Bacova in Bath County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Bacova

Photographed by J. J. Prats, October 15, 2013

1. Bacova Marker

Inscription. The Tidewater Hardwood Company built a lumber mill and company town here, 192–1922, naming it Bacova, a contraction for Bath Co., Va. Narrow-gauge railroads brought the logs to the mill. The company paid workers in scrip redeemable for rent, medical attention, and supplies at the company store. After a decade, mill operations slowed during the Great Depression and stopped altogether in 1936. Salvage metal and railroad engines, rails, and cars were sold to Japan just before World War II. Private investors bought the Bacova tract, and in 1957 the founder of The Bacova Guild, Ltd., a group of artists and craftsmen, purchased the town.

Erected 1995 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number D-37.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1922.

Location. 38° 3.258′ N, 79° 50.545′ W. Marker is in Bacova, Virginia, in Bath County. It is at the intersection of County Route 687 and Post Office Drive, on the right when

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traveling west on County Route 687. On the lawn in the front of the post office. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 23 Post Office Drive, Bacova VA 24412, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley,

in the Alleghany Highlands,

and specifically in the Potomac Highlands.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

in Appalachia,

and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: West Warm Springs (approx. 2 miles away); a different marker also named West Warm Springs (approx. 2 miles away); Garth Newel (approx. 2.8 miles away); Waterwheel Restaurant Building (approx. 2.9 miles away); Overshoot Wheel (approx. 2.9 miles

Photographed by J. J. Prats, October 15, 2013

2. Bacova Marker

away); The Dinwiddie Mantle (approx. 2.9 miles away); Confederate Memorial (approx. 2.9 miles away); Bath County Courthouses (approx. 2.9 miles away).

Another marker is no longer nearby. Fort Dinwiddie (was approx. 1.8 miles away but has been confirmed missing).

Bacova Post Office image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, October 15, 2013

3. Bacova Post Office

View of Bacova from the Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, October 15, 2013

4. View of Bacova from the Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on February 8, 2026. It was originally submitted on November 14, 2013, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,671 times since then and 78 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 14, 2013, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.