Settlement at Timber Grove

Timber Grove, two miles northeast, is believed to be the first European American settlement in what is now Rockbridge County. The community, composed mainly of Scots-Irish immigrants, had been formed by the late 1730s. Presbyterian minister John Craig, who traveled extensively in the backcountry, baptized several residents in 1741, and a meetinghouse had been constructed by 1748. A small cemetery is the only remnant of this settlement. In 1755-56, community members built the stone Timber Ridge Presbyterian Church here. John Mackey, traditionally regarded as the area’s first European settler, is buried in this church’s cemetery; his gravestone is significant because of its age and craftsmanship.

Department of Historic Resources, 2022