History · Wise

Wise’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Wise. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

1874established
0old images & papers
6recent photos

The story so far

from Wikipedia & the U.S. Census

Wise is a town in Wise County, Virginia. The population was 2,970 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Wise County. It was originally incorporated as the town of Gladeville in 1874. The town's name was changed to Wise in 1924, after Henry A. Wise, the last Virginia governor before the American Civil War and the first governor to hail from the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The town is also the home of the University of Virginia's College at Wise.

Wise was established in 1874. Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses its population fell from 3,286 to 2,971 (-10%). Half of its homes were built before 1982.

Wikipedia doesn’t have a history of Wise yet — the old photos, dates and memories neighbors add here are how it gets written.

Intro from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Population and housing: U.S. Census Bureau.

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The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Wise’s history is told.

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Famous people from Wise

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By decade

Wise, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
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Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history

From Wikimedia Commons (6). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01