Eagle Rock is a

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, su ...

(CDP) in

Botetourt County Botetourt County ( ) is a US county that lies in the Roanoke Region of the Commonwealth of Virginia. Located in the mountainous portion of the state, the county is bordered by two major ranges, the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Appalachian Mounta ...

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

, United States, located along the

James River The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Ches ...

between Iron Gate and Buchanan. It was first listed as a CDP in the 2020 census with a population of 209.

History

Eagle Rock had the last

lock Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

of the

James River and Kanawha Canal The James River and Kanawha Canal was a partially built canal in Virginia intended to facilitate shipments of passengers and freight by water between the western counties of Virginia and the coast. Ultimately its towpath became the roadbed for a ...

Lime production

This was the location of the

kilns A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects made from clay int ...

for making lime.

Limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms wh ...

was transported across the James River via a tram system and then burned in the kilns to make lime. Originally a river

ford Ford commonly refers to: * Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford * Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river Ford may also refer to: Ford Motor Company * Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company * Ford F ...

, known as "The Free Stone Ford", allowed mule drawn wagons to cross. In May 1884 a bridge was constructed across the river for the limestone. Later, large towers were constructed and the lime sent across the river by cable. Old

quarries A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their environ ...

and locally known Quarry Hill are located on either side of US 220. The Bessemer Archaeological Site, Phoenix Bridge, and

Roaring Run Furnace Roaring Run Furnace is a historic iron furnace located in Jefferson National Forest near Eagle Rock, Botetourt County, Virginia. It was built about 1832, and reflects the national and statewide economics of the iron industry during the 19th century ...

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 artist ...

Rail history

At the end of the

system, transportation was done by rail. Eagle Rock was the point of convergence of the Richmond and Alleghany Railroad (soon to be known as the

Chesapeake and Ohio Railway The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P. Huntington, it reached from Virginia's capital city of Richmond ...

, and later

CSX Transportation CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...

) and the Craig Valley Line, which ran to Surber Station and on to

New Castle, Virginia New Castle (historically spelled as one word; "Newcastle") is the only town in Craig County, Virginia, United States. The population was 125 at the 2020 census.https://www.census.gov/search-results.html?searchType=web&cssp=SERP&q=New%20Castle%20 ...

Geography

Eagle Rock is located at (37.6422510, −079.7918942). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy An economy is an area of th ...

, the CDP has a total area of 0.71 square miles.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2020, there were 209 people residing in the CDP. The population density was 290 people per square mile (110/km2). There were 102 housing units. The racial makeup of the CDP was 93.7% White, 0% Black or African American, 0% Native American, 0% Asian, 0% Pacific Islander, 0% from other races, and 6.3% from two or more races. 1.3% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

Education

The CDP is served by Botetourt County Public Schools. Eagle Rock had its own high school until the late 1950s, when the Northern Botetourt high schools were all consolidated into the newly formed James River High School in neighboring Springwood. Public school students residing in Eagle Rock attend Eagle Rock Elementary School, Central Academy Middle School, and James River High School.

Notable people

William Hanes Ayres William Hanes Ayres (February 5, 1916 – December 27, 2000) was an American World War II veteran and politician who served as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Ohio from 1951 to 1971. Early life and career William ...

(1916–2000),

U.S. Congressman The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they c ...

from

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

, was born in Eagle Rock. Retrieved on 2008-06-20. * Norvel Lee, (1924-1992) Olympic boxer who represented the United States at the 1952 Summer Olympics in

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

Angela Tincher Angela Tincher O'Brien (born Angela Susan Tincher; December 16, 1985) is an American, former collegiate All-American, retired professional All-Star softball pitcher and coach. She most recently served as the pitching coach at Virginia Tech. Sh ...

, All-American

softball Softball is a game similar to baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Softball is played competitively at club levels, the college level, and the professional level. The game was first created in 1887 in Chicago by George Hanc ...

pitcher for James River High School and

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

References

Bibliography

* Eagle Rock Funeral Home, Craig-Botetourt Genealogy Club, and Fincastle Library
Eagle Rock Funeral Home
Fincastle, VA: Craig-Botetourt Genealogy Club & Fincastle Library, 2005. Notes: Copies of burial records of Eagle Rock Funeral Home, Eagle Rock, Virginia. * Eagle Rock High School (Eagle Rock, Va.)
The Eagle
irginia Eagle Rock High School, 1933. * Eagle Rock School, and Eagle Rock Public Library
A History of Eagle Rock: A Special Group Project
Eagle Rock, Virginia: agle Rock School 1975. Notes: A history of Eagle Rock, Virginia (Botetourt County) written by students and their teacher in the mid-1970s (at the now closed Eagle Rock School). Credits: Kevin Barger, David Dew, Susan Heck, Cheryl Hoy, Johnny Lawson, Charles Nelson, Gary Tingler, Kathy Waddell, Kim West, Stacy Zimmerman, Mrs. Mary Lynne Leffel, teacher. Contents: Location and names -- Industries -- Stores -- Saloons, hotel, theatre -- Houses -- Schools -- Churches -- Floods and fires -- The Kanawha Canal -- Summary. * Galatia Presbyterian Church (Eagle Rock, Va.)
Church Records
irginia? Eastern Microfilm, 1967. The church was originally part of Locust Bottom Church which was divided in 1887 into two churches, Galatia and Glen Wilton. * McGuire, Odell S
Geology of the Eagle Rock, Strom, Oriskany, and Salisbury Quadrangles, Virginia
Charlottesville: Virginia Division of Mineral Resources, 1970. * Russ, Kurt C., John M. McDaniel, and Jeffrey P. Blomster
Archaeological Investigations of a Nineteenth Century Appalachian Farmstead: The Barger/Riddlebarger Farm in Botetourt County, Virginia
Lexington, Va: Laboratory of Anthropology, Washington and Lee University, 1987. Notes: Project conducted under contract with the Museum of American Frontier Culture, Staunton, Va. Described as "Historic farmstead site" with "Site number 44BO (site number not yet established) (see Architectural Survey Form #11-107" in Virginia Division of Historic Landmarks, Archaeological Site Inventory Form on p. of cover. * United States
Flood Plain Information: James River, Eagle Rock to Lick Run, Botetourt County, Virginia. Norfolk, Va
Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army, Norfolk, Virginia, District, 1971.

External links

Down Home in Eagle Rock
by Anita J. Firebaugh, ''Cooperative Living'' magazine, February 2000
Eagle Rock Myspace
{{authority control Populated places on the James River (Virginia) Census-designated places in Botetourt County, Virginia Census-designated places in Virginia Lime kilns in the United States