[6] According to early records, near the town is a field where Native American tribes held a type of Olympics in the fall, with athletic competitions, dancing and socializing.

The Civil War slowed its growth, and local men made up a military unit called The Glade Spring Rifles.

Federal and Confederate troops passed through the town several times, and cannon emplacements can still be seen just outside Glade Spring on the road to Saltville.

With the railroad access, Glade Spring turned into a prime shipping yard for produce, livestock and other local goods.

By the time Glade Spring was incorporated in 1875, there were 31 houses (three were brick), six stores, two hotels, and a Masonic Hall.

In the early morning hours of April 28, 2011, an EF-3 tornado hit parts of the Glade Spring area, killing three people and injuring 50 others.

[7][8][9] The system that hit Glade Spring was part of the 2011 Super Outbreak that caused hundreds of deaths and widespread damage all across the South.

[11] According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.3 square miles (3.3 km2), all of it land.