Burke's Garden, Virginia

Burke's Garden is an upland valley and unincorporated community in Tazewell County, Virginia.

Burke's Garden
Unincorporated community
View of Burke's Garden, Virginia, from the center of the basin
View of Burke's Garden, Virginia, from the center of the basin
Location of Burke's Garden, Virginia
Location of Burke's Garden, Virginia
Coordinates: 37°10′12″N 81°23′04″W
CountryUnited States
StateVirginia
CountyTazewell
Elevation
3,074 ft (937 m)
Population
 (Now)
 • Totalabout 300
 • Density0.001/sq mi (0.01/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
24608[1]
Area code276
GNIS feature ID1498460[2]
Aerial overview of the valley

Geography and geology

The oval, bowl-like valley (or "cove") is known for its fertile land and was once the bed of an ancient sea. About 8.5 miles (13.7 km) long and 4 miles (6.4 km) wide, it resembles a large asteroid impact or volcanic crater in satellite photographs and on topographic maps; however, it is actually a dome-shaped geologic up-warp (anticline) that exposed older Ordovician aged limestone which is much more erodible than the younger Silurian sandstone of surrounding ridges. The mountain valley is the second-highest in Virginia at around 3,000 feet (910 m) above sea level and is completely surrounded by Garden Mountain.[3] This unusual topography is similar to that of Canaan Valley in neighboring West Virginia.

Mountain lake near Burke's Garden

Climate

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Burke's Garden has an oceanic climate, abbreviated "Cfb" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Burke's Garden was 97 °F (36.1 °C) on July 28, 1930, while the coldest temperature recorded was −27 °F (−32.8 °C) on December 30, 1917.[4]

Climate data for Burke's Garden, Virginia, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1896–present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 76
(24)		 73
(23)		 81
(27)		 86
(30)		 92
(33)		 94
(34)		 97
(36)		 96
(36)		 92
(33)		 88
(31)		 77
(25)		 74
(23)		 97
(36)
Mean maximum °F (°C) 59.3
(15.2)		 60.8
(16.0)		 68.7
(20.4)		 76.3
(24.6)		 79.6
(26.4)		 83.0
(28.3)		 84.8
(29.3)		 83.6
(28.7)		 82.1
(27.8)		 76.1
(24.5)		 68.1
(20.1)		 60.7
(15.9)		 85.7
(29.8)
Average high °F (°C) 39.3
(4.1)		 42.4
(5.8)		 50.4
(10.2)		 61.2
(16.2)		 68.9
(20.5)		 75.6
(24.2)		 78.8
(26.0)		 77.5
(25.3)		 72.8
(22.7)		 62.6
(17.0)		 51.7
(10.9)		 42.9
(6.1)		 60.3
(15.8)
Daily mean °F (°C) 30.1
(−1.1)		 32.6
(0.3)		 39.7
(4.3)		 49.1
(9.5)		 57.2
(14.0)		 64.7
(18.2)		 68.0
(20.0)		 66.6
(19.2)		 60.9
(16.1)		 50.2
(10.1)		 40.1
(4.5)		 33.4
(0.8)		 49.4
(9.7)
Average low °F (°C) 20.9
(−6.2)		 22.9
(−5.1)		 29.0
(−1.7)		 37.1
(2.8)		 45.6
(7.6)		 53.7
(12.1)		 57.3
(14.1)		 55.6
(13.1)		 48.9
(9.4)		 37.8
(3.2)		 28.5
(−1.9)		 23.9
(−4.5)		 38.4
(3.6)
Mean minimum °F (°C) −1.9
(−18.8)		 3.0
(−16.1)		 10.3
(−12.1)		 20.7
(−6.3)		 29.1
(−1.6)		 39.7
(4.3)		 46.0
(7.8)		 44.5
(6.9)		 33.9
(1.1)		 21.0
(−6.1)		 12.4
(−10.9)		 4.3
(−15.4)		 −5.1
(−20.6)
Record low °F (°C) −23
(−31)		 −24
(−31)		 −10
(−23)		 3
(−16)		 19
(−7)		 26
(−3)		 31
(−1)		 30
(−1)		 21
(−6)		 9
(−13)		 −3
(−19)		 −27
(−33)		 −27
(−33)
Average precipitation inches (mm) 3.98
(101)		 3.67
(93)		 4.42
(112)		 4.05
(103)		 4.72
(120)		 4.27
(108)		 4.62
(117)		 4.03
(102)		 3.64
(92)		 3.16
(80)		 2.96
(75)		 4.05
(103)		 47.57
(1,206)
Average snowfall inches (cm) 13.2
(34)		 11.4
(29)		 9.1
(23)		 1.3
(3.3)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.6
(1.5)		 2.2
(5.6)		 9.1
(23)		 46.9
(119.4)
Average extreme snow depth inches (cm) 6.1
(15)		 6.0
(15)		 4.9
(12)		 0.9
(2.3)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.0
(0.0)		 0.6
(1.5)		 1.4
(3.6)		 4.6
(12)		 9.6
(24)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) 14.7 12.9 13.8 12.8 15.5 15.4 16.1 14.3 10.9 10.8 10.3 13.9 161.4
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) 6.6 6.1 4.4 0.9 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.2 1.6 5.0 24.8
Source 1: NOAA[5]
Source 2: National Weather Service[4]

History

The area was long occupied by varying cultures of indigenous peoples.

Burke's Garden was first surveyed in 1748 by a team of surveyors working for local landowner James Patton. One of the party, James Burke an Irishman, is said to have thrown away some potato peelings while cooking. A year later, when the party returned to the area, they found potatoes growing in the area where the peels had been left. The area was dubbed Burke's Garden as something of a joke, but the name stuck. In 1749, William Ingles went to Burke's Garden to build a house with his uncle, John Ingles.[6]: 87  The community was an outpost of German immigrants who settled in the backcountry frontier in the late 18th century.[7]

The area remained relatively isolated as it was not near the transportation corridors of major rivers. In the late 19th century, agents for the Vanderbilt family contacted local farmers about selling land so that the family could build a large estate there. Nobody wanted to sell, and the Vanderbilts instead constructed their Biltmore Estate near Asheville, North Carolina.[8] In the 1990s, a small number of Amish families moved to Burke's Garden, but later they moved out after being unable to purchase enough land and attract enough other Amish families to form a viable community.[9] Today Amish have returned to Burkes Garden and have a thriving community. Lines of scooters can be seen daily outside the Burkes Garden School and Community Center where the Amish now have their own school. According to Chris Wesner of AmishAmerica there Amish community consisted of about 100 persons in 2021.[10]

The county's oldest church, the Central Lutheran church, is located in Burke's Garden. It originally served multiple denominations so was called Union Church. When the congregation learned their Union Church had joined the Lutheran denomination most members left and established Methodist and Presbyterian churches. In 1952, the community was terrorized by the "Varmint of Burke's Garden", a large coyote that killed many local sheep and caused much damage before being killed.

The area is drained by Wolf Creek (a tributary of the New River) which flows out of the geographic bowl in a northeasterly direction.

The entire valley is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Burke's Garden Rural Historic District; the Burke's Garden Central Church and Cemetery is also listed on the NRHP.[11]

See also

References
  1. "Burkes Garden ZIP Code". zipdatamaps.com. 2022. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  2. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  3. "Burke's Garden". Virginia is for lovers. Virginia Tourism Corporation. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  4. "NOAA Online Weather Data – NWS Blacksburg". National Weather Service. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  5. "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access – Station: Burkes Garden, VA". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
  6. Chalkley, L., Lockwood, M. S., Chalkley, L. Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish settlement in Virginia: extracted from the original court records of Augusta County, 1745-1800. Vol. 2. Rosslyn, VA: The Commonwealth Printing Co.
  7. Virginia Historic Landmarks Commission Staff (November 1978). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Burkes Garden Central Church and Cemetery" (PDF). Virginia Department of Historic Resources. and Accompanying photo and Accompanying map
  8. "Burke's Garden: God's Thumbprint". Appalachian Magazine. January 24, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  9. Tennis, Joe (May 6, 2010). "A Different World". Virginia Living. Cape Fear Publishing. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
  10. "The Amish in Virginia" at YouTube
  11. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
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