Botetourt County was formed in 1769 from Augusta and named for Lord Botetourt, governor of Virginia from 1768 to 1770. Buchanan, in this county, was the western terminus of the noted James River and Kanawha Canal. Roanoke County was formed in 1838 from Botetourt and Montgomery and was probably named for the Roanoke River. General Andrew Lewis lived here, and the city of Roanoke is known as the Magic City of the South.