Alexander Black House. Queen Anne style. This historic house was first built in 1897 by Alexander Black... He was a descendant of Samuel Black for whom the town is named. Adaptive reuse as the Alexander Black House & Cultural Center from 2014. 204 Draper Road, SW, Blacksburg, Virginia. DSC_0681p1
Blacksburg is located in the far southwestern part of Virginias Shenandoah Valley. We were invited to attend the Bridal Shower for our sister that would take place in nearby Eggleston, Virginia. Blacksburg is the nearest sizable town in which to stay. So, Susan and I headed down the Valley on Interstate on Friday morning. After passing Harrisonburg and Roanoke, we exited at Christianburg to arrive at Blacksburg by the late afternoon.
I had not visited Blacksburg before and had not been south of Harrisonburg for some time. Blacksburg is the home of Virginia Tech (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University). The university largely defines the town. It is by far its largest employer and the size of the student body nearly equals the towns population. It was summer, so Virginia Tech was not in regular session. (When the university is is session it is nearly impossible to find a hotel room during a home football weekend.) We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn.
There was time to explore the downtown on Friday evening and Saturday morning. The Blacksburg Historic District is a National Register district most of the downtown area. We had dinner in a restaurant
House. Built in 1882. Adaptive reuse as the Virginia Tech Center for Public Administration and Policy. 104 Draper Road, SW. Contributing resource, Blacksburg Historic District. National Register of Historic Places 90002165. DSC_0655p1
that was once a 19th century church. Walking the downtown, we saw a variety of buildings ranging from the Greek Revival former Presbyterian church (now a restaurant) to Queen Anne style houses to an Art Deco cinema from 1929. Afterwards, we took a drive around the Drillfield, the central part of the Virginia Tech campus.
Returning on Saturday morning to tour the Alexander Black House museum before heading to Eggleston and the shower, we found the Blacksburg Farmers Market in progress. The Alexander Black House is a restored Queen Anne confection. It was built in 1897 by Alexander Black, a descendant of the family for which Blacksburg is named. The Black family resided in the house until 1935. The building then became a funeral home. It is now restored as a house museum.
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