Laurel Fork, Virginia

Laurel Fork is an unincorporated community in Carroll County, Virginia, United States. It is located off of U.S. Route 58 and is 12.4 miles (20.0 km) east-southeast of Hillsville, Virginia. Laurel Fork has a post office with ZIP code 24352.[2][3]

Laurel Fork, Virginia
Unincorporated community
Laurel Fork Show map of Virginia Laurel Fork Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 36°43′03″N 80°31′07″W
Country	United States
State	Virginia
County	Carroll
Elevation	2,766 ft (843 m)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	24352
Area code(s)	276
GNIS feature ID	1477476[1]

Before the town was known as Laurel Fork, it was called Bolt Town, named after a Doctor Bolt and the numerous family members who originally inhabited the town. Originally consisting of Sam Bolt's store, a post office, and a few farms, Bolt Town was nicknamed "Little Cincinnati" because of the perceived superior attitude of its residents. Eventually, the community took its name from the Laurel Fork Creek that winds through the hills nearby, which in turn was named after the native rhododendron. Early English settlers, not knowing the rhododendron's name, called it "laurel" after the shrubs they knew from England.

Late nineteenth-century census records show that 60 percent of the Laurel Fork population could read and write. Around 1903 - 1904, Laurel Fork Male and Female Academy was built. The academy later becoming a high school. Businesses including a printing shop, a short-lived motor company, the Laurel Fork Bank, Midway Hotel and Restaurant, Laurel Fork Mercantile, Puckett's Grocery and Garage, as well as the Laurel Fork Telephone Company were also established. Laurel Fork reportedly had the first airport in the county.

Although many of Laurel Fork's historical landmarks have been forgotten and lost to the time, Laurel Fork Primitive Baptist Church, the oldest church in Laurel Fork and one of the oldest in Carroll County, was a daughter church of New Hope Primitive Baptist. Laurel Fork Primitive Baptist Church was formed in 1846. The church, as well as a school next to it, were burned down and were rebuilt in 1876 on land given by Mr. and Mrs. Reuben Nester. In 1970, the church was encased in brick and now stands along Laurel Fork Road. Located next to the church is the Point Pleasant School. Constructed in 1911, this one-room schoolhouse is commonly believed to be the descendant of the first school in Laurel Fork which had previously burned down. Point Pleasant School closed its doors in 1948. In September 2007, the school was placed on the Virginia Landmarks Register. In October 2007, Point Pleasant School was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.