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Situated as it is on US 250, Fishersville could rightly be called a transportation crossroads. The road not only connects Waynesboro and Staunton, but it continues east to make a beeline for the state capital in Richmond. When the C & O Railroad crossed into the Shenandoah Valley from the east in the 1850s, it ran parallel to the road and gave the hamlet a railroad stop as well.
In the heart of the Shenandoah Valley, Staunton - the Queen City on the Great Wagon Road between the Blue Ridge and the Alleghenies - offers old fashioned Americana at its best.
Staunton's beginnings trace back to 1732, when John Lewis, the area's first white settler, came to the Shenandoah Valley and built his home a mile east of the present city. Many settlers followed Lewis and four years later when King George II issued William Beverley a grant of 118,491 acres embracing a large part of what is now Augusta County.
The town of Staunton was incorporated as a city in 1871. In 1905, when the population surpassed the 10,000 mark, the city was forced by state law to reorganize its government and install a board of aldermen and a common council.
The addition of 12 square miles, more than doubling the size of the city, on Jan. 1, 1987 was the fifth annexation.
Staunton is still the center of a commercial, industrial, agricultural and service-oriented area of western Virginia. East of the city limits, Interstates 81 and 64 join.
Cultural and recreational opportunities abound. Many area organizations sponsor art exhibits, music festivals and concerts, plays and dramatic readings, lectures, seminars and workshops drawing out-of-town visitors as well as local residents. Two large municipal parks provide golf, tennis, swimming, picnicking, softball and baseball activities. Close by are a national forest and a national park.
Among many historic landmarks in Staunton, the best known nationally is the old manse at North Coalter and Frederick streets which is the birthplace of Woodrow Wilson, 28th president of the United States. Nearby is the Frontier Culture Museum, which opened in 1988. The living history museum features original farmsteads from the 18th and 19th centuries.
Staunton also contains five historic districts: The Wharf, Beverley, Gospel Hill, Newtown and Stuart Addition.
The Wharf
When the Virginia Central Railroad was built in 1854, it changed Staunton from a rural village into a booming center of commerce. By the turn of the century, warehouses were built around the train depot supplying everything from fresh produce to wagons and harnesses. Since it is not near any body of water, it is not known how The Wharf got it's name.
Beverley
This compact urban area retains it's 19th century charm and "Main Street" ambience. Although Staunton was founded in 1747, on land originally owned by William Beverley, most buildings date from the "boom" years between 1870 and 1920. Downtown Staunton, one of Virginia's finest collections of Victorian era architecture, was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.
Gospel Hill
The corner of Beverley and Coalter Streets was called Gospel Hill in the late 1790s when religious meetings were held here at Sampson Eagon's blacksmith shop. Today, the intersection marks the heart of this gracious neighborhood of shady trees and elegant homes that represent a century of domestic architectural styles.
Newtown
Deeded to the city by Alexander St. Clair in 1787, this area was called Newtown to distiguish it from the original part known as Oldtown. Staunton's oldest residential area encompasses the grounds of Stuart Hall School, historic Trinity Church, the landmark Stuart House and the city's first black church.
Stuart Addition
This diverse older neighborhood adjoins the campus of Mary Baldwin College and the former Staunton Military Academy. Rich in historical associations, it boasts a number of buildings listed in the National Register and some of the steepest hills in town. Deeded to the town in 1803 by Judge Archibald Stuart, Stuart Addition Historic District was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1984.
Downtown Staunton is almost entirely comprised of two of the five historic districs in Staunton, The Wharf and Beverley. The other districts are Gospel Hill, Newtown and Stuart Addition.
Staunton's fine collection of historic preservation areas includes the Gospel Hill Historic District, so named in the late 1790s when religious meetings were held at its blacksmith shop. Its elegant homes include examples of Victorian, Greek Revival, and Federal styles. The Downtown Historic District is a compact 19th-century "Main Street," with buildings that date from Staunton's boom years between 1860 and 1920, and a fine concentrations of Victorian-era architecture. Its Wharf Historic District harks to the days when the railroad changed Staunton from a rural village to a center of commerce, with strong and sturdy warehouses. Since 1972 the Wharf Historic District has been on the National Register of Historic Places, and its depot and other preserved buildings house restaurants, antique shops and specialty boutiques.
Downtown Staunton is still rich in history, but also caters to a more contemporary crowd as well. Beverley Street is rich in cafes, boutiques and other specialty and novelty shops. While a bit hilly, it does provide a nice opportunity for a nice stroll and people watching.
In a place where cornfields and chocolates are equally abundant, Stuarts Draft, located in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley, is a community engagedd in a balancing act between industry and agriculture. Some of the residents would say it is an uneasy balance that has created an amazing amount of growth and change in the last twenty years, but most would agree that the down-home spirit of the areas people have helped "The Draft" retain its small-town, farm community atmosphere.
In 1749, Thomas Stuart purchased 353 acres near the South River, a tribuary of the South Fork of the Shenandoah River. 'Draft' probably refers to the document drafting the land sale or is a reference to the river itself (draft is an old term for river or creek and is part of the name of several such in the area). The plain on the south side of the river tends to channel the wind, thus forming a rather constant draft. John Colter, a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, was born in the vicinity in 1774.
Located just north of Staunton, Verona is a small community situated in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley. Although small, this community is rich in culture, especially the performing arts. Verona is home to The Oak Grove Theater and ShenanArts Stage4 Theater, both of which regularly perform plays by Shakespeare and other historical and contemporary playwrights. Verona is also home to the Augusta County Government Center, which in addition to housing government offices, holds a weekly Farmers' Market for local growers and other local artisans. In addition, Verona also boasts it's share of fine dining and shopping.
The City of Waynesboro is centrally located in the eastern portion of Virginia's scenic and historic Shenandoah Valley, just 90 miles northwest of the state capital of Richmond and 125 miles southwest of the nation's capital, Washington, D.C.
Waynesboro,deriving its name from General Anthony Wayne or possibly Wayne's family home, is an independent city located within the confines of Augusta County in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 19,520 at the 2000 census. It is located in the Shenandoah Valley, near many important historical markers of the Civil War and Shenandoah National Park. A portion of Interstate 64 falls within the city limits of Waynesboro, and the Blue Ridge Parkway, Skyline Drive, and the Appalachian Trail are less than five miles away. The town is perhaps best known for being the home of P. Buckley Moss and the P. Buckley Moss Museum, which attracts 45,000 visitors annually. A large DuPont plant (now Invista and owned by Koch Industries) and the associated Benger Laboratory where Lycra (spandex) was invented, as well as a large textile mill called Wayn-Tex (now owned by Mohawk Industries), were significant employers for residents through much of the 20th century. Waynesboro is home to the corporate headquarters of Ntelos (a regional wireless and telecommunications company serving Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio). Tourism, industrial production, and retail remain vital to the Waynesboro economy. The Generals of the Valley Baseball League play here.
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