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…

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…

Despite the attention given to passenger service and its depots, the main railroad business in Woodstock and Shenandoah County was freight. The region exported hundreds of carloads of agricultural products each year while importing heavy machinery,…

This mill was built sometime around 1797 by the Spangler family, who were some of the first Europeans to immigrate to the Strasburg area. It was designed with a wooden end because that material could absorb the vibrations associated with the mill…

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…

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…