Saltville, Virginia, is on the WAshington County/Smyth County line. Saltville is in the Smyth County side, but I think (?) the county line used to be positioned is a way that included Saltville in the Washington County side. Salt was pumped from underground deposits by injecting water to dissolve the salts deposits. The water was then pumped back out and boiled to dry and produce salt, thus "salt works" King was the name of a man who owned the "Works" at one time. The Confederate States relied on the the salt from this area for food preservation and medicine,among other things, with each state having it's own "kettle" for boiling the salt water. The following abstracted from WILLIAM KENT's book, A History of Saltville, 1955, 1991: page 23 "Man, better equipped to cope with the primeval conditions, began to industrialize the valley in a big way, producing com- mercial salt crYstals. One of the early pioneers of salt manu- facture in the valley was a young man by the name of William King, whom the Masonic Lodge (William King No. 227, A. F & A.M.) honors by perpetuating his name. Competition began to develop when 150 acres at the upper end of the valley were patented to Evan Lee. He sold to James Crabtree, who sold it to John Musgroves, and in 1795 Musgroves sold the original tract to William King (the Elder) for five hundred pounds sterling. King dug a well about fifty yards beyond "the old store," and in 1799 struck salt water at two hundred feet." Jane A Virginian living in Florida (former Saltvillian) More of the book to follow if anyone is interested.....