Whitewood is an unincorporated community in Buchanan County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2000 census, the Whitewood area had a population of 485."U.S. Census website" . United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-10-11 It is located along the Dismal River, which is part of the watershed of the Big Sandy River.
History The community was initially settled in the early 1900s by lumber companies that arrived to log the forests of the surrounding hills. The settlement was named Whitewood, supposedly after the color of the lumber, shortly after the first lumber mill was established in 1905.Baker, Nancy Virginia. Bountiful and beautiful: a bicentennial history of Buchanan County, Virginia. Printed at the Buchanan County Vocational School, 1976. The Whitewood post office was established in 1906.
In September 2008, Whitewood High School, built in 1940, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.National Register of Historic Places Weekly List, September 19, 2008. It was demolished in early 2010.
On July 12, 2022, the community was heavily damaged by a catastrophic flood.
Education
Public High Schools Twin Valley High School, Pilgrim's Knob
Notable person Ruth White, author.
References