 12 nearest

12 listed sites on the record match civil war sites within 120 miles of Wise County, VA, out of 31 listed sites of every kind within 25 miles. 16 listed sites carry Wise County as their county.

  1. Killgore Fort House18 miles from the center of Wise County · Building · Nickelsville · listed 1972National Register of Historic Places
  2. Mauris-Earnest Fort House52 miles from the center of Wise County · Building · Chuckey · listed 1978National Register of Historic Places
  3. Fort Gay High School80 miles from the center of Wise County · Building · Fort Gay · listed 2017National Register of Historic Places
  4. Fort Defiance89 miles from the center of Wise County · Building · Lenoir · listed 1970National Register of Historic Places
  5. Old Fort Commercial Historic District94 miles from the center of Wise County · District · Old Fort · listed 2011National Register of Historic Places
  6. Bethel Confederate Cemetery and Winstead Cottage99 miles from the center of Wise County · District · Knoxville · listed 2015National Register of Historic Places
  7. Fort Anderson on Militia Hill100 miles from the center of Wise County · Site · Rocky Top (formerly Lake City) · listed 2011National Register of Historic Places
  8. Confederate Monument in Owingsville104 miles from the center of Wise County · Object · Owingsville · listed 1997National Register of Historic Places
  9. Confederate Monument of Mt. Sterling105 miles from the center of Wise County · Object · Mt. Sterling · listed 1997National Register of Historic Places
  10. Confederate Monument at Crab Orchard110 miles from the center of Wise County · Object · Crab Orchard · listed 1997National Register of Historic Places
  11. Battle of Dutton's Hill Monument111 miles from the center of Wise County · Object · Somerset · listed 1997National Register of Historic Places
  12. Confederate Mass Grave Monument in Somerset118 miles from the center of Wise County · Object · Somerset · listed 1997National Register of Historic Places

Distances are straight-line from the center of Wise County, VA. Many sites are private property or working buildings - view them from the public way. See them on the map.

Civil War Sites in Wise County, step by step

  1. 1

    Read the short history of the period for this area

  2. 2

    Open the map filtered to the sites from that chapter

  3. 3

    Visit the nearest site and read its full record

  4. 4

    Ask what the marker leaves out and look for the rest

  5. 5

    Add the site to a route that follows the period in order

What people in Wise County, VA ask first

How much does it cost to visit these sites in Wise County, VA?

Most listed sites can be seen from a public road or sidewalk at no cost, and the app is free to use. Some sites are private homes, working churches or museums with their own hours and fees. The record for each one says what it is, so you know before you go.

Where does the information on these sites come from?

From published records: the National Register of Historic Places, the Recorded Texas Historic Landmark program, and the Georgia Historical Society and Georgia Department of Natural Resources marker program. Every site on the page names its source.

Are the hard parts of this history included?

Yes. The record is shown as published, and the stories behind the markers include what happened, who it happened to, and how it was remembered. Leaving the hard parts out would make the stop less worth the trip.

Why are there so many of these sites near Wise County, VA?

Most areas have more than people expect, because the registers list every surviving building and site tied to a period, not just the famous ones. The list on this page shows exactly what is on the record nearby.

How a visit works in Wise County

  1. Step 1

    Find the place

    Every stop starts as a pin with real coordinates. In Wise County, VA the map shows what is listed around you and how far each one is, so the first decision is where to go, and it takes a few seconds.

  2. Step 2

    Read the story

    The record behind each marker is kept whole: what happened there, when, who was involved, and why it was worth a sign. You read it standing where it happened, which is the part a textbook cannot give you.

  3. Step 3

    Get there under your own power

    Walk it, run it, hike it, ride it or drive it. Stops in Wise County, VA are chained into routes that fit the way you move, so a lunch break, a long run or a Saturday drive can all pass through history.

  4. Step 4

    Collect it and come back

    Each stop you reach counts toward a badge, and a photo or a correction you send makes the record better for the next person. The map remembers where you have been, so the next trip starts where the last one ended.

The rules that make it work

The record comes first

Every site on these pages comes from a published register or marker program, with its source named. Nothing is listed that is not on the record.

Read the whole story

A marker is a few lines on a post. The story behind it is longer, and it includes the hard parts. Both are worth the stop.

Movement makes it stick

People remember the places they walked to. A route through five markers teaches more than fifty marker pages read on a couch.

Local beats famous

The marker two streets over usually has a better story than the one in the guidebook, and nobody else is standing in front of it.

Respect the ground

Many sites are private homes, working churches or cemeteries. View from the public way, follow posted hours, and leave it as you found it.

Every visitor can improve it

Markers go missing, get moved, or carry mistakes. A photo or a location fix from the person standing there is how the record stays right.

More ways in around Wise County, VA

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Civil War Sites near Wise County

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