2013 Map of Keen Mountain

About this map

Keen Mountain Fire Tower stands as a prominent landmark overlooking a complex landscape of ridges and hollows in this corner of Buchanan County. Small communities and named crossroads such as Grimsleyville, Shack Mills, and Marvin are distributed along the winding creek valleys and state routes like Va-632 and Va-626. The mapping of this area captures a settlement pattern deeply influenced by the narrow floodplains of Dismal Cr and Grassy Cr, where homes and structures follow the available flat land between steep slopes. Local geography is defined by numerous family-named and descriptive terrain features, from the heights of Pilgrims Knob and Horn Mountain to the depths of Big Skeggs Hollow. Researchers will find a network of mountain gaps including Coal Gap, Shortt Gap, and the Gap of Sandy that historically dictated movement through the Appalachian terrain.