2026-04-20T04:16:10-04:00 Zend_Feed_Writer https://shenandoahstories.org/ Shenandoah Stories https://shenandoahstories.org 2016-12-01T12:50:27-05:00 2018-12-18T12:15:51-05:00 https://shenandoahstories.org/items/show/136 Shenandoah County Library 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 operated “hospitals” in different towns and communities. Often these were little more than elaborate offices. After the end of the Second World War the community realized it medical facilities were inadequate for a growing, modern community. In addition returning veterans had seen how beneficial an efficient hospital could be during their military service. This lead to the creation of a hospital board and fundraising campaign in 1946. Three years later a groundbreaking ceremony was held. Land had been donated on Main Street just south of Woodstock and the $250,000 the hospital needed for construction had been raised. According to sentiments expressed at the time, the new facility would be able to provide protection from epidemics, accidents, and illness that a community needed. Once it opened, SMH revolutionized health care in the county. Services were now centralized, residents could receive advanced care without travelling, and doctors were able to work together instead of providing isolated services. However, over time the hospital marked the end of the house call and the country doctor. Today the county’s hospital continues to provide essential services to area residents. In 2002 it became a part Valley Health, a regional healthcare system that provides greater access to resources in services. The original structure still stands, but several additions have been constructed, including a new Emergency Department and medical building which opened in 2016. For more (including 6 images), view the original article. 2016-05-04T17:21:32-04:00 2018-10-19T11:46:20-04:00 https://shenandoahstories.org/items/show/19 Shenandoah County Library Located on the corner of Queen and Holliday Streets, the Hotel Strasburg is one of the most elegant and attractive lodging sites in Shenandoah County. This was not the first building on this site. In 1782 Christopher Keister Jr. opened an ordinary here. How long it operated is unknown. In 1895 Dr. Mackall R. Bruin opened a hospital here in a building that is currently the Hotel’s annex. What its prior use was is undetermined. The existing building was constructed in 1902 by Dr. Bruin and was designed to serve as a hospital. He had made an extensive amount of house calls riding on horseback and saw the need for a modern, central hospital where he could serve patients. Community leaders backed him and the Strasburg Hospital was born. At one time, a nursing school was also operated at the site to ensure there was an adequate supply of trained nurses to serve the local population. In 1915 the hospital was closed and the building converted into a hotel. It catered to travelers and residential guests who stayed there during lengthy stays in the Valley. In the 1940s one teacher who was in the area teaching at a local elementary school stayed here and reported she paid $35 dollars a month for her room and two meals a day. Philanthropist Leo Bernstein took an interest in the town and the hotel in the 1980s. In 1987 he completely restored the site in a supposed Victorian Style. Today the site regularly sees a parade of visitors from around the world and welcomes many to its popular restaurant, hotel rooms, and pup. For more (including 5 images), view the original article.