Lambsburg, Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lambsburg, Virginia
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Unincorporated community
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 Lambsburg, Virginia
Location in Virginia
Lambsburg, Virginia
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Virginia |
| County | Carroll |
| Elevation | 1,480 ft (450 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code |
24351
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| Area code(s) | 276 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1495814 |
Lambsburg is a small, unincorporated community in Carroll County, Virginia, United States. It is located about 10.4 miles (16.7 km) east-southeast of the town of Galax. Lambsburg has its own post office with the ZIP code 24351.
Contents
History of Lambsburg
Lambsburg is a very old community. It has been around for hundreds of years. Before it was called Lambsburg, it had other names. It was first known as "The Hawks Settlement." Later, it was called Rocksburg.
How Lambsburg Got Its Name
The community of Lambsburg was named after J. C. Hugh Lamb. He moved to the area around 1860. He bought a large piece of land, about 500 acres, near Stewart's Creek.
His wife, Mariam A. Lamb, became the first postmaster. She started the post office in their home in 1866. At that time, the area was not very populated. Nearby towns like Mount Airy, North Carolina, were small. Galax, Virginia, did not even exist yet. Mail was delivered by horseback. It traveled from Mount Airy to Lambsburg, and then to Old Town.
Early Community Development
Mr. Lamb was a very forward-thinking person. He helped the community grow. He is believed to have built the first schoolhouse in Lambsburg. He even paid for a teacher, Fannie Kingsbury, to teach in the one-room log building.
He also helped build the first church in the area. Services were led by Reverend Eli Whittington. He was a Methodist minister from Guilford County, North Carolina.
Local Landmarks and Trails
Stewart's Creek got its name from the Stuart families. They settled there or received early land grants. One famous person linked to the area was General Jeb Stuart.
Fisher's Peak is another important landmark. It is said to be named after a surveyor named Mr. Fisher. He was part of a team mapping the North Carolina/Virginia state line. He supposedly died there after drinking cold water from a spring. This spring is the source of Fisher's River.
The Flower (or Flour) Gap Trail is a very old road. It passes right through Lambsburg. This trail was used to transport goods. Flour and grain from North Carolina mills were brought to mining areas in Austinville, Virginia. There, they were traded for iron and lead. This road was later replaced by Piper's Gap Road.
A Busy Trading Center
Lambsburg had its busiest time in the late 1800s. An 1885 map showed it was one of the most populated areas in Carroll County. It was located between two important rail lines. These were in Roanoke, Virginia, and Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Because of its location, Lambsburg became a major trading center. There were five large businesses. These included general stores, shoe shops, and places selling food. John C. Lamb also ran a gun factory. Groug Kingsbury had a cabinet shop. He made furniture and coffins.
A campground was also available for travelers. It had a blacksmith shop run by Levi Blackburn. He repaired wagons and fixed wagon wheels. People would travel long distances in wagon trains to shop in Lambsburg.
Education and Railroad Plans
In 1893, a school for both boys and girls was built. Friel Hawks donated the land for it. Cabel Hawks was the principal. Other teachers included Professor J. A. Thompson, Professor Brown, and Minnie Hawks Boyles. Mrs. Boyles taught the girls in a separate room.
There were plans to build a railroad through Lambsburg. The N & W Railway Company surveyed the land in the 1890s. They even bought land for a Lambsburg Depot and a large rail yard. A building built by the railway company still stands today. It is now used as a home.
Changes and Challenges
However, hard times came, and the railroad was never finished. It stopped at a place called Anderson Bottoms. The railroad company created a new town there, first named "Bonapart." The first shipment from this new town was a carload of Galax leaves. Because of this, the town's name was changed to Galax. It became an official town in 1906.
The new rail line in Galax had a negative effect on businesses in Lambsburg. Wagon trains no longer came to Lambsburg to shop. This caused many businesses to struggle. In 1910, the Lambsburg Male and Female Academy burned down. This was a big loss for the community's education system.
Lambsburg was no longer the busy business and education hub it once was.
Modern Developments
In the 1960s and early 1970s, a major highway was built. This was Interstate 77 (I-77), part of the Eisenhower Interstate system. The land for the Interstate section at Exit 1 was bought from the family of Marcus Fayette Edwards. He had purchased the land in the late 1920s.
For many years, there wasn't much new commercial development in the area. However, in recent years, new businesses have opened. A Love's Travel Stop & Country Store opened in 2012. A Dollar General store opened in January 2019.
