{"nrhp_refnum":"97000483","name":"Konnarock Training School","other_names":["Konnarock Lutheran Girls School","DHR site no. 86-0027"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Jct. of VA 603 and VA 600","address_restricted":false,"city":"Konnarock","county":"Smyth County","state":"VA","lat":36.67064166550006,"lon":-81.61087221639286,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1997-06-05","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A former Lutheran mission school complex near Konnarock, Smyth County, Virginia, on Forest Service land in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. It centers on a 1925 chestnut bark-shingled Main Building with attached chapel, a 1936 Health Center bungalow, and ruins of a garage, arbor and farm complex.","why_significant":"The school is significant under Criterion A for education, as an early-twentieth-century mission school reflecting the Lutheran Church's educational work in the southern Appalachians. Under Criterion C it is a notable example of Rustic-style design, notable for its use of chestnut bark siding to harmonize with the mountain setting. Its significance is at the state level.","narrative":"Set beneath White Top Mountain and Mount Rogers, this former mission school near Konnarock, Virginia, was founded in 1924 by the Woman's Missionary Society of the United Lutheran Church in America. It served as a boarding school and public day school, focusing on girls from mountain families. The main building, completed in December 1925, combined classrooms and dormitory rooms with an attached chapel. Its walls are covered in chestnut bark shingles, an unusual choice that helps the Rustic-style building blend with its surroundings. A Craftsman-style Health Center was added in 1936, built with local labor and materials. Ruins of a garage, grape arbor and dairy farm complex recall the school's agricultural teaching and self-sufficiency. Students studied home economics, agriculture and religion. The property was recognized for its educational role and its distinctive architecture, with a period of significance from 1925 to 1947. The site retains a high level of historic integrity despite alterations such as modern paneling, replaced windows and the loss of the chapel's stained glass.","period_of_significance":"1925-1947","architect_builder":"MESSERSCHMIDT, HENRY CARL; SMITH, R. E. L.","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century American Movements: Other: Rustic; Bungalow/Craftsman","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Current functions listed as vacant/not in use; the Health Center presently serves as a single-family dwelling. The garage roof collapsed around 1990 and the chapel has moisture damage to its floor structure.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:59.952438-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/80/6836/41683680/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/97000483.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97000483/06cf7dfc15-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/97000483/06cf7dfc15-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Nyttend","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Smyth,_Konnarock_Training_School.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Nyttend</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Smyth,_Konnarock_Training_School.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41683680","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konnarock_Training_School","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15239444"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/smyth-county/konnarock-training-school-97000483/"}