Penhook is a census-designated place (CDP) in Franklin County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 census, Penhook had a population of 782. It is part of the Roanoke metropolitan area.
Geography
Penhook is located in eastern Franklin County at (37.004501, −79.628747). It is bordered to the east by the Pittsylvania County line and by the Cool Branch arm of Smith Mountain Lake. The northern edge of the CDP is the center of the Blackwater River part of the lake, while the northwestern edge follows the Bull Run arm of the lake and then Bull Run itself upstream to Virginia State Route 40, which runs east–west through the center of the CDP. The southern half of the CDP extends nearly to the Pigg River, an east-flowing tributary of the Roanoke River. Route 40 leads west to Rocky Mount, the Franklin County seat, and east to Gretna at U.S. Route 29.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the Penhook CDP has a total area of , of which is land and , or 11.70%, is water.
History
One of the older buildings in Penhook is the Old Chapel Church, located at 436 Old Chapel Road. This church house, also known as "Snow Creek Chapel", was built as a chapel of ease by the Church of England, by the Camden vestry, in 1769. In 2017, the Old Chapel Church was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Gov. Terry McAuliffe has also deemed the church a “Virginia Treasure,” a designation for ecological, cultural, scenic and recreational assets.
Demographics
Penhook was first listed as a census designated place in the 2000 U.S. census.