Bath County is a United States county located in the Shenandoah Valley on the central western edge of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,209, making it the second-least populous county in Virginia. Bath's county seat is Warm Springs, while the largest community is Hot Springs.
The Bath County Pumped Storage Station is a pumped storage hydroelectric power plant with a maximum generation capacity of 3,003 MW, an average of 2,772 MW, and a total storage capacity of 24,000 MWh. The station is located in the northern corner of Bath County, Virginia, on the southeast side of the Eastern Continental Divide, which forms this section of the border between Virginia and West Virginia. The station consists of two reservoirs separated by about 1,260 feet (380 m) in elevation. It was the largest pumped-storage power station in the world until 2021, when it was surpassed by the Fengning Pumped Storage Power Station.
Hot Springs is a census-designated place (CDP) in Bath County, Virginia, United States. The population as of the 2020 Census was 524. It is located about 5 miles (8 kilometers) southwest of Warm Springs on U.S. Route 220.
Armstrong is an unincorporated community in Bath County, Virginia, United States.
Ashwood is an unincorporated community in Bath County, Virginia, United States. It was the birthplace of golfer Sam Snead.
Bacova Junction is an unincorporated community in Bath County, Virginia, United States. Bacova Junction is situated 2.9 miles (4.7 km) west of Hot Springs, and state routes 615 and 687 converge in the community. Historically, Bacova Junction was known for its timber industry.
Bacova is an unincorporated community in Bath County, Virginia, United States. It was created in the early 20th century as a company town; its name is simply an abbreviation of Bath County, VA.
Bath County High School—the only high school in Bath County, Virginia—is a VHSL Class 1 high school serving students in grades 8-12.
Burnsville is an unincorporated community in Bath County, Virginia, United States.
Carloover is an unincorporated community in Bath County, Virginia, United States. The community was founded by Dash Almeida after escaping capture by the British in the War of 1812.
Chimney Run is an unincorporated community in Bath County, Virginia, United States.
Copeland is an unincorporated community in Bath County, Virginia, United States.
Crane is an unincorporated community in Bath County, Virginia, United States.
Crowdertown is an unincorporated community in Bath County, Virginia, United States.
Douthat State Park is a state park located in the Allegheny Mountains in Virginia. It is in Bath County and Alleghany County. The park is 4,545 acres (18 km2) total with a 50-acre (20 ha) lake, making it the third-largest Virginia state park after Pocahontas State Park and Fairy Stone State Park. It is one of the six original Virginia state parks, built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
Fort Lewis is a historic estate that contains an antebellum era manor house, a farm and visitors lodge. The area was originally settled by Charles Lewis (son of Colonel John Lewis) in present day Bath County, Virginia, United States. In 1756 he built a small stockade to protect the strategic western end of the Shenandoah Mountain pass from Indian raids. It was one of a series of fortifications authorized by the Virginia Colonial General Assembly along the frontier during the French & Indian War. The stockade is now gone, but the manor house, farm, and reconstructed gristmill remain as part of "Fort Lewis Lodge".
Green Valley is an unincorporated community in Bath County, Virginia, United States.
Greenwood, Bath County was an unincorporated community in Bath County, Virginia, United States. Greenwood was abandoned and later flooded due to the construction of Lake Moomaw.
Healing Springs is an unincorporated community in Bath County, Virginia, United States.
Warm Springs is a census-designated place (CDP) in and the county seat of Bath County, Virginia, United States. The population as of the 2020 census was 121. It lies along U.S. Route 220 near the center of the county. Warm Springs includes the historical mill town called Germantown. To the west lies West Warm Springs.
McClung is an unincorporated community in Bath County, Virginia, United States.
Millboro is an unincorporated community and census designated place in Bath County, Virginia, in the United States.
Millboro Springs is an unincorporated community in Bath County, Virginia, United States.
Mitchelltown is an unincorporated community in Bath County, Virginia, United States. The community is located along U.S. Route 220, north of Hot Springs and south of Warm Springs. The community is the location of Valley Supermarket, making it a common artery of the Bath County community.
Mooretown is an unincorporated community in Bath County, Virginia, United States.
Mountain Grove is an unincorporated community in Bath County, Virginia, United States.
Rough Mountain Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area in the Warm Springs Ranger District of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. The wilderness area is located on Rough Mountain and consists of 9,300 acres (38 km2). Rough Mountain Wilderness ranges in elevation from 1,150 feet (351 m) to 2,842 feet (866 m) at Griffin Knob. The area has only one established hiking trail within its boundaries, and is characterized by steep slopes heading up to the ridgeline of Rough Mountain.
Shiloh is an unincorporated community in Bath County, Virginia, United States.
Sunrise is an unincorporated community in Bath County, Virginia, United States.
The Omni Homestead Resort is a luxury resort in Hot Springs, Virginia, United States, in the middle of the Allegheny Mountains. The area has the largest hot springs in the Commonwealth, and the resort is also known for its championship golf courses, which have hosted several national tournaments. The resort also includes an alpine ski resort; founded in 1959, it is the oldest in Virginia. The resort has been designated a National Historic Landmark; it has a history extending more than two and a half centuries. The Omni Homestead Resort is a member of Historic Hotels of America the official program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Tinkertown is an unincorporated community in Bath County, Virginia, United States.
West Warm Springs is an unincorporated community in Bath County, Virginia, United States.
Williamsville is an unincorporated community in Bath County, Virginia, United States.
Yost is an unincorporated community in Bath County, Virginia, United States.
Callison is an unincorporated community in Bath County, Virginia, United States.
Hotchkiss is an unincorporated community in Bath County, Virginia, United States.
Thomastown is an unincorporated community in Bath County, Virginia, United States.
Switchback School, also known as Union Hurst School, is a historic Rosenwald school located near Hot Springs, Bath County, Virginia. It was built in 1924–1925, and is a one-story, frame, graded two-teacher type of public school. It is sheathed in weatherboard and has a side-gable roof. A major addition at the south end was built in 1933 and a second addition was built about 1960. Also on the property are a contributing privy (c. 1950); a cistern constructed as part of a Civilian Conservation Corps site improvement project (late-1930s); and three stone walls built by the workers from the Works Progress Administration (late-1930s). It is one of approximately 70 Rosenwald schools that survive of the 364 that were built across Virginia for the education of African-American students.
John Wesley Methodist Episcopal Church and Cemetery, also known as John Wesley United Methodist Church and Wesley Chapel, is a historic Methodist Episcopal church and cemetery located at West Warm Springs, Bath County, Virginia. It was built by former slaves in 1873, and is a one-story, front-gabled, log church, clad in weatherboard with a stone foundation. A frame vestibule with bell tower was added to the front of the church and a choir loft rear extension was added in 1923. In 1982 a one-story, frame Sunday School addition, clad in vinyl siding was built by volunteers and added to the southeast elevation. The church represents the lone built representation of the first decades of the African-American settlement at West Warm Springs.
The Wilderness is a historic estate at 13954 Deerfield Road in rural Bath County, Virginia, United States. It consists of more than 1,000 acres (400 ha) of rolling fields and woodlands, most of which lie southeast of Deerfield Road in the northeastern part of the county. In 1771, the Crown conveyed the land to brothers Sampson Mathews and George Mathews. The main house, a seven-bay brick Georgian structure, was built about 1816 for Samuel Blackburn, a prominent local farmer and politician, who was son-in-law to George Mathews. The property also includes a brick carriage house from the same period, a rarity in such a remote rural setting.