Independence became the Grayson County seat in 1850 as a compromise after controversy over its location, taking its name from the “independents” who favored a third site. Grayson County is known for its high mountains, including four of Virginia’s five highest, and for a deep musical heritage rooted in small communities such as Rugby, Gold Hill, Fries, and Independence itself. The county also contributed to Civil War history through the Grayson Daredevils, 91 farmers from the Elk Creek community who served as part of the Stonewall Brigade. In the early 1920s, mill hands from Fries on the New River played a pivotal role in starting the commercial country music industry. Independence became an important center of old-time music, home to Wade Ward, a renowned clawhammer banjoist who welcomed more than 1,000 aspiring banjoists, while many local musical families helped shape the heritage of Virginia and the nation. That musical tradition continues through jam sessions, local events, and the broader Crooked Road, Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail, which links southwest Virginia’s historic and contemporary venues, musicians, instrument makers, festivals, concerts, radio shows, and museums devoted to old time mountain music, bluegrass, gospel, and country music.