Shenandoah Stories
A project by Shenandoah County LibraryJoin us in our efforts to explore the history and culture of Shenandoah County Virginia through our web based tour platform Shenandoah Stories. Click a site on the map, select a tour, or view a random story to begin. Read more About Us
Featured Stories
Mt. Zion Methodist Church
In 1868 the African American residents of Strasburg Virginia banded together to found Mt. Zion Methodist Church after being inspired by a series of travelling Methodist Missionaries that visited the…
Shenandoah Caverns
In 1884 individuals construction workers building the Shenandoah Valley Railroad accidentally discovered a caverns west of Mt. Jackson.
Though locals had called the area Forestville for years, in…
Holtzman Hotel
The 1885 Lake's Atlas of Shenandoah and Page Counties notes the "Shenandoah House" stood on this site. It would have served travelers on the Valley Turnpike and from the nearby rail line.
Sometime…
Featured Tours
African Americans in Shenandoah County
13 Locations ~ Curated by Shenandoah County LibrarySpirits, Stills, and Temperance: Tracing the History of Alcohol in Shenandoah County
20 Locations ~ Curated by Shenandoah County LibraryFarms, Factories, and the Frontlines: Shenandoah County in the World Wars
10 Locations ~ Curated by The Shenandoah Stories TeamRandom Stories
Toms Brook School
As early as 1874 a school existed on this property in Toms Brook. That year county resident Levi Pitman noted his brother began teaching there. Five years later the school superintendent, John Grabil, recorded that the student population at Toms…
Cedar Hill Academy
In 1874 Edinburg’s citizens began a lottery to fund the construction of a school in town. These efforts proved to be successful, and in 1876 what became known as the Edinburg Graded and High School, or the Cedar Hill Academy, was opened.
The…
St. Paul's Lutheran Church
Between 1734 John Caspar Stoever Jr., the first German Lutheran Minister in Virginia, made seven trips through the Shenandoah Valley to baptize individuals and organize churches. He, and his successor George Klug, must have been extremely successful…
Elon Henkel House
Situated on the southwest corner of Congress Street and Lee Street, the Elon Henkel House, or Henkel Press Building is a familiar landmark in New Market.
While the house is most notably known for being owned by Elon Henkel, his grandfather,…
Mt. Airy School
In June 1880 Levi Gochenour deeded a one-acre lot to Shenandoah County Public Schools for the purpose of building a schoolhouse for the families of the surrounding community. It is believed he provided this particular lot, located a half a mile from…
Geary's Hotel
In 1875, Mike Geary purchased this lot in downtown Woodstock and opened Geary's Hotel. What existed before is unknown.
The three-story brick hotel featured accommodations for travelers, large front portions over looking the valley turnpike, a…