The Catawba Sanatorium near Glenvar, Virginia, was one of several tuberculosis sanatoria established by the Commonwealth of Virginia in the first decade of the 20th century. Until the invention of Streptomycin, the only known treatment for tuberculosis was fresh air, sunshine, and a healthy diet. Patients were sent to sanatoria like the Catawba Sanatorium to stay until their symptoms abated.

The old route of the Appalachian Trail passed close to the Sanatorium from 1932-1952, and hikers could access the trail by taking a bus to the grounds of the Sanatorium and then backtracking to the county road that the trail used to get between Mason Cove and Glenvar, Virginia.