The scenic village of Newport, situated in the narrow Greenbrier Branch Valley at the base of Gap Mountain, epitomizes the small rural crossroads communities that once thrived in western Virginia. It sprang up in the 1830s as a commercial and industrial center at the intersection of two major turn-pikes. By the mid-nineteenth century, Newport was also frequented by resort-bound tourists traveling to nearby Mountain Lake. The village has variously sized lots as was typical of small crossroads communities where little formal planning was employed. Most of Newport's pre-1900 buildings are concentrated along Greenbrier Branch Road, the only major street to have escaped destruction from a fire in April 1902. The community quickly rebuilt with buildings in a variety of architectural styles as interpreted by skilled local carpenters and builders.
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