Saltville

Saltville takes its name from the vast salt deposits beneath the valley, and a commercial salt industry began developing there in the 1780s. During the Civil War, it played a vital role in providing salt for the Confederacy. On 2 Oct. 1864 Confederate forces defeated Federal troops, and on 20 Dec. 1864 Union forces led by Maj Gen George Stoneman damaged the saltworks operation. The Mathieson Alkali Works opened there in 1892 and produced a variety of products using salt and other mineral resources from the area. The General Assembly officially incorporated Saltville as a town in 1896.

Saltville, Virginia · United States