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Virginia Historic Sites

Long before European Americans came to the Allegheny Mountains, Native Americans considered the region now known as Bath as a sacred space. Here they came to enjoy the healing springs that bubble to the earth’s surface in natural pools in the Warm Springs Valley. In the 18th Century, the area gradually became a place of retreat and rejuvenation for European colonists, culminating in the establishment of what we know today as The Homestead resort in 1766.

Many more historic icons remain here, including the Jefferson Pools in Warm Springs, which has soothed tourists since the 1700’s. South of Hot Springs, visitors can explore the antebellum Warwick Mansion in Hidden Valley, the set for the Jody Foster and Richard Gere film Sommersby. In addition, many of the buildings throughout the county were built during the pre and post Civil War era and offer a wealth of history. The Warm Springs Inn, for example, originally served as the county’s first courthouse and jail. Guests of the inn can still see where prisoners were held in the 19th Century and dine in the former courtroom and judge’s chambers.

Other historic places remain today including the Mustoe house (the oldest structure in the County) as well as other landmarks, historic villages and cemeteries.

CEMETERIES

Chestnut Cemetery

GPS: 38.168°N, 79.890°W

Christ Church at Union Chapel Cemetery

1974 Sam Snead Highway
Hot Springs, VA 24484

Cleek Cemetery

Route 220 North of Warm Springs
GPS: 38.193°N, 79.732°W

Green Valley Cemetery

GPS: 38.073°N, 79.586°W

Jacob Cleek Cemetery

Route 220 North of Warm Springs

Mount Horeb Baptist Church Cemetery

5742 Cowpasture River
Millboro, VA 24460

Mount Mary Cemetery

GPS: 38.162°N, 79.466°W

Mountain Grove Cemetery

Located just off Route 39, left on Gatewood Drive

The Pines Cemetery

GPS: 37.942°N, 79.568°W

Warm Springs Cemetery

Located on Route 220 next to the old dairy barn
GPS: 38.050°N, 79.781°W

HISTORICAL MARKERS

Use this link to find information on the historical markers available in Bath County, including images, GPS coordinates and maps. www.markerhistory.com/tag/bath-county/

LIBRARIES AND MUSEUMS

Learn more about the history of the County of Bath, its lineage and its heritage at the Historical Society Museum and Research Library and the Bath County Public Library, both located in Warm Springs, Virginia.