As part of his 1864 campaign, Union General Ulysses S. Grant ordered Federal forces under General Franz Sigel to march through the Shenandoah Valley and destroy the railroad and Confederate Army’s base of supplies. This 9,000 man force began to…

In 1877 the Shenandoah County School Board purchased a one-half acre lot to build a new school in Mt. Jackson. This would be the first county operated, public school in the town. The new structure would be finished the following year. It was part of…

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 the early part of the 20th century, Mr. S. Lonas of Mt. Jackson constructed this building to house his mercantile business. Like many merchants at the time, Lonas dealt in most any time of merchandise customers wanted. His inventory included…

Trains first arrived at Mt. Jackson in 1859 when the Manassas Gap Railroad completed construction of a new line that terminated in the town. Though the railroad intended to extend the route to Harrisonburg, money had run short. Anyone wishing to…

In 1821 Walter Newman purchased approximately 900 acres in the western part of Shenandoah County and one year later began mining and refining iron ore in the area. He called his production facility “Liberty Furnace.” Newman, and later his son…