Located in the town of Jonesborough (Washington County), this brick antebellum warehouse stands adjacent to the East Tennessee & Virginia Railroad.  During the Civil War, the building provided a guarded location for the storage of salt--a rare and valuable commodity throughout the war years.  In recent years the Salt House has served as an antique shop in Jonesborough's Historic District.

Paul Fink (Washington County Historian) described the history of the Salt House in his Jonesborough: The First Century of Tennessee's First Town (Johnson City: Upper East Office, Tennessee State Planning Commission, 1972),  p.150:
 

Salt, an essential for curing meat for both army and home use, was in short supply in East Tennessee, even if the saltworks at Saltville, Virginia, were not too many miles away.  To ensure a sufficient supply, in January 1864, the county court authorized Henry Hoss, Esq. to purchase $4,500 worth of salt with county funds, and the next month James A. Dillworth was appointed agent for its distribution.  The price set was $15.00 per sack in current bank notes and $30.00 in Confederate money; if at retail, at the rate of $35.00 Confederate.  Later in the year, the price was raised to 25 cents per pound, not to exceed one bushel to any one person.  The salt was stored in the brick warehouse belonging to W. G. Crouch, at the corner of Fox Street and Woodrow Avenue, giving it the name of Salt House, by which it was known for many years after its war use was over.

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Last update: June 16, 2000