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By early in 1865 the situation in the Valley was a desperate one for citizens and soldiers. In Richard Kleese’s “Shenandoah County in the Civil War,” we learn that bushwhackers were a particular annoyance for Sheridan’s Federal cavalry. He set up a band of special scouts to deal with them under the command of Major Henry Young. They often dressed in Confederate uniforms, passing themselves off as a body of recruits from Maryland, pursued by Yankee Cavalry.
On January 19 Young and his troops left Winchester, dressed in Confederate grey, passing through Woodstock and finally being halted at the Stony Creek bridge in Edinburg by Capt. George Grandstaff of Co. E, 12th Va. Cavalry. The disguised Federals had with them the body of a young soldier to be returned to his family in New Market. The suspicious Grandstaff allowed them to continue, but sent some of his troops along. The Federal scouts returned from New Market and headed north to Maurertown, where they camped. After dawn the next day, they returned to Edinburg where they captured the Confederate picket at the Stony Creek bridge as well as some other soldiers at camp in Humston’s woods and headed north with their prisoners. Grandstaff gathered his troops and began a pursuit.
Meanwhile Confederate soldier, Silas Wright, happened upon the Federals very early in the morning as they made their way towards Edinburg, and quickly gathered a force from the Maurertown area under the command of Capt. Martin Strickler. They placed themselves in Koontz’s Woods, just north of Pugh’s Run. As the Federals crossed the bridge there, Strickler’s troops charged into their rear guard. Strickler’s small band struggled but Capt. Grandstaff arrived in time to continue the pursuit, with the Federals making stands near the tollhouse in Maurertown and at the Four-Mile House south of Strasburg.
Silas Wright later wrote “All that was needed here were a few shots and the old Confed’s battle yell, and they broke into one of the wildest, craziest stampedes that I have ever witnessed. We rode through them and over them. They actually jumped off their mounts and tried to outrun them … About three hundred yards north of the stone bridge at Fisher’s Hill we recaptured the last prisoner and ceased the pursuit in the suburbs of Strasburg.”
The Confederates freed all of their captured pickets and captured 17 of the enemy and 20 horses.
One of the Civil War's more colorful characters was Belle Boyd, a young woman from the Valley whose activities as a spy for the Confederate cause earned her praise and notoriety. In the spring of 1863, after traveling throughout the South, she headed back to Virginia, hoping to return to her family in Martinsburg. At that time the town was in Union hands and Belle did not dare go there, but hearing that Confederate forces were advancing north towards Winchester, she decided to follow at the rear of the army.
In Woodstock she met up with an acquaintance, Major Harry Gilmor, who had been ordered on a scouting expedition to Winchester, and begged to go along. Gilmor was not happy at the prospect of Belle Boyd tagging along and stalled, saying he would need his General's permission. Hoping to get away early the next morning without her, he rose before sunrise to discover both his saber and pistols missing. As he frantically searched for them, Belle approached, dressed in a riding habit and with Gilmor's two pistols in her holster, her way of insuring he wouldn't leave her behind.
They proceeded to the quarters of General Jenkins and Gilmor later wrote the following: "We found him sitting before his tent, and after dispatching my business Miss Belle presented her request. I fixed myself rather behind her, that I might give a signal to the general not to consent. The fact is, I did not care to be accompanied by a woman on so perilous an enterprise; for though she was a splendid and reckless rider, of unflinching courage, and her whole soul bound up in the Southern cause, yet she was a little - mark you only a LITTLE - headstrong and wilful, and I thought it best, both for her sake and mine, that she should not go. I hope Miss Belle will forgive this little ruse. The general, of course, refused, which made her furious, but he was firm, and I rode off without her."
By June 14 the attack on Winchester began. Belle had made her way north and observed the fighting from a nearby hill. The Confederates recaptured both Winchester and Martinsburg, so Belle was able to return home.
Our source for this account was Ruth Scarborough, from her book, Belle Boyd, Siren of the South.
On March 24, 1772 the Virginia General Assembly approved the division of Frederick County into 3 separate counties. It became Frederick, Berkeley (now in West Virginia) and Dunmore, the original name of Shenandoah County. At that time the county included our own Shenandoah, about half of present day Warren and about two-thirds of Page County.
The county was named for John Murray, the Earl of Dunmore, appointed by the king as governor of Virginia in 1771. From John Wayland's book, " A History of Shenandoah County, Virginia", we learn that he quickly became a popular governor for returning various fees for commissions from the state to the local governments and for promoting enterprises in the state that included the navigation of the Potomac River, constructing a canal around the falls of the James at Richmond and a deep waterway through Williamsburg to connect the James River with the York.
The name Dunmore lasted for five years, during which much happened. The Boston Tea Party took place in 1773, the battle at Lexington, Massachusetts and Governor Dunmore's seizure of the powder magazine in Williamsburg occurred in 1775, and the creation of the Virginia Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence in 1776. By 1777 after battling with the Royal Governor, his burning of Norfolk and his expulsion from Gwynn's Island, the Virginia General Assembly, and presumably our local citizens, were not too keen to have the county named Dunmore. Thus in 1777 Dunmore County became Shenandoah.
Shenandoah County’s rich history offers a great deal to those of us who enjoy learning about what happened here in the past, reading about those who lived here long ago and perhaps collecting items from those long ago days. A popular, and rare, item for a collector of printed materials, are books published by the Henkel Press which operated in New Market. The story of that press is an interesting one, as told by John Wayland in his book, A History of Shenandoah County.
In 1802, Ambrose Henkel, age 16 at the time, walked from his home in New Market to Hagerstown, MD. He spent the next few years learning the printing business in Hagerstown, Reading PA and Baltimore. He then purchased printing equipment of his own and hauled it up the Valley to New Market, starting his business in 1806 at the ripe old age of 20. On October 7, 1807, he produced the first issue of a newspaper, written in German, called The Virginia and New Market Popular Instructor and Weekly News.
In 1811 Ambrose printed a child’s primer that was illustrated with wood cuts which he himself made. In 1816 his shop produced a hymn book for Lutheran churches containing 546 pages that included compilations and original compositions by the printer’s father, the Rev. Paul Henkel. In 1816 or 1817 Ambrose sold his business to his brother Solomon and in 1823 he entered the ministry of the Lutheran Church, where he served until his death in 1870.
Solomon Henkel, followed by other family members, operated the Henkel Press until the last in that long line, Elon Henkel, sold the business in 1925. The scope of materials published at the Press throughout the years included the publication of local newspapers, the writing, printing and illustrating of school textbooks, publishing of church literature, printing of all varieties of job work for surrounding communities and the production of dozens of books of theological, literary and historical value. The Henkel family tradition of quality served the Valley well for 119 years.
Perhaps the most familiar product of the Henkel Press was the weekly newspaper, the Shenandoah Valley. The Shenandoah Valley, first published in German, eventually merged with Woodstock’s Shenandoah Herald, which had always been printed in English and first appeared in 1817. Today we still can read the descendant of these two weekly newspapers, the Shenandoah Valley Herald.
A most interesting person during the early years in Shenandoah County was the Rev. James Ireland, a native of Edinburgh, Scotland, and a successful and charismatic Baptist preacher in the Valley. Historian John Wayland relates in his book," A History of Shenandoah County", that in 1768 Ireland taught school near New Market, then called Cross Roads. Not long after, he acquired credentials as an itinerant preacher. For many years, he preached and lived at various area locations including Smith Creek, Rockingham, Fauquier, Woodstock, Strasburg, Cedar Creek and Waterlick. By the early 1790s he lived near Springdale in Frederick Co. with his family.
In June 1792 Betsy Southerlin, a woman living with the Ireland's, along with the aid of a family servant, attempted to poison them, using arsenic. A full account of the crime from an 1819 book stated that after eating a late breakfast, various family members and guests complained of severe digestive discomfort. Rev. Ireland, his six year old daughter, Jenny, three year old son, William, his brother in law and several other guests felt ill to differing degrees. During the following night, young William died. He was then discovered to have large black spots on his body. Rev. Ireland suffered terrible reaction to the poison, but survived, as did all the others affected.
It was first suspected that the arsenic had been present in the sugar cask, which Rev. Ireland had, that very day, acquired at Stoverstown (now Strasburg). That proved not to be the case and it was found that Betsy had actually hidden the poison in the bread served at breakfast. Both Betsy and the servant, Sucky, quickly confessed. Both however were acquitted of charges, apparently because Rev. Ireland refused to vigorously pursue the prosecution. It is said that he was reluctant to subject his young daughter, Jenny, to the ordeal of appearing as witness at trial. The accused stated that they applied the poison at the instigation of a third person; yet neither that nor the reason for the act are known even now.
Rev. Ireland continued as a preacher and was pastor of the Baptist congregations at Buck's Marsh, Happy Creek and Water Lick in Frederick and Shenandoah counties at the time of his death in 1806.
Part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal during the Depression of the 1930s was the creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps. The CCC was designed to provide jobs for thousands of unemployed young men and to work towards conservation of our natural resources. The very first CCC camp was right here in Shenandoah County. Called Camp Roosevelt, it was established on April 3, 1933 in the George Washington Forest, nine miles from Edinburg.
The history related here, taken from the website of the Camp Roosevelt CCC Legacy Foundation, tells us of the experience of a young man, George Dant, who served there. He was in the first group of men at the Camp and describes their arrival: “It was late afternoon when approximately 200 men walked to the crest of the mountain just above Camp Roosevelt. Looking down the road, there was nothing but open sky and one single canvas covered army truck in a 10-acre clearing. The local mountain and townspeople were standing around the fringes … They had come from Crisman Hollow, Edinburg, Mt. Jackson and Luray and as far away as New Market. These folks, waiting for something to happen, would be disappointed as the CCC boys straggled in … many of them had never before been in the mountains. The supply convoy had become separated and lost. (A storm arose and there was no shelter) … The mess officer, Sergeant Moose arrived and quickly grasped the situation (He and the cook retreated towards town) … returning after virtually clearing out the towns of hot dogs, hamburgers, salmon and bread.”
The history continues, telling us that after a few days, organization began to take place. The arrival of LEMs (Locally Experienced Men) brought stability. These LEMs were the newfound brothers, partners, friends and dads of all the enrollees, who taught, trained, guided and transformed city boys into men of the next generation.
By 1934 the men were sleeping in barracks, not tents. The camp expanded and by 1942 there were 24 buildings, including 6 barracks, a recreation hall, education building, wash house, officer’s quarters, infirmary, mess hall and kitchen, Army office, garage and truck shed.
The crews completed a variety of jobs. They built telephone lines, roads and bridges; planted trees, fought forest fires, stocked streams with fish, stocked the mountain with deer and worked on road side improvement. They also constructed Elizabeth Furnace Recreation Area, New Market Gap and Little Fort Recreation Areas. They built or improved Crisman Hollow road and SR 678 that runs through Ft. Valley.
One night a week they dressed in civilian clothes and drove the trucks to Edinburg. If you missed the 11:00 pm return ride, you had to walk the 9 miles back. Camp Roosevelt closed in 1942.
This moment from the past was presented by the Shenandoah County Historical Society.
Confederate Colonel Harry Gilmore was a colorful figure from the Civil War who served with Gen. Thomas Rosser’s Laurel Brigade. A story taken from Gilmore’s book, Four Years in the Saddle, written in 1866, illustrates his lively character.
Confederate troops were preparing to move in to Western Virginia on a raid and Gilmore and his men had orders to go to Moorefield, in Hardy County. They left the Valley on December 31, 1863, crossing North Mountain by the bad, steep road at Orkney Springs. The weather was very cold and it was snowing, but the troops continued on their way from Orkney Springs. Gilmore and some of the other officers, however, decided to seek shelter at the Springs until the storm abated. Here is Gilmore’s description:
“Mr. Bradford, the proprietor, received us with his usual kindness and soon had our horses put up, and a large fire built in a separate well-furnished cottage. Peach brandy and honey, the old Va. drink, passed around briskly and when summoned to supper, we were as “happy as lords.” The supper was excellent, for our host is celebrated for good living, and with appetites whetted by the keen air, to say nothing of the peach and honey, great piles of buckwheat cakes vanished as fast as snow would on the griddle that baked them. After supper we took a look at the weather and decided unanimously that it was not judicious to attempt crossing the mountain in such a storm and accordingly repaired to the snug little cabin, in which we found a roaring fire. We determined to escort the old year out and welcome the new one in in regular old VA. style; so we made a large tin bucketful of eggnog and another of milk punch and went in for making a night of it.“
The next morning Gilmore and the other officers, after breakfast, climbed the mountain and found the troops, ordnance wagons and artillery stuck there at the top, for the western slope was a solid sheet of ice. Eventually they made their way down to the valley, called the Cove, and stopped at a distillery there. To their disappointment they found that their commander, Gen. Rosser, had ordered that no liquor be sold to the troops. Not to be outdone, Gilmore, wearing a new uniform, wide-brimmed slouch hat with long plume, gold band and crossed sabers in front, had himself introduced to the elderly lady of the house as Gen. Lee. He was said to be almost perished with cold and desperately in need of refreshment. The simple hearted old woman, honored to have Gen. Lee in her home, dug from an old trunk a bottle of golden liquor which, when opened, filled the room with delicious peach perfume. The brandy had been a wedding present from the woman’s mother 33 years before and had never been opened. Gilmore confessed to feeling ashamed of his duplicity, but, nevertheless, he and his officers partook of the excellent brandy, leaving not a drop. They left some silver and gold coins with the family, who came onto the porch to see the General off!
This moment from the past was presented by the Shenandoah County Historical Society.
After the Battle of Fisher’s Hill in September 1864 Confederate troops retreated south. Union troops followed and General Philip Sheridan set up his main camps in Rockingham County. The second week of October, his forces began their strategic withdrawal down the Valley to the north, through Shenandoah County, carrying out General Ulysses Grant’s July orders to clear and clean the Valley of every form of subsistence.
Gen. Sheridan had his infantry march first and positioned Gen. Wesley Merritt’s cavalry division on the Valley Pike and Gen. George Custer’s cavalry division on the Back Road. These troops were told to burn all mills, outbuildings, barns and haystacks, and to carry off or destroy all livestock and other items edible by man or beast.
A dispatch sent by Sheridan from Woodstock reported that “I have destroyed over 2,000 barns filled with wheat, hay, and farming implements; over seventy mills filled with flour and wheat; have driven in front of the army over 4,000 head of stock, and have killed and issued to the troops not less than 3,000 sheep.” He later added that he destroyed “a woolen mill, a powder mill, 8 saw mills, 7 furnaces and 4 tanneries.”
Despite these reports some structures were saved. Barns at New Market and near Mt. Jackson, because of earlier kindnesses by the owners, were spared. Two mills at Edinburg were saved as were the Sheetz mill to the west, Fisher’s mill at Fisher’s Hill and Spengler’s mill at Strasburg.
A war correspondent traveling with Sheridan’s army described the destruction:
“the atmosphere from horizon to horizon has been black with the smoke of a hundred conflagrations, and at night a gleam, brighter and more lurid than sunset, has shot from every verge … The wailing of women and children, mingling with the crackling of flames, has sounded from scores of buildings. I have seen mothers weeping over the loss of that which was necessary to their children’s lives … their last cow, their last bit of flour pilfered by stragglers, the last morsel they had in the world to eat or drink … The completeness of the destruction is awful. Hundreds of nearly starving people are going North … ”
This account was taken from Richard Kleese’s book, Shenandoah County In The Civil War.
This moment from the past was presented by the Shenandoah County Historical Society.
We know that the Valley Pike Co. was incorporated in 1834 in order to build and provide a safe and comfortable route through the Shenandoah Valley. But what was travel like before that? How would the landscape and Valley towns appear to a stranger? In 1825 His Highness, Bernhard, Duke of Saxe-Weimar, passed up the Valley and wrote about his trip. In his book, A History of Shenandoah County, historian John Wayland quotes from Bernhard’s diary from Nov. 19, 1825:
“From Winchester, we went to Stephensbury, eight miles farther, to Middleton, then to Strasburg, and at last to Woodstock, where we passed the night … We reached our night-quarters in the evening about six o’clock, in a very cold night and a fine moonshine. The places between Winchester and Woodstock were not considerable, except Strasburg, which is more ancient than the others, and appears to have a larger population. The houses are generally of wood and covered with shingles, although a great number of stones are found here. The country became at last very fine. On our left we saw the Blue Ridge … Another ridge, in a parallel direction with the former, called the Northern Ridge, rose suddenly between us and the Blue Ridge, which soon entirely disappeared. On our right there was another ridge of mountains, it was an arm of the Alleghany Mountains, and we went through a valley at least ten miles wide. The formation of these parallel ridges is very singular, and no instance occurs of it in the other parts of the world.” (Here, of course, the Duke is referring to the appearance of the Massanutten Mt. on his left, which he called the Northern Ridge) … He continues with his account:
“The country was pretty well cultivated, and by the exterior appearance of many country-houses, we were induced to believe their inhabitants enjoyed plenty … As it appeared, they travel here much on horseback. On account of great distances between the plantations, almost all the ladies can ride on horseback; we met several of them elegantly dressed.”
“We left Woodstock at half past two o’clock in the morning, in a very miserable stage, and proceeded to Staunton, seventy-one miles distant, on a still more rugged road than that of yesterday … The places on our way were mostly insignificant; only Shryock, New Market, Big Spring, and Harrisonburg, deserve to be mentioned” … (the Shryock referred to here was today’s Edinburg)
He mentions that the ordinary stagecoach was pretty much the only alternative to riding horseback. He says “the improvement of stages appears not yet to have extended beyond the Blue Ridge Mts., because we were obliged to be contented with one, which was in every respect very uncomfortable.”
This moment from the past has been presented by the Shenandoah County Historical Society.
Shenandoah County’s beautiful stone courthouse, built in 1795, has had two additions made to it over the years. The first was the current courtroom, added in 1871. The clerk’s offices behind it were added in 1886. Several articles from the Shenandoah Herald follow the construction of the 1871 addition.
On January 12, 1871 the Herald reported that Mark Bird, Chairman of the Building Committee, announced that the time for receiving bids for the building of the new courtroom had been extended until January 20, when the contracts would be awarded.
We know from other newspaper articles that Edinburg was campaigning to have the county seat and courthouse moved to that town, and on February 9, the Herald published a copy of the Brubaker deed, wherein the property on which the courthouse and jail sits was sold to Shenandoah County with the stipulation that if the courts were moved elsewhere, the property and the building would revert to the Brubaker family. Several editorials followed the publication of the deed, opposing the removal of the courts out of Woodstock, which of course never happened.
By March 9 an article appeared stating that “the contractors are busy at work preparing to build the new Courtroom. Messrs. Hoshour and Sheetz are hauling brick and Mr. Cullers informs us that he has been at work making sash etc. for several weeks.”
On April 20 a reporter wrote that “the contractors are busy tearing away a part of the old building and preparing to erect the new courtroom. In the meantime court will be held in the Academy building, which will be fitted up for the purpose.”
The portion of the old building that was torn away, I believe, was a small rear addition that’s visible in sketches from the Civil War and the Academy building that was used as a temporary courtroom was located near the Woodstock Presbyterian Church on E. Court St.
A May 11 article said that “the Academy building has been fitted up as a temporary courtroom. It answers the purpose admirably and is by far a more pleasant room than the old one. The workmen are at work on the new building which will be put up as rapidly as possible.”
Amazingly, the new courtroom was ready for occupancy in a mere seven months, with an August 24 article stating that “the new Courtroom is now about completed and will be used this week, for the first time, by the Circuit Court. The building is substantial and convenient. The stone and brickwork was done by Messrs. Hoshour and Sheetz, the roofing by Messrs. John A. Saum and Bros., the carpenter work by Mr. A.J. Cullers, and the plastering by Mr. E.C. Haas. The building is creditable both to the county and the workmen engaged in clearing up the building and in improving the yard.”
This moment from the past was presented by the Shenandoah County Historical Society.
In 1772 the Rev. Peter Muhlenberg became the first pastor of Beckford Parish, serving the community of what is now Shenandoah County, then called Dunmore County. As part of his pastorate he received a salary and the use of an approximately 200 acre Glebe Farm located near Maurertown to provide for his family. After the American Revolution and the dissolution of the established church system, Glebe Farms were disposed of throughout Virginia. In Shenandoah County the Glebe Farm became an institution for the benefit of the poor and was deeded to the County for that purpose in 1798. It is not known exactly what buildings existed on the property at that time. A limestone springhouse may date from the 18th Century and an early log and brick dwelling on the property is said to have been dismantled and moved nearby where it remains today. The current Alms House was built in 1829 and a kitchen wing to the west and a two-story extension on the south end were built around 1850.
The Alms House was built specifically to provide shelter for those in need. It contained a brick two-story central portion and two 75’ wings. A kitchen wing on the west side provided a food preparation and common area for residents and the two-story addition on the south end was used as a manager’s residence. As of 2014 only this southern addition was occupied because of structural problems in the central portion and a collapsed wall in the kitchen wing, which was repaired. Numerous outbuildings of various ages exist on the property including a large barn built in 1952 apparently on the foundation of an earlier structure. A portion of the original acreage is now part of the Shenandoah County Park (approx. 40 acres) and remaining farm acreage is leased for cropland and pasture. The farm acreage is managed by the VA Tech Extension Service and a local committee, with modern farming demonstration methods often used for educational purposes. A small cemetery for the indigent, now inactive, still exists on the property. The farm played a role in the Battle of Tom’s brook with Union troops occupying an encampment on a portion of the farm.
Local historian Fred Painter wrote a short history of the County Farm in 1979 in which he included entries from the manager’s account books. They reflected an operation in which the residents were expected to work and contribute to their needs and farm production. Goods manufactured at the County Farm were sold and other goods which the residents could not make for themselves were purchased for their use; food and other items were regularly contributed from the local community. The County Farm was run by the Overseers of the Poor, who reported to the County Board of Supervisors.
As modern social service programs developed in the 20th Century, the traditional model of the County Farm changed. By the late 1980s there were only a few elderly residents remaining at the Alms House, who were relocated to more suitable facilities. In 1990 the local, non-profit group, Shenandoah Alliance for Shelter, began its operation at the Alms House to provide shelter for homeless families and to assist them back to self-sufficiency. The Alliance continued to provide shelter and services to Shenandoah County residents in need at the Alms House until an early morning fire on April 13, 2014 reduced the entire building to rubble.
Our Alms House was the last remaining purpose-built county “poorhouse” still in operation in Virginia and one of very few structures built for that purpose still standing. Its existence until the fire spoke to the sense of responsibility that the citizens of Shenandoah County have felt about taking care of the less fortunate in the community from our earliest days.
This moment from the past was presented by the Shenandoah County Historical Society.
The emigration of large numbers of German speaking people from Pennsylvania into the Shenandoah Valley began in the first half of the18th Century. It was encouraged by the Virginia Colony because these settlers acted as a buffer between the English colonists on the eastern side of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Native Americans, who were increasingly unhappy with the presence of Europeans in their territory. Indian raids, murder and kidnapping against the settlers began in the 1750s and continued well into the 1760s, even though the French & Indian War, a result of the tensions between the colonists and the Indians and their allies, the French, had ended in 1763. John Wayland, in his book, A History of Shenandoah County, tells us about a raid that took place near Strasburg in 1764, probably in July.
A group of eight Indians and one white man attacked and killed John Dellinger and kidnapped his wife Rachel and her baby at their home on the western edge of Strasburg. They then went to the George Miller homestead about three miles north of the town. There Miller, his wife and two of his children were in a nearby field spreading flax. Their murder by the raiders was witnessed by a young daughter, at home sick in bed, who saw the attack through a window, escaped and ran for help. She ran east towards Cedar Creek, first to the Stickley homestead, then to George Bowman’s home. Abraham Bowman, a son of George Bowman, quickly rode his horse to the Miller place. He was joined there by Thomas Newell, a neighbor who had heard the attack and ran the mile from his home to the Millers. There they found the dead and dying victims and saw that the attackers had tried to set fire to the Miller house by placing a burning coal in the family Bible. The raiders had also killed the family’s cat and set it on top of the smoldering Bible, but apparently the weight of the animal extinguished the fire.
The Indians were followed and overtaken on South Branch Mountain in present day West Virginia. One of the attackers was killed and Rachel Dellinger was rescued and returned home. Her baby had been murdered near the Capon River.
Today, the Miller family Bible, with its partially burned pages, is on display at the Strasburg Museum. The Dellinger homestead, no longer standing, was near where Spengler Hall is today. The George Miller homestead, north of Strasburg, has long since disappeared. The stone Bowman house, known as Fort Bowman and as Harmony Hall, still stands on Cedar Creek. It is owned by Belle Grove, Inc. and will be preserved as an important part of the history of Shenandoah County and the Valley.
This moment from the past was presented by the Shenandoah County Historical Society.
An article in the Shenandoah Herald April 27, 1928 tells us about a local amateur taxidermist, Asa Sheetz, and his mounted wildlife specimen collection which became very well known in the region. Here’s the story:
“Mr. Noah R. Sheetz left Woodstock Wednesday for Charlestown WV where he will exhibit the splendid display of mounted wild animals collected during almost a lifetime of study by his father, the late Asa A. Sheetz, who was a great student of nature and with rare skill succeeded in capturing and mounting in life-like posture various animals, birds and reptiles of Virginia and parts of WV. After the death of his father Mr. Sheetz purchased the specially made auto truck (and with) the specimens … expects to spend the summer displaying this interesting and educational collection of wildlife in various sections of VA and PA and possibly further north. Beside the specimens of wildlife there will be on display also two life-like dogs, a pointer and a German police dog and a two-headed calf. Mr. Sheetz is accompanied by his brother Mr. Harry Sheetz.”
Historian John Wayland, in his book, A History of Shenandoah County, VA, writes about Asa Sheetz, declaring that the collection is the best in the state and quoting from Mr. Sheetz as to how it came about. Mr. Sheetz was quoted as saying that “in 1921 while hunting in Bath County, I was successful in bagging a very fine deer … This head was mounted by myself, the first piece of taxidermy work I ever finished. After mounting the deer head, of which I was rather proud, I placed it in the Corner Drugstore window. Pretty soon someone wanted to know whether I could mount a pet cat that had just died. This I did. Next I mounted an opossum, placed it in a window … Then I wanted more, and gradually, mounted a specimen as I could secure one … in 1922, being then superintendent of our local fair grounds at Woodstock, in order to add a little variety to the exhibits, I placed my small collection in a four-foot square case which I built in the exhibition hall for this purpose … Interest spread to the managers of other fairs, whose representatives offered to compensate me for showing the collection at their fairs as an educational exhibit … Our collection has grown to its present proportions gradually and now includes practically all of Virginia’s wild fur and game animals and upland game birds, from quail to wild turkey. Of animals, we have them from little red squirrels to bears; fur bearers, from civet cat to otter; hawks and owls, of the latter, we have six different species. This business has grown far beyond our fondest hopes and is still growing by leaps and bounds. My son and myself are busy all of the time, and work piling up. But as nature is our life study, we love the work, which we find intensely interesting. Our present collection includes about 80 specimens - animals, birds, fishes, snakes, etc. and is valued at several thousand dollars, though not for sale.”
Mr. Sheetz’s grandson, Jack Sheetz, reports that the last remaining piece of the collection that he knows of was the two-headed calf, displayed for many years at Endless Caverns. Mr. Sheetz’s son, Jake Sheetz, who was a well-known furniture maker, also learned the skill of taxidermy. A specimen mounted by him, a loon, is on display at the Woodstock Museum.
This moment from the past was presented by the Shenandoah County Historical Society.
In earlier days, the people of Shenandoah County lived pretty self-sufficiently, as did the citizens of rural communities everywhere. One indication of local self-sufficiency is the number of mills that once existed. People didn’t buy bread readymade, they baked it themselves. And they often didn’t buy the flour to make the bread, they grew the wheat for the bread, in which case they needed a grist mill to grind the wheat. In his book, The Rinkers of Virginia, their neighbors and kin, and the Shenandoah Valley, the late D. Warrick Burruss included a chapter about the mills of Mill Creek near Mt. Jackson.
The earliest known mill, built around 1734, belonged to Benjamin Allen, and its presence is believed to be the source of the stream’s name, Mill Creek. A sawmill was added to the industry on this site around 1800. The grist mill was burned in 1864, rebuilt after the war, and in the early 20th Century, then owner J.I. Triplett converted the water power there into a hydro-electric power plant which generated electricity for the town of Mt. Jackson. The site of this operation is just south of Mill Creek bridge on Rt. 698.
The next mill built was Michael Sigler’s pug mill, located a short distance below the Allen mill. A pugmill used water power to make plaster for building construction. This mill was in operation in the 18th Century and its power came from the Allen mill dam, from water that ran through trunks placed along the creek bank.
About a half mile west of Mt. Jackson on Rt. 263 was John Morgan’s fulling mill, built in the early 1800s. A fulling mill was used in the process of making linen from flax or hemp or woolens and felt from wool. It was burned during the Civil War but was rebuilt and was last owned by the Landis family. Many people remember when they used the old building as a cannery.
The Rinkerton Mills, a grist mill and saw mill, were constructed around 1800 and were located about a mile and a half west of town on the north bank of the creek. The dam for the mill was located across Rt. 263 from the Grace Church cemetery and stones from the dam can still be seen in the creek. Later a lumber-drying kiln was added and later still a chopping mill was built. All of these buildings were burned during the war but completely rebuilt by Levi Rinker in 1865. They were in operation until the early 1900s.
Nearby on the north side of Crooked Run, Samuel Walton erected a tan yard around 1795. Though not a mill, this industry also took advantage of the water power available from Mill Creek.
On the north bank of Mill Creek just off of Rt. 263, John Moore operated a saw mill and hemp mill beginning in the early 1800s. The hemp would have been crushed and fibers used to make rope and twine and also as a substitute for flax in the manufacture of linen. Eventually a grist mill was added at this site.
The last of the grist mills was the Mt. Clifton Mill, in operation prior to 1813 and located at the base of the hill between Rt. 263 and the creek and south of Rt. 716. At that time it was known as Jacob Hammon’s Mill, though it, like the other operations described here, were owned and operated by different families over the years.
In addition to those mills listed above, six saw mills are documented in the area, and near Rinkerton Mills, in 1811, a water powered mill for a boring and grinding machine was built for Jacob Lindamood. Lindamood had served an apprenticeship under Christian Huffman, Woodstock gunsmith, so the boring machine was probably to be used in the manufacture of guns.
As Warrick Burruss wrote, “Mill Creek provided a lot of much-needed water power in earlier days. Our ancestors could not have accomplished what they did without it.”
This moment from the past was presented by the Shenandoah County Historical Society.
The bloody battle of 3rd Winchester occurred on September 19, 1864 with Union forces victorious. Confederate troops then retreated up the Valley to Fisher’s Hill, south of Strasburg. By the next evening Rebel sharpshooters occupied the southern portion of Strasburg and Union forces were camped between the crest of Hupps Hill and Cedar Creek on the north end of town.
Richard Kleese, in his book Shenandoah County In The Civil War writes:
(Confederate) Dr. Hunter H. McGuire was able to remove all but the most severely wounded from the hospitals and homes of Winchester before occupation by the Federals. Most of the wounded were loaded into crowded ambulances to begin a miserable journey south to Woodstock where their first rest, examination, and care was provided. Private John Worsham of the 21st Virginia Infantry was wounded in the knee late in the action. Reaching Winchester, he was hastily loaded in to an ambulance that was wildly driven through the night. After a short rest the following morning, he stated:
“I prevailed on the driver…to pull off my boot, - it was full of blood and running over the top! Soon after it was pulled off, my wound seemed to stop bleeding, and I proceeded more comfortably. We rode until four o’clock in the afternoon, when we halted at a church in Woodstock. Here the ladies brought to the wounded fruit, flowers, eatables, water and bandages, and made themselves very useful to two or three hundred wounded. A surgeon cut open my pants and drawers, and examined my wound and dressed it, - this was the first time it was seen even by myself…About sunset the wounded were put into wagons on a little straw and started up the pike.”
Worsham finally had the ball removed from his leg after reaching Charlottesville some three days later.
Confederate and Union forces maneuvered their way south through Strasburg towards Fisher’s Hill, with skirmishers drawing fire from both sides. These actions culminated in the Battle of Fisher’s Hill on September 22, 1864.
This moment from the past was presented by the Shenandoah County Historical Society.
Summer always brings announcements in local newspapers of family reunions in Shenandoah County that include many familiar Valley names. An article in the Shenandoah Herald on August 28, 1925 tells us about a reunion held by one of the most prolific families in the county, who continue to hold family reunions today. Titled ‘Fifth Reunion of Valley Family - Hottel-Keller-Fravel Hosts Gather at Fishers Hill - Come From Different States.’ Here’s the story:
Hottel-Keller Reunions
Summer always brings announcements in local newspapers of family reunions in Shenandoah County that include many familiar Valley names. An article in the Shenandoah Herald on August 28, 1925 tells us about a reunion held by one of the most prolific families in the county, who continue to hold family reunions today. Titled ‘Fifth Reunion of Valley Family - Hottel-Keller-Fravel Hosts Gather at Fishers Hill - Come From Different States.’ Here’s the story:
“Had the hardy pioneers who first settled this section of the Shenandoah Valley hailed from Scotland, it would have been the ‘Clan Hottel-Keller-Fravel’ which gathered by the hundreds at Fisher’s Hill yesterday for the fifth reunion of this well-known Valley family. However, being descendants of the sturdy race which trekked into Shenandoah from Pennsylvania, these scions of the first settlers designate the gathering as a ‘family reunion.’
“And in truth it was. Just one big family, tracing ancestry to the same roots of the family tree, and gathered on the historic battleground to become better acquainted with each other, reminiscence over the days of youth and childhood, and to form a more compact union of those whose relationship intertwines.”
“From the far South, the middle West, the East and far West, members of the families came, and scarce a profession, a commercial activity or other honorable vocation in life but what was represented. Men who had risen to be leaders in the sections from whence they came, found congeniality with those who have been content to play less important parts in life, and the judge, the educator and the tiller of the soil met on common ground.”
“The invocation was given by the Rev. Benjamin Hottel from Cooperstown, PA and addresses given by the Rev. W.L. Hunton, J.K. Hottel of Spartanburg, SC and Rev. Benjamin Hottel, of Cooperstown, PA. A report was given by the family’s historian and a business session was conducted. Officers elected included M.H. Hottel, President, P.S. Rhodes, first vice-president, W.J. Keller, second vice-president, H.A. Funkhouser, secretary, D.H. Keller, treasurer and an executive committee comprised of J.C. Hottel, Lester Saum, Howard Rosenberger, Mrs. F.L. Cooley, Mrs. Eli Spitzer and Mrs. Charles Coffman.”
In the 21st Century, the Hottel-Keller reunion is still held the first weekend in August. Activities include a business meeting, luncheon and historic presentation as well as visits to the Hottel-Keller Homestead on Back Road at Toms Brook. On request, you too can visit their Shenandoah Germanic Heritage Museum at the Homestead. They’re in the phone book under Hottel-Keller Memorial.
This moment from the past was presented by the Shenandoah County Historical Society.
