Excavations at the SV-2 archaeological site in the area have recovered several well preserved skeletons of now extinct species dating back to the last ice age.

Archaeologists in 1992 proposed the existence of a prehistoric "Saltville Complex Petty Chiefdom", with a paramount village located at the Northwood High School site, 44SM8.

They reported "Saltville style gorgets" as well as iron and copper materials, scattered across the region.

[6] During the spring of 1567, Spanish conquistador Hernando Moyano de Morales led a force of 15-20 soldiers northward from Fort San Juan in Joara, a city in what is now western North Carolina.

Following the battle a number of wounded black troops were murdered in what was dubbed the "Saltville Massacre."

Two months later General George Stoneman, a Union cavalry commander, led a second attack on the saltworks (known as the Second Battle of Saltville).

[12] Saltville was the location of the infamous "Muck Dam" break on December 24, 1924, which allowed the release of a huge volume of liquid chemical waste (stored there by the Mathieson Alkali Company) into the north fork of the Holston River taking the lives of nineteen people who lived along the river.

The salt caverns in Saltville, Virginia are used for natural gas storage, the only one to serve the Mid-Atlantic states.

The cavern type in Saltville is considered the best for this purpose because the gas can be injected and removed quickly to meet immediate demand.

[22] Saltville's current mayor is C. Todd Young,[23] who took office in 2014 when he polled nearly 64 percent of all ballots cast.