Lewis and Clark Legacy Trail update
The Virginia Lewis and Clark Legacy Trail is a driving and “stop-to-experience” trail from Bristol to Charlottesville with ties to Botetourt County! To help raise funding for signage for the trail, a “Historic Sites & Signage Soiree” was held on Saturday, September 28, 2021 at Historic Santillane in Fincastle, VA. This event was a fundraiser for the VLCLT to raise money specifically for Trail signage. The VLCLT estimates that by the end of 2024, twenty-four (24) interpretive and other signs will be needed for placement at historic sites along trail routes in southwest, central, and eastern Virginia including Botetourt County.
Santillane, one of Botetourt County’s most distinguished homes is a very important part of the Lewis and Clark story. The tract the home is standing on was purchased by Col. George Hancock in 1795. It’s important to note that General William Clark married Colonel Hancock’s daughter, Judith in 1808. This home, as well as the Botetourt County Court House and Botetourt Museum are already verified historic sites eligible for Lewis & Clark interpretive signage. There are also other potential Lewis and Clark-connected historic sites that Botetourt County historians are encouraged to research. Examples include, Looneys Ferry (Buchanan)The Big Springs ( Fincastle), Grove Hill( Botetourt Co.) and the Hancock House ( Fincastle.)
The Virginia Lewis & Clark Legacy Trail project began in 2011 when the National Park Service (NPS) approached Botetourt County, Virginia about becoming involved in a NPS Eastern Legacy Special Resource Study. The purpose of the study was to determine the “feasibility and suitability” for expanding the westward Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail to the eastern part of the United States where both explorers had personal and business ties and traveled both before and after the Expedition. A Power Point presentation for the Botetourt County Board of Supervisors will be given on Tuesday, September 28, 2021 at the 3 pm session to discuss the expansion of the trail and what that could mean for Botetourt County. For more information about the VLCLT, visit https://valewisandclarklegacytrail.org/
–Submitted by Peggy Crosson, photos by Kristin Perdue
