Abingdon, VA - Here's the Robert E. Lee Motel in Abingdon, VA. The sign even has a profile of General Lee. This motel was once of the first three places in the country where Kentucky Fried Chicken could be purchased. 03-06
Robert E, Lee Motel (Demolished)
Abingdon, VA Photo courtesy Tony Craig
The towering sign at Robert E. Lee Motel gave motorists along Lee Highway a landmark worth remembering. Featuring General Lee's profile and neon lettering, the approximately thirty-five-foot display stood above a motel built in the early 1940s between Abingdon and Bristol. 03-06
The upstairs restaurant had an unexpected connection to Colonel Sanders, serving Kentucky Fried Chicken during the brand's earliest years. A surviving menu advertised a generous portion for two dollars. The motel later deteriorated, and county officials declared the building a public health and safety concern before its demolition on October 12, 2009.
UPDATE: The Robert E. Lee Motel on Lee Highway was approved for demolition by the Washington County Board of Supervisors on April 15, citing the reason as threat to public health and safety. The Board also requested that the County Administrator look into saving the historic sign. 05-09
UPDATE: The Robert E. Lee Motel was demolished on October 12, 2009. 05-13
UPDATE : The Robert E. Lee Motel sign was rescued and repainted. No neon any more though. Many thanks to Tony Craig for photos and update. 06-14
UPDATE: Ron Counts rescued the sign and relocated it to nearby RC's Storage. Repainted in turquoise and white using historical references, it was displayed there by 2010 and remains documented into 2026. The neon is gone, but the landmark survived beyond the motel it once advertised. 11-26
Robert E, Lee Motel (Demolished)
