Ararat, Virginia

Ararat is an unincorporated community in Patrick County, Virginia, United States, south of the Blue Ridge Parkway and north of Mount Airy, North Carolina. Ararat is located near the Virginia/North Carolina state line about 5 miles north of Mount Airy, North Carolina and about 25 miles west of Stuart, Virginia. The community's name comes from the Ararat River which flows through the area. [ [http://www.freestateofpatrick.com/ararat.htm Ararat Virginia ] ] The River takes its name from the Saura Indian name for nearby Pilot Mountain in Surry County, North Carolina. The large Monadnock mountain was thought to resemble a bullfrog and the Indians named it after the sound they thought it made "Ratratrat". Early white settlers thought what they were saying sounded like "Ararat," the mountain which, according to the Bible, was the landing point of Noah's Ark.

Several famous people were born in the community, such as the Reverend Bob Childress; [ [http://www.freestateofpatrick.com/bobchildress.htm Bob Childress ] ] "The Man Who Moved A Mountain," Orlean Puckett; [ [http://www.freestateofpatrick.com/orleanpuckett.htm Orlean Hawks Puckett ] ] the famous midwife whose cabin is along the parkway; and James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart, [ [http://www.freestateofpatrick.com/jebstuart.htm Laurel Hill Tour ] ] the Major General of Cavalry for Robert E. Lee during the American Civil War.

The J. E. B. Stuart Birthplace, [ [http://www.freestateofpatrick.com/Laurelhill.htm Laurel Hill ] ] Laurel Hill, is a preserved private park in the community that is open for self-guided tours daily and holds a Civil War encampment the first full weekend of October each year.

References

External links

* http://www.usbeacon.com/Virginia/Ararat.html