When Europe went to war in August of 1914 the residents of Fort Valley Virginia could have scarcely realized how important their small community would become to the US economy. During the late 1800s a manganese mine had operated in Fort Valley to…

In 1927 Snoop’s Snake Farm opened two miles south of Edinburg in the small community of Bowman’s Crossing. Though we know little about the site, early advertisements indicated the site featured four types of poisonous snakes and several alligators.…

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…

On September 16, 1951 the Shenandoah County Memorial Hospital was dedicated in Woodstock Virginia. This was the result of a massive fundraising campaign that lasted just over five years. Prior to the completion of the hospital, individual doctors…

The first school in the St. Luke community dates to before 1841. That year the school building, and a parcel of land, was deeded to a group of school trustees who agreed to use the building and land as a Union Church and school. This original…

On August 29, 1782, the Shenandoah County Court certified George Huddle (Hottel) sold 66 gallons of whiskey to support the Patriot cause during the American Revolution. Additional research provided by the Hottel-Keller Memorial Association indicates…