Shenandoah Stories
A project by Shenandoah County LibraryJoin us in our efforts to explore the history and culture of Shenandoah County Virginia through our web based tour platform Shenandoah Stories. Click a site on the map, select a tour, or view a random story to begin. Read more About Us
Featured Stories
Historic Courthouse
In April 1795 county justices ordered construction of a new stone courthouse on this lot. It would be constructed of native valley limestone. Courthouses served as a symbol of law and order. For this…
New Market Observation Tower
After Pearl Harbor Americans feared that their communities could be targeted by the enemy, so a civil defense organization was created. Though officials realized the risk of attack was slight, they…
New Market Service Station
In the late 1940s a Gulf Station opened in New Market at the intersection of Routes 11 and 211, two of the region's major highways. Before the introduction of the Interstate Highway System, this area…
Featured Tours
African Americans in Shenandoah County
13 Locations ~ Curated by Shenandoah County LibrarySpirits, Stills, and Temperance: Tracing the History of Alcohol in Shenandoah County
20 Locations ~ Curated by Shenandoah County LibraryFarms, Factories, and the Frontlines: Shenandoah County in the World Wars
10 Locations ~ Curated by The Shenandoah Stories TeamRandom Stories
Strasburg Presbyterian Church
When the first meeting was held at the Winchester Presbytery, the name given to the body representing Presbyterian Churches in a certain district, there were two Presbyterian Churches in Shenandoah County. The records of that meeting, held on…
Dorothy's Inn
Sometime during the first decades of the 20th century, this rubble-style building was constructed overlooking the Shenandoah River just south of what is now called the “Narrow Passage.”
The early history of this site is not well known. Some…
Chapin and Sachs Manufacturing
Chapin and Sachs, sometimes known as Chapin and Sacks, Manufacturing opened a plant in Woodstock Virginia in 1910 following the purchase of the A.W. Nicodemus & Sons Creamery building on what is now East Court Street which had opened in 1903.
At…
Dr. Folley Home
This two story, frame, L shaped, Queen Anne home was constructed around 1904. Dr. Folley, a local medical practitioner, lived here and had his office and examination room in this house. Today it is an apartment building.
Shannon Building
At the turn of the 20th century, C.M. Shannon of Mt. Jackson built this structure. On the first floor was his growing hardware business. On the second was his family’s living quarters.
During this period, the downtown communities in each of…
Nelson Theater
In 1938, Burgess Nelson, a local businessman and Gulf Oil Dealer, built this theatre in Mt. Jackson. It was the first purpose built theatre in town and was modeled after the Rosalind Theatre in New York City. The theatre’s popular Art Deco style,…