Welcome to Sweet Grass Village

Living in Lewisburg
Historic Lewisburg

As one of the oldest small cities in the region, Lewisburg offers a bountiful opportunity to look into the past. These are just some of the historic sites located within the area.

Carnegie Hall - 105 Church Street
The Carnegie Hall building was constructed in 1902 as a classroom facility and an auditorium for Lewisburg Female Institute (later Greenbrier College). This three-story brick building serves today as a center of educational and cultural activities within the community. The hall contains fine arts studios where music, dancing, pottery making and weaving are taught. Its spacious auditorium is the scene for dramatic presentations, concerts, public lectures and a community carol sing. Carnegie Hall also houses the Chamber of Commerce and the Visitors Center.

Confederate Cemetery - On McElhenney Road
A cross-shaped mass grave containing the remains of 95 unknown Confederate soldiers who were killed or died of wounds in the Battle of Lewisburg on May 23, 1862. The site of the cemetery lies within the position occupied by the Union forces at the start of the battle. Brochures on the battle are available at the Visitors Center in Carnegie Hall.

General Lewis Inn - 301 E. Washington Street
The east wing of this building was the John Withrow house built in 1834. The lobby and west wing were added in 1928 and contain an impressive collection of antique glass, china, kitchen utensils, tools and firearms. The inn is furnished with locally collected antiques and does not have a bed that is not at least 100 years old.

Greenbrier County Courthouse - 200 N. Court Street
The last of several courthouses in Lewisburg, this building was constructed in 1837. A large red brick structure with white columns, it is typical of the many early courthouses still to be seen in Virginia. You can learn more at http://wvweb.com/cities/lewisburg/index.html.

Greenbrier Military School/West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine - 400 N. Lee Street.
This school and the former Greenbrier College on Church Street had their origins in the co-educational Lewisburg Academy, established in 1812. The schools were separated in 1874 and the Lewisburg Classical Male School was opened near the site of the present school. Names and ownership of the school changed over the years and in 1912 it became the Greenbrier Military School. The present building was constructed in 1926 and became the home of the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine in 1974, but its earlier military association is still very evident in the structure's architecture.

North House - 301 Courtney Drive
Located on the western edge of Lewisburg, and backing on U.S. 60, this building was erected in 1834 as a library for visiting jurists staying at the North House across the street. During the Civil War it was used as a hospital, and as a Masonic Lodge after the war. It was acquired by the city in 1939, restored, and has been used as a library since 1941.

Lewis Spring (Andrew Lewis Park) - Corner of N. Jefferson and Randolph streets
Discovered and named in the early 1750s by Andrew Lewis, the spring is enclosed in a stone spring house over 200 years old. This spring supplied water to the earliest settlement in Lewisburg and to Fort Savannah, constructed in 1770. The old Barracks Building can still be seen.

Library Annex - Next to the western end of the Library
This two-story brick structure was built around 1835. This building served as slave quarters and kitchen of the Johnston Reynolds Mansion on Chestnut Street. It was moved to the present site in 1978 and is used for children's story hour and other meetings.

Old Stone Church - 200 Church Street
This is the most famous of Lewisburg's landmarks and was built in 1796. The building is the oldest church in continuous use west of the Alleghenies. Constructed of native limestone, the church remains essentially unchanged. The headstones of some of the area's early settlers can be seen in the cemetery surrounding the church. You can learn more at www.oldstone.org.

Walking Tour of Historic Lewisburg
The old buildings listed above are those to which the public can gain entry. A detailed walking tour map including these sites and many others may be obtained at the Visitors Center in Carnegie Hall on Church Street.

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