Early History

In the late 1730's and early 1740's, settlers found their way into the Botetourt area. They came mainly from Maryland and Pennsylvania. Settlers followed the Indian Trails from Philadelphia to Yadkin Valley, North Carolina.

There was a stage coach route from Blue Ridge to Fincastle, that apparently closely followed what is now Mountain Pass Road. It is thought the stage coach stop was approximately where Mountain Pass meets Route 11, most likely north of the intersection.

In 1881, this area had no name. The railroad came through and a station was built. There were three houses then which were occupied by John, Jim and George Trout - so the area was called Troutsville. It became an important shipping center in the 1890's. In 1895, Troutville was a thriving town with a very active shipping point, good farming, busy canneries, packing houses and factories.

The name of the town was later changed to Troutville.

This is an excerpt of the extensive history information and was obtained from
"Town of Troutville, Virginia - A History of Early Years"
written by Mary Anne Obenshain and Rosalie Hamilton Goad.