Virginia's back roads and rural areas are dotted with traces ofonce-thriving communities. General stores, train depots, schools, churches, banks, and post offices provide intriguing details of a way of life now gone. The buildingsmay be empty or repurposed today, the existing community may be struggling tosurvive or rebuilding itself in a new and different way, but the story behind eachcommunity's original development is an interesting and important footnote to thedevelopment of Virginia and the United States. "Lost Communities of Virginia " documents thirtysmall communities from throughout the Commonwealth that have lost their originalindustry, transportation mode, or way of life. Using contemporary photographs, historical information, maps, and excerpts of interviews with longtime residents ofthese communities, the book documents the present conditions, recalls past boomtimes, and explains the role of each community in regionalsettlement.