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Austinville Drive-In
Poplar Camp Rd. (then VA 81, now VA 69), 2 miles east of Austinville, Va.
capacity: 200 cars
known years of operation: 1952-57 (apparently closed by 1965)
currently: ticket booth/snack bar building still stands (see photo below)

"Some information on the Drive-In, which was located on the Poplar Camp Road, near Bethany. It was built and operated by Garnett McGee, a machinist for the New Jersey Zinc Co. He was an entrepreneur at heart. Back in the 30's, when the New Deal subsidized limestone purchases for farmers, they came in with wagons and trucks to buy Austinville lime. Local teen-agers, including myself, were paid a nickel a ton to help the farmers load up. Garnett bought a small power shovel and did the job instead, loading 5-6 tons in about an equal number of minutes. He made more money at that than working as a machinist. He and wife, Reba, lived in the new brick house, the roof of which can be seen in the background of the picture." -- Doug Midkiff

Click here to see an aerial photo depicting the drive-in site, clearly noticeable by its fan shape with some of the ramp pattern still visible.

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