Hanging Rock & the Hinchee Family

Hanging Rock and the Hinchee Family. . , Hanging Rock has been a landmark in Roanoke County for hundreds of years. The history of the area and of Confederate victory during a skirmish are commemorated along the Hanging Rock Battlefield Trail. The new Hinchee Trail honors a family important to this community. The Hinchee family ran the local general store for decades. When Routs 311 was moved to its current location, the Hinchee brothers - Lloyd and Jim - focused on their explosives business. Explosives were stored in magazines at landings up on the mountain, on land that has been donated for Hinchee Park., 1. Hanging Rock , Hanging Rock is a geologic landmark. Stories say the road once went under the rock overhang, which was later removed for safety reasons. (Photos courtesy of Cotton Myers and Salem Museum), 2. Hanging Rock Garage , Hanging Rock Garage provided essential automotive repairs. Located where this parking lot now stands, the garage was frequently damaged by vehicles traveling too fast to make the turn. Reports say the garage wall was knocked down more than 20 times. (Photo courtesy of Hinchee Family), 3. Dutch Oven Road , When Dutch Oven Road was Route 311, the Hinchee and Hinchee store stood at a critical turn in the road, where travelers could go west across two single lane bridges to reach Salem or go east by the Hanging Rock to reach Roanoke (Photo courtesy of Hinchee Family) , 4. Hinchee and Hinchee General Store , Hinchee and Hinchee Store served the community from the 1920s to the 1960s, providing gas, groceries, supplies and employment. Family members - Raymond, Clara, Roy, Jim, Lloyd - were fixtures in the community as well as the center of local news. (Photos courtesy of Hinchee Family), 5. Hinchee Trail , The Hinchee Trail is a fire road that runs 12 miles from Timberview to Carvins Cove. On some maps it is labeled CCC Road, for the Civilian Conservation Corps. Many of the culverts have stone walls indicative of CCC work (Photo: Jim and Lloyd Hinch 1928)