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
Lantz Mills Community
In 1747, Hans George Lantz left Germany and eventually settled on 470 acres along Stoney Creek in Shenandoah County. The area he arrived in had been occupied by Native Americans for several centuries.…
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…
Shenstone
This house was constructed around 1825. Before this, a log cabin that was home to Riley Moore, an original European resident of the area, stood at the site. The house is a Federal Style structure with…
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 Passenger Depot
In 1878 the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad completed this passenger depot in Strasburg Virginia. It replaced an earlier station constructed by the Manassas Gap Railroad in 1854 near the current site of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church. The new structure was…
Orkney Springs Resort
From it’s founding in the mid-1770s, the Orkney Springs community has been welcoming visitors. Surrounding it was a plethora of springs that reportedly had healing powers. People from around the country flocked to the area to find a cure to their…
Hotel Strasburg
Located on the corner of Queen and Holliday Streets, the Hotel Strasburg is one of the most elegant and attractive lodging sites in Shenandoah County.
This was not the first building on this site. In 1782 Christopher Keister Jr. opened an ordinary…
Hupp's Hill
This land was settled by the George F. Hupp, Sr. family in the 1750’s. Hupp, and his descendants, became successful farmers and local leaders.
During the Civil War, this position was important strategic point. Both Union and Confederate forces…
Holtzman Hotel
The 1885 Lake's Atlas of Shenandoah and Page Counties notes the "Shenandoah House" stood on this site. It would have served travelers on the Valley Turnpike and from the nearby rail line.
Sometime in the last decade of the 19th century/first…
Woodstock School
In the summer of 1908 the Woodstock School Trustees completed this new, brick High School to serve as the area’s Graded and High School. Plans for it were started in 1906 and construction began the following year. A private donation of $3,000 from…