Canepatch
Ghost town · Wise County, Virginia

Canepatch is a ghost town in Wise County, Virginia. It is one of 9 former communities in Wise County on the federal names register. That ranks the county 4th among the 90 Virginia counties with a vanished settlement on record.
The U.S. Geological Survey lists Canepatch as a historical populated place on the Norton topographic quadrangle: the name is no longer in official use for a community, whether the settlement was abandoned, absorbed into a neighbouring town or renamed. The recorded location is 36.9445° N, 82.7185° W.
Key facts
| USGS quadrangle | Norton |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 1,843 ft |
| Nearest living town | Dunbar, VA |
| Distance to it | 2.5 miles |
| GNIS feature ID | 1496595 |
| Coordinates | 36.94454, -82.71849 |
What's there now
Canepatch is no longer a community in its own right. The nearest living town is Dunbar, VA (population 51), about 2.5 miles away in a straight line, and the site sits at roughly 1,843 feet above sea level. Much of the land around former townsites is private; check access before you visit.
Nearby places
- Clarkghost town · Wise County · 4.1 mi
- Pardeeghost town · Wise County · 4.7 mi
- Beechwoodghost town · Wise County · 5.6 mi
- Clear Creekghost town · Wise County · 7.1 mi
- Upper Cumberlandghost town · Letcher County · 8.8 mi
- Goodloeghost town · Lee County · 9.7 mi
- Mohawkghost town · Lee County · 11.5 mi
- Big Cowanghost town · Letcher County · 11.5 mi
- Valahoghost town · Scott County · 11.6 mi
- Kingdom Comeghost town · Letcher County · 13 mi
- Crafts Collyghost town · Letcher County · 13 mi
- Riggsghost town · Scott County · 13.2 mi
Questions
Where is Canepatch?
Canepatch is in Wise County, Virginia, at 36.9445, -82.7185.
How many ghost towns are in Wise County?
Wise County, Virginia has 9 ghost towns on record at Wayfarrow.
- USGS Geographic Names Information System (Domestic Names) — GNIS Domestic Names, feature record (public-domain)
- U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line and ACS — Census Gazetteer + ACS 5-year population (public-domain)
Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.