[2] The large monadnock mountain was thought to resemble a bullfrog and the Native Americans named it "Ratratrat," after the sound the animal makes.

Early white settlers thought what they were saying sounded like "Ararat," the mountain which, according to the Bible, was the landing point of Noah's Ark.

Several famous people were born in the community, such as the Reverend Bob Childress;[3] "The Man Who Moved A Mountain," and James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart,[4] the Major General of Cavalry for Robert E. Lee during the American Civil War.

Stuart Birthplace, the Laurel Hill Farm,[5] is a preserved private park in the community that is open for self-guided tours daily and holds a Civil War encampment the first full weekend of October each year.

This Patrick County, Virginia state location article is a stub.