The Greater Newport Rural Historic District in Giles County includes 21,000 acres of land defined by mountain ridges and beautiful valley tributaries of the New River. First settled in the late 1700s, the district during the 19th century produced agricultural goods supplemented by mid-century artisan manufacturing in the village of Newport and the establishment of a resort at Mountain Lake. After Union General George Crook’s march through the district following the Civil War Battle of Cloyd’s Mountain in May 1864, the district recovered to sustain commercial centers at Goodwins Ferry on the New River and in Newport. The Dowdy Iron Furnace operated in Sinking Creek east of Newport in the 1870s. 20th century developments featured Depression-era improvements at the resort at Mountain Lake, construction of the University of Virginia Mountain Lake Biological Station, and establishment of the Newport Agricultural Fair. Though subject to recent residential construction for commuters to Virginia Tech and other places of employment along the New River, the Greater Newport Rural Historic District largely retains its rural character and integrity of setting.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Programs
DHR has secured permanent legal protection for over 700 historic places - including 15,000 acres of battlefield lands
DHR has erected 2,532 highway markers in every county and city across Virginia
DHR has registered more than 3,317 individual resources and 613 historic districts
DHR has engaged over 450 students in 3 highway marker contests
DHR has stimulated more than $4.2 billion dollars in private investments related to historic tax credit incentives, revitalizing communities of all sizes throughout Virginia