The road we sit on has a story — one that connects the lake community to a remarkable Virginian. A short look at the highway that brings most of our patients to our door.
The road we sit on has a story — one that connects the lake community to a remarkable Virginian.
Route 122 — better known around here as Booker T. Washington Highway — is named for Booker T. Washington, who was born in 1856 on a small farm just north of where the highway runs today, in what is now Franklin County. The Booker T. Washington National Monument, a few miles up the road from our office, preserves the site where he was born into slavery and where, after emancipation, he began the long road that took him to Hampton Institute, Tuskegee, and eventually to dinners at the White House.
The highway itself is one of the lake region's main connectors. It runs from the south side of Roanoke down past Westlake Corner, along the western edge of Smith Mountain Lake, and on into Franklin County. For most of our patients — from Hardy, Moneta, Wirtz, Goodview, and the Bedford County side — it's the route to and from town, school, and the lake.
When the highway was designated for Booker T. Washington in the 1980s, it was a small acknowledgement of the fact that a globally significant life began on this stretch of land. The monument is worth a slow afternoon if you've never been. It's free, the trails are gentle, and the visitor center does a thoughtful job of telling the story.
The next time you drive 122 to your six-month visit at Westlake, take the turnoff at the brown National Park Service sign. It's a piece of the lake region's identity worth knowing.