Blacksburg, Virginia Downtown History Walking Tour

Entries on This Tour

1. Blacksburg Motor Company Building (Stop C)

Brothers Robert and Mason Heavener, from a significant Montgomery County family, built the Blacksburg Motor Company and opened a shop at this 400 South Main Street location in 1924. The company was at the forefront of the transition to automotive transportation in Blacksburg. The building was damaged by fire in 1933, but despite the Great Depression, the company was able to quickly rebuild. The rehabilitated structure took on elements of the art deco style. For the rest of the twentieth century, the building served as a variety of automotive businesses. The city of Blacksburg purchased the building in 2007, undertook an environmentally-conscious historic rehabilitation of the building, and added a historic marker telling the history of the Blacksburg Motor Company.

2. Huckleberry Depot and Trail; Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library

The Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library (MFRL) is a public library offering resources and services in order to provide an enriching learning environment for residents of the local community. It is located on the former site of the Blacksburg's first train depot, a simple wooden structure that no longer stands. The Huckleberry Line, hauling coal and eventually transporting passengers, ran near this spot from the mid-1800s until the 1950s. After the line's closure the faculty of the horticulture department at Virginia Tech converted it into an eight-mile trail. Reflecting the history of this location, the library was designed to resemble a train depot when it was renovated in 1996.

3. Phillips-Ronald House

The Philips-Ronald House is a historic home within the original sixteen squares of Blacksburg. It is also known as the Carrington Lybrook House and Five Chimneys House. Built between 1851 and 1852, the one-story brick dwelling is distinguished by the multiple eponymous chimneys. A contributing frame garage dating to the 1930s is also on the property, which is listed on both the Virginia Landmarks Registry and the National Register of Historic Places.

4. Alexander Black House & Cultural Center

The Alexander Black House & Cultural Center is a museum, gallery, and meeting facility operated by the Blacksburg Museum & Cultural Center. The historic home was constructed in 1897. It was once the residence of Alexander Black—a descendent of William Black, whose land was used to establish the town of Blacksburg, Virginia. In 2002, the Queen Anne Victorian style home was relocated to its current location on Draper Road. It was moved in order to prevent its destruction during development activity on Main Street.

5. Old Armory/Armory Gallery of Art

Built by the Works Progress Administration in 1936 during the Great Depression as a National Guard Armory, Blackburn's armory has served as a place for military training, a high school auditorium, community function venue, and a public gymnasium over the past several decades. For a time Virginia Tech and the town of Blacksburg jointly owned the building, but it is now owned solely by the university, which renovated it in 2007 as part of an Arts Initiative. Today, the building is home to one of Virginia Tech's art galleries and features exhibits drawn from the work of students, faculty, and area artists.

6. Cabo Fish Taco (1st Presbyterian) (Stop E)

Located at the intersection of Lee and Main streets in Blacksburg, Virginia is a historic structure dating back to 1847. Originally a Presbyterian church, it is the oldest surviving building on Main Street. The majority of the town's early residences were Presbyterians or Methodists. Congregations from these denominations built a number of churches in Blacksburg, including this example which was shared by both. Built of brick for a cost of $1,500, there were once two entrances (one for men and another for women). Today, the building houses a restaurant which serves Baja-style Mexican cuisine and cocktails.

7. Main Street

In the middle of what is now Main Street was one of the first buildings on the campus of the institution now known as Virginia Tech. The street curved around the structure and this building pattern is still visible where College Avenue crosses Main. At the highest point along this road is Blacksburg United Methodist. Main Street once ended in a T-intersection. This street is pedestrian-friendly and is home to restaurants, many of which offer live music; particularly popular are the weekly jam sessions at Market Square Park. Points of interest along Main Street include the Lyric Theater (built 1922/1934) and the Blacksburg Post Office.

8. Church Street (Stop F)

Church Street was perhaps intended to serve as Blacksburg's main street. This road terminates in T-intersections on either end. Like other T-intersections in Blacksburg, buildings are situated at the end of those on Church Street. At the intersection between Church and Jackson is the Old Town Hall. The intersection between Church and Clay Street is the site of the old Blacksburg Middle School. In the 1800s, Church Street would have been the location of a mixture of residences, hotels, stores, and student housing. Points of interest along Church Street include Christ Episcopal Church (built 1875-79) and the Blacksburg United Methodist Church (built 1906).

9. First Church of God (Third Presbyterian Church)

The Third Presbyterian Church, now the Blacksburg First Church of God, was constructed in 1904. It was sold to the First Church of God in 1959 after a fire destroyed their original church building on the corner of Draper and Roanoke Streets (today the site of a 7-11) in 1958. The building is within Blacksburg's original sixteen squares and is distinguishable by Tiffany stained glass windows. Presently, the Presbyterians worship at sanctuary on Eakin Street that houses one of the largest congregations in town.

10. Blacksburg Jewish Community Center

The Jewish community in Blacksburg began to develop during the late 1960s owing to the growth of the university. By 1976, the small community had organized an informal, non-denominal congregation. They soon began searching for a building in which to offer services, ideally one which was within walking distance of Virginia Tech and located near the center of Blacksburg. The structure at the intersection of Roanoke and Church Street was constructed in 1903 as a Baptist Church. It was purchased and renovated by Blacksburg's Jewish families in 1979. Today, it houses the Blacksburg Jewish Community Center (BJCC), a lay-led unaffiliated synagogue that offers a wide range of Jewish activities.

11. Christ Episcopal Church

Located in Blacksburg, Virginia, Christ Episcopal Church was built as part of missionary efforts to establish Episcopal churches west of the Blue Ridge Mountains during the mid-1800s. This particular church was founded in 1858, though the outbreak of the Civil War delayed construction on the edifice until circa 1874. The building has seen a number of additions over the years, including a 1934 bell tower erected under the supervision of noted collegiate and ecclesiastical architect, Ralph Adams Cram. Christ Church is a contributing structure within the Blacksburg Historic District.

12. Old Town Hall

The Old Town Hall in Blacksburg, Virginia is a historic structure dating back to the 1920s. It was constructed on the site of a log house owned by William Black (for whom Blacksburg is named). The structure was originally built to be a general store. Prior to the 1960s, it housed all the government offices for the town.

13. Smith-Montgomery House (Andy Croy House) (Stop Q)

The Smith-Montgomery House located at 103 South Penn Street is a historic home within Blacksburg's original sixteen squares. It was built by Adam Croy, whose family owned many lots on the blocks between Jackson and Lee during the 1800s. According to local tradition, the home was moved across the street from its original location after its purchase by a Dr. Philips. Neither the date nor the reason for the relocation are known.

14. St. Paul AME Church (Stop R)

St. Paul AME has served its primarily African-American congregation in Blacksburg since the Civil War era. The congregation of mostly former slaves built their first church building in the late 1870s or early 1880s at the site of the current building. The current chapel was constructed in 1901 and is still in use today. During this era, African Americans were building churches throughout the nation. Despite the racial tensions that necessitated the creation of separate institutions, Black churches and schools served as foundations for African American communities following the Civil War.

15. Price House & Garden Park (Stop N)

Price House is a historic home on the northeast edge of Blacksburg's original 16 squares. The two-story log and frame house was constructed in the 1840s for James Kent and valued at $300. Thomas N. Conrad, the third president of Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College, resided at this location in the 1870s. Today, the Price House serves as the headquarters for SEEDS, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting interest in the region's ecology and culture.

16. Lee Street

The southwestern end of Lee Street terminates in a T-intersection and, like other examples in Blacksburg's original sixteen squares, there is a building facing the intersection. The highest point within these bounds is located where Lee Street and Wharton Street meet. This spot can be seen from Main Street. Points of interest on Lee Street include Cabo Fish Taco (originally the Blacksburg Presbyterian Church #1 built in 1847) on the north corner of Church and Lee, as well as a number of historic homes dating to the early 1900s.

17. Spout Spring House (Stop K)

The Spout Spring House is a well-preserved parlor house located within Blacksburg's original 16 blocks. The two-story, three-bay structure was constructed in the 1840s and is a contributing structure in the Blacksburg Historic District. It was first owned by a saddlemaker who built his home next to Spout Spring for easy access to water. At the rear of the structure, towards the east, is a 19th-Century meat house.

This Tour is a Walking Tour.

Blacksburg, Virginia Downtown History Walking Tour

Created by Angelica Garcia on March 8th 2017, 3:06:05 pm.

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Take a self-guided walking tour featuring the fascinating historic sites at the heart of Blacksburg, Virginia. Blacksburg was officially established on January 13, 1798. A year earlier, William Black laid out a 16-block grid of streets and lots on a portion of the land he inherited from his father, Samuel Black. Present-day Draper Road, Jackson Street, Wharton Street, and Clay Street demarcate the boundaries of the original town. Today, the 16 squares represented in the town's logo, serving as a reminder of Blacksburg's rich past.

Entries on This Tour

Blacksburg, Virginia Downtown History Walking Tour

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