Saltville, Virginia! King-Stuart House, Battlefield, Downtown, etc

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The King-Stuart House in Saltville, Virginia, where JEB Stuart's wife lived following his death. This historic log cabin was built around 1795 by Irish immigrant William King, an early commercial salt producer in the region. In 1856, William Alexander Stuart, brother of Confederate General J.E.B. Stuart, purchased the property. (most photos taken Oct 2024, RJ)
After J.E.B. Stuart’s death at the Battle of Yellow Tavern in 1864, his widow, Flora Cooke Stuart, moved to the house with her two young children, (James Ewell Brown Stuart Jr. and Virginia Pelham Stuart), to live with William Alexander Stuart and his family. Flora, honoring her husband’s wish to raise their children in the South, resided in the King-Stuart House for about a decade and opened a school there with her sister-in-law, Mary Stuart Headen, to support herself and educate her children.
Two major battles occurred in Saltville, Virginia. During the First Battle of Saltville (October 2, 1864), Confederate forces defeated a much larger Union force to save the town from capture. During the 2nd Battle of Saltville (December 20–21, 1864) the extremely outnumbered home Confederate troops (as few as 500) were overwhelmed by as many as 6,000 Union troops forcing the Stuart family to flee as the Union sought to destroy the town’s vital salt works, known as the “salt capital of the Confederacy.”
The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Virginia Landmarks Registry, reflecting its historical significance. In 1999, descendants of William Alexander Stuart donated the property to the Museum of Middle Appalachians.
Flora Stuart’s time in Saltville was marked by resilience. Widowed at 28, nearly penniless, and estranged from her Union-loyal father, Philip St. George Cooke, she faced significant hardship. She later moved to Staunton, Virginia, in 1878, where she taught at a Methodist school and became principal of the Virginia Female Institute (later renamed Stuart Hall in her honor) from 1880 to 1899. The King-Stuart House remains a tangible link to Flora’s post-war life and the broader history of Saltville during the War.
#csa #dixie #southern #saltvilleva #south #dixieland


King-Stuart House...



Saltville, VA Welcome Signs...


Saltville, VA Battlefield overlook...



Downtown Saltville, Virginia...

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