2026-04-24T14:40:26-04:00 Zend_Feed_Writer https://shenandoahstories.org/ Shenandoah Stories https://shenandoahstories.org 2016-05-27T12:20:06-04:00 2019-11-27T12:17:29-05:00 https://shenandoahstories.org/items/show/79 Shenandoah County Library In 1830, Fort Valley resident Daniel Munch donated two acres of land to house a school and church. He required that the church be available for all Protestant denominations. The one room church building that was constructed there was made of locally fired red bricks and featured an upstairs gallery. Over the next century, five different congregations used the church for their worship services. The last of these built their own building and departed the Union Church in 1949. After which the building became a community meeting place. By 1972 the building was deteriorating due to a lack of use. That year the building’s trustees decided that the space should be used for a museum. They transferred ownership of the structure to the new Fort Valley Museum which opened on July 4, 1974. Today the museum continues to gather, preserve, and showcase the history of the area. It maintains a wide variety of exhibits and hosts an annual ice cream social which attracts large crowds. For more (including 2 images), view the original article. 2016-05-27T12:03:39-04:00 2018-10-19T11:46:21-04:00 https://shenandoahstories.org/items/show/78 Shenandoah County Library Dry Run Christian Church was born around 1841, when a small congregation began meeting at the Union Church at Dry Run in Fort Valley. In 1879 this congregation joined the American Christian Church which followed the tenants that Christ was the head of the church, no human authority can dictate how the bible is used, that each believer is free to make their own judgments about interpreting scripture, and that the true measure of a Christian was their character and piety. The semi-independent nature of this covenant would have been attractive to local residents who were determined to follow their own beliefs, not ones determined by outside organizations. The congregation continued to worship at the Union Church until 11921. Services were conducted by ministers from outside the area, so the church’s core was maintained by lay members. In 1899 a spilt occurred over whether the church should remain more conservative or progressive. This schism ended in 1908 when the groups remerged. In October 1921, the congregation was able to dedicate its own church. As a result, membership grew drastically. This group voted to join the United Church of Christ in 1957 when the old Christian Church and the Evangelical and Reformed Churches agreed to merge. However they withdrew from this national denomination in the 1990s. This decision, taken while the church was under the leadership of the Rev. Alfred Lawrence, reflected the congregations decision to follow an independent pathway that differed from the U.C.C. church. Today, they remain the independent, Dry Run Christian Church and highlight their rural roots and family atmosphere. For more, view the original article.