Shawsville, VA

Shawsville sits in Montgomery County along the Route 460 corridor, within the Blacksburg–Christiansburg area but with a history that predates the metro label by a long stretch. The settlement began in the 1850s as a rail stop serving nearby Alleghany Springs. It took its name from Charles B. Shaw, the Virginia engineer associated with the Southwest Turnpike, and grew along that road with shops, a general store, homes, and a church. The Bank of Shawsville, built in 1910, remains the standout building in the historic district.

Traffic patterns changed the town. Through traffic shifted to the new Lee Highway south in the 1930s, and the depot later closed and burned, leaving the old district as a visible record of the earlier corridor. Nearby Fort Vause, built in 1753 and attacked in 1756 during the French and Indian War, adds a much older layer to the landscape. Current community life gathers around Shawsville Middle School, Route 460 events, the Ruritan Club, and roads toward Christiansburg and Blacksburg. Shawsville's story is a meeting of rail, turnpike, school, and frontier history.