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
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…
Emanuel Lutheran Church
The first Lutheran Church in Woodstock predated the arrival of the town’s founder Jacob Mueller. Local German residents had felt the need for a place to practice their Lutheran faith and had therefore…
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
Zion Christian Church
On June 15, 1833 seventeen members of the community banded together to form the Zion Christian Church. Originally meetings were held at the Zion Schoolhouse once a month. New members were allowed to join, but only after a unanimous vote. This early…
St. James Lutheran Church
St. James Lutheran Church in Zepp dates to around 1822 when W.G. Keil, a ministerial student, began conducting services in local homes. By September of 1822 he had established a church with 30 confirmed members.
The first church building was…
Shenandoah Caverns
In 1884 individuals construction workers building the Shenandoah Valley Railroad accidentally discovered a caverns west of Mt. Jackson.
Though locals had called the area Forestville for years, in 1921 it would be rechristened Shenandoah Caverns.…
Columbia Furnace
Columbia Furnace was most likely established during the first decade of the 19th century. The community sprang up after George Mayberry & Company, working with the Pennybackers, located an iron deposit nearby and began a mining and smelting…
Southern Kitchen
Established in 1955, Southern Kitchen is probably New Markets most iconic restaurants. The restaurant prides itself on serving delicious meals, ranging from fried chicken to peanut soup, with 1950s flair.
Southern Kitchen has an upstairs dining…
Camp Wolfs Gap
On May 15, 1933 the Civilian Conservation Corps opened Camp Edinburg just west of Columbia Furnace on the Virginia/West Virginia line. Originally the camp’s population consisted of approximately 80 CCC enrollees and 16 local supervisors in Company…