Mt. Zion Lutheran Church, lovingly called the “beautiful church on the hilltop,” dates to 1829 when Abraham Smutz and his family sold a parcel of land to a group of church trustees. This land contained a house that the deed required to be used as a…

In 1820 14 enslaved African Americans called this place home. The Federal Census from that year noted 9 of them were male and 5 were female. Four of these were owned by Philip S. Spengler Jr. Most likely his slaves were a mother and her three…

The village of St. Luke emerged around the local Lutheran Congregation in the late 19th century. By 1879, there was a separate Lutheran Church, school house, and Union Church in the community. Five years later, Lake’s Atlas indicates the village had…

In 1884 local businessman J.I. Triplett founded the Mt. National Bank with $50,000 of capital. Triplett was a well-established commercial leader who was responsible for operating several mills, electric power plants, banks and stores in Shenandoah…

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…

Situated on the southwest corner of Congress Street and Lee Street, the Elon Henkel House, or Henkel Press Building is a familiar landmark in New Market. While the house is most notably known for being owned by Elon Henkel, his grandfather,…