How to get there - From the log church follow VA 603 for 1.4 miles to a stop sign at Whitetop Rd. Turn left at the stop sign. Note two closed stores on the left. Safely stop on the shoulder in front of the second store. Straight ahead through the trees is Konnarock Training School; look for the historic marker at the driveway.
For History Lovers - Konnarock Training School, established in 1924 by the Women’s Missionary Society of the United Lutheran Church in America, educated children from isolated mountain communities. Lutheran missionary Kenneth Killinger and lay leader Laura Lu Scherer Copenhaver had advocated the school’s founding as a crucial step toward meeting the spiritual, intellectual, and physical needs of the people of Appalachia.
Built on land donated by the Hassinger Lumber Company, Konnarock was a regional boarding school for girls but also provided day classes for local children. In 1936 a medical clinic was added to serve the surrounding community. Konnarock Training School closed in 1959.
A unique feature of the school building and the medical clinic building is the chestnut siding on both buildings. Today the school building is being restored by the Lutheran Church in America through grants and contributions as a retreat center .
Continue the tour by safely re-entering Whitetop Rd and bearing right on VA 603 (Konnarock Rd) - or consider the side trip below.
Take a Side Trip to Whitetop
Consider a side trip to Whitetop. 9.2 miles one way. Includes 4 miles on an easy gravel road to the top of Whitetop Mountain, the second highest mountain in Virginia. Views are superb.