E Thomas Ewing and Grace Kostrzebski, “Lessons from bicycling Virginia’s Historic Triangle in 1976,” Virginia Pilot (Virginia Beach), August 24, 2025
E. Thomas Ewing and Grace Kostrzebski, “Pedaling New Historical Paths,” Roanoke Times, May 2, 2025, p. A7
For more than fifty miles, the Transamerican Bicycle Route 76 passes around and through the Roanoke region. From Botetourt County in the north through the western region of Roanoke County to Montgomery County to the south, cyclists along this route explore rural, suburban, and small-town communities while enjoying the natural environment of this region. Established in 1976 as part of America’s Bicentennial celebration, an exploration of history along this route highlights connections between present and past and suggests ways to commemorate the upcoming Semiquincentennial in 2026.
Fifty years ago, the designers of the Bikecentennial looked for back roads that would allow cyclists to ride across the country while avoiding major cities and interstate highways. As cyclists ride through this region, they will encounter historical sites — if they know where to look.
Route 76 west of the Blue Ridge follows historical routes along valleys that began with Native American paths for hunting, trade, and migration. As English explorers, trappers, surveyors, and then colonists expanded into Appalachia, these same paths served the same purpose. By the time of the American revolution, European settlers established farms and trading centers along these roads. The legacies of these centuries of travel can be seen in the homes and farms along this route, some of which have been in continuous use for more than a century. In fact, when cyclists rode through these valleys fifty years ago for the Bikecentennial, they passed many buildings, crossed bridges, and followed streams that have changed little in the decades since this ride.
Riding along Route 76 now also calls attention to notable changes. When cyclists rode along this valley fifty years ago, they could look forward to finding a general store, gas station, and a restaurant at the intersection in Catawba. These facilities closed in the last decade. In fact, not a single gas station, store, or restaurant is directly on Route 76 for more than forty miles between Daleville in the north and near Blacksburg in the south. Just about five miles due east, many hotels, restaurants, and gas stations are distributed along Interstate 81, but these kinds of essential businesses have become increasingly scarce in rural America in the decades since the Bicentennial.
When cyclists first rode this route in the 1970s, they passed by Catawba Elementary School, located just north of the intersection with Route 311, with enrollment of about sixty students. The school closed decades ago, and now functions as a community center administered by Roanoke County Parks, location for a regional farmers’ market, and access point for the Appalachian trail. Now students in this rural community travel a much longer distance to attend school compared to children a half century ago.
Whereas rural businesses and schools have closed, reflecting shifts in populations and commerce, churches remain among the most persistent structures and communities in rural America. The Catawba Valley Baptist Church began services in 1859, and the current building includes the sanctuary built a century ago in 1919. Several miles north of Blacksburg, the McDonald’s Mill United Methodist Church was established almost 150 years ago as indicated by the 1876 listed on the church’s sign. In downtown Christiansburg, Schaffer Memorial Baptist Church was established after the Civil War by emancipated slaves and has been a site for worship and community gatherings since the late nineteenth century. In each case, the churches observed by cyclists in 1976 look very similar to those still serving worshippers in the present — and likely into the future.
History is everywhere along Route 76, as indicated in the thirty episodes of the Bike 76 VA podcast which explore history in locations evenly spaced along the 500 plus mile of the route fro Yorktown to Breaks Interstate Park. Bikecentennial organizers selected routes that brought awareness to people from cities and suburbs seemingly oblivious to challenges facing rural America. As we approach 2026, understanding the history of Route 76 is an evocative way to think about divisions in society and tools for building bridges across the evident divides.
The relationship between people and the environment – which has shaped this region for more than four centuries – continues to affect the daily lives of residents and visitors. As we experience the effects of global warming, including extreme weather events such as mass flooding, we can anticipate both short term disruptions and long-term changes. The Bikecentennial emerged in the 1970s as a response to growing environmental awareness about the costs of pollution, dependence on fossil fuels, and limited opportunities for outside activities. Fifty years later, we have seen remarkable expansion of spaces for outdoor recreation, including dedicated trails for walking and cycling. Yet more efforts are needed to widen access. America’s Semiquincentennial provides an opportunity to encourage more people to ride bicycles and welcome those who visit our community on two wheels.
Tom Ewing, “Bicycle Route 76 in Botetourt County is topic of program by Virginia Tech professor May 14,” Fincastle Herald, April 30, 2025, p. 12
Tom Ewing is a professor of history at Virginia Tech and director of the Bike 76 VA project: https://bike76-va.vt.domains/home/. A presentation on this project is scheduled for May 14, 6 pm, Troutville Town Hall, in partnership with Botetourt County Historical Society
The Transamerican US Bicycle Route 76 spans the breadth of Botetourt County, from Buchanan in the north to the Catawba Valley in the southwest corner. Distinctive signs with a bicycle outline and the number 76 mark the route through the county. Established in 1976 as the Bikecentennial, this route provides a way to think about regional history as well as prepare for the upcoming commemoration of the semiquincentennial in 2026.
As cyclists ride this route, they encounter historical sites making connections to the revolutionary era of the late eighteenth century. In Buchanan, Looney’s Ferry began operation in the 1740s, three decades before the American revolution. A historical marker directly on Route 76 provides cyclists with information about the important role of ferries in promoting trade and settlement in this region.
In Troutville, the Bryan McDonald Jr House, constructed in 1766, provides another connection to the revolutionary era. The McDonald family acquired considerable property during and after the revolution. According to the 1830 census, Edward McDonald thirteen enslaved people: five children, four men, and four women. The adult slaves presumably worked the land and provided services to the family, yet were regarded as property to be distributed along with furniture, tools, animals, and land.
A historical marker along Route 76 south of Buchanan indicates the location of Audley Paul’s Fort, one of a chain of fortifications established along the western frontier to protect English settlements and trade from the French and Native American forces. Born in Ulster, Paul emigrated to the colonies, served with George Washington in campaigns against the French, and then joined the revolutionary forces against the British.
For centuries before European conquest, indigenous tribes used walking paths through valleys and gaps for migration, hunting, and trade with communities along the Blue Ridge Mountains. In the late eighteenth century, British settlers followed the same general paths when they established the Great Valley Road, as described in the historical marker for Buchanan located along Route 76.
These indigenous paths also shaped the route of the Appalachian trail. Troutville is a designated “trail town” along the Appalachian Trail, which brings thousands of visitors to the county on foot. Cyclists riding past Tinker Cliffs may observe day hikers beginning to hike the Triple Crown on the Appalachian Trail via the Andy Layne trail.
In 1976, Interstate 81 was still a relatively recent addition, with construction begun in the late 1950s and completed in the subsequent decades. Every day, an estimated 20,000 cars and trucks drive through Botetourt County. Cyclists on Route 76 will hear the wheels of a hundred or more cars and trucks passing over in the minutes it takes to ride under the highway.
For almost fifty years, Route 76 has connected Botetourt County to the rest of Virginia and the nation. Raising awareness of more than 500 years of along this cycling route brings attention to regional history while also welcoming cyclists as they ride through these communities.
