McDowell is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Highland County,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, United States. McDowell is southeast of

Monterey, Virginia Monterey is a town in Highland County, Virginia, United States. The population was 147 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Highland County. History The selection of Monterey as the county seat of Highland County in 1847 was associated ...

U.S. Route 250 U.S. Route 250 (US 250) is a route of the United States Numbered Highway System, and is a spur of U.S. Route 50. It currently runs for from Richmond, Virginia to Sandusky, Ohio. It passes through the states of Virginia, West Virginia, and Ohio. ...

. It is in the Bullpasture Valley near the mouth of Crab Run on the

Bullpasture River The Bullpasture River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the Cowpasture River of Virginia in the United States. The Bullpasture River flows ...

. The community was named after

James McDowell James McDowell (October 13, 1795 – August 24, 1851) was the 29th Governor of Virginia from 1843 to 1846 and was a U.S. Congressman from 1846 to 1851. Biography McDowell was born at "Cherry Grove," near Rockbridge County, Virginia, on ...

governor of Virginia The governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia serves as the head of government of Virginia for a four-year term. The incumbent, Glenn Youngkin, was sworn in on January 15, 2022. Oath of office On inauguration day, the Governor-elect takes th ...

from 1843 to 1846. McDowell is the location of the May 8, 1862

Battle of McDowell The Battle of McDowell, also known as the Battle of Sitlington's Hill, was fought on May 8, 1862, near McDowell, Virginia, as part of Confederate Major General Stonewall Jackson's 1862 Shenandoah Valley campaign during the American Civil War. ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. The community has a

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

with ZIP code 24458 that was established in 1828. The

Crab Run Lane Truss Bridge Crab Run Lane Truss Bridge is a historic Truss bridge located on State Route 645 in McDowell, Highland County, Virginia. It was built in 1896, by the West Virginia Bridge Works of Wheeling, West Virginia. It is a single-span, four-panel pony trus ...

, Mansion House, and

McClung Farm Historic District McClung Farm Historic District is a historic home and national historic district located at McDowell, Highland County, Virginia. The district encompasses seven contributing buildings, three contributing sites, and three contributing structures. ...

are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. RiverRun Farm, a sheep, wool and lamb producing farm is located just south if the conflunce of Crab Run and the Bullpasture River.

References

Unincorporated communities in Highland County, Virginia Unincorporated communities in Virginia {{HighlandCountyVA-geo-stub