Spirits, Stills, and Temperance: Tracing the History of Alcohol in Shenandoah County

Alcohol has been a part of Shenandoah County's history since the arrival of Europeans in the late 18th century.

During these years transporting raw agricultural products to market was incredibly difficult, risky, and expensive. However, distilling crops and selling the alcohol was much easier and more profitable. This, combined with a strong tradition of alcohol production among immigrants, led to the construction of stills on almost every county farm. The demand for spirits was so strong that in 1810 Shenandoah County was producing over 92,000 gallons of alcohol.

In addition to this domestic production, the influx of individuals, and travelers moving to other areas along what became known as the Valley Turnpike, facilitated a building boom of taverns and ordinaries in Shenandoah County. These sites provided hot meals, beds, and a strong drink to visitors and residents alike. Between 1795 and 1891 the county issued 176 licenses for these types of businesses.

Toward the end of the 19th century, the Temperance movement was growing in Shenandoah County. Many individuals, including some county residents, blamed alcohol for many of society's ills including domestic violence, poverty, and unemployment. To reduce its use and to better their communities, they pushed to ban the production and sale of spirits. A 1904 article in the Shenandoah Herald reported every community in Shenandoah County -- excluding Woodstock and New Market -- had gone dry.

In 1906 New Market and the Lee District communities had outlawed alcohol. Woodstock followed suit in 1907 after a referendum was held where the “dry” supporters won by a single vote. The rest of the county would follow suit soon afterwards and in 1914 Virginia as a whole outlawed alcohol.

Enforcing this law, however, proved to be very difficult. Hundreds of individuals were charged with prohibition-related laws each year. During the 1920s this number often exceeded 1000 people. At the same time the number of drinkers remained fairly stable.

This convinced many that prohibition was a failure. In 1933 alcohol was again legalized on the Federal level. Over the next several decades the various regulations the county placed on alcohol production and sales were also eliminated.

Today, businesses related to alcohol production and sale, including wineries, breweries, distilleries, restaurants, and state-run ABC liquor stores are profitable and booming portions of the county's economy.

This tour examines the extensive and often complicated history of sites related to alcohol in Shenandoah County. The tour includes places that sold and made spirits, even some that did so illegally. It also includes sites related to temperance and regulation.

Feel free to explore and to share with us any stories and sites you have related to spirits, stills, and temperance in Shenandoah County.

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…

Welchs Tavern

A well-known tavern and stage shop was built on this site sometime before 1835. Originally it was known as Welch's Tavern. It served travelers passing through Woodstock on what became the Valley Turnpike. During the antebellum period, it…

Crabill's Tavern

Sometime around 1825, David Crabill built this tavern south of present-day Maurertown, Virginia, to serve travelers on what would become the Valley Turnpike. Crabill would have provided them food, a hot bed, and spirits of their choosing. The…

Dorothy's Inn

Sometime during the first decades of the 20th century, this rubble-style building was constructed overlooking the Shenandoah River just south of what is now called the “Narrow Passage.” The early history of this site is not well known. Some…

Edinburg Hotel

In 1898, an Edinburg City Directory noted the Eureka House stood on this site. It was the town’s only hotel and was primarily designed to serve travelers on the adjacent rail line. J.F. Holtzman owned the structured and leased it to W.F. Whitman and…

George Huddle Home

On August 29, 1782, the Shenandoah County Court certified George Huddle (Hottel) sold 66 gallons of whiskey to support the Patriot cause during the American Revolution. Additional research provided by the Hottel-Keller Memorial Association indicates…

Laonard Walters Ordinary and Liquor Store/Central Hotel

Built in 1836, the Central Hotel was designed to serve individuals travelling on the Valley Turnpike. Providing spirits would have been part of its mission from the beginning. Who the early operators of the site were is unknown, but in the 1880s…

Spangler Mill/Old Mill Tavern

This mill was built sometime around 1797 by the Spangler family, who were some of the first Europeans to immigrate to the Strasburg area. It was designed with a wooden end because that material could absorb the vibrations associated with the mill…

Old Frontier Tavern and Distillery

This structure was built around 1755 and was the home of the Hupp family who were some of the earliest European immigrants into the Shenandoah Valley. It was built to provide protection from possible Native American incursions and other hostile…

Salem Church

On May 27, 1877 this church was dedicated by the local Christian (Disciples of Christ) congregation. Locally it was known as the Campebllite Church in reference to Alexander Campbell who helped found the Disciples of Christ denomination. This…

Riverside Tea Room

Sometime during the 1920s Riverside Team Room, located at Red Banks between Edinburg and Mt. Jackson, produced this menu for patrons. Originally it stood on the west side of US 11. Riverside Tea Room was first opened between 1920 and 1925 by Arline…

Walton and Smoot Drug Store

Sometime in the 1880s Lin Irwin's Drug Store opened on the first floor of the Irwin Opera House located at the corner of Main and Court Street in Woodstock. In 1906 Clyde E. Walton and Dr. James H. Smoot purchased the drug store and changed…

Shenandoah County Fair

In 1886 a group of local businessmen, farmers, and community leaders banded together to form the Shenandoah County Agricultural Society. This organization was designed to promote the area’s agricultural, commercial, and industrial products to locals…

Shenvalee

The Shenvalee began in 1926 when Roland F. Hill came to New Market and purchased what was then called the “Dr. Strayer Farm.” Hill would use the land to create a resort hotel and golf course. Local newspaper publisher John G. Miller would eventually…

Hotel Strasburg

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…

Casey Jones/Woodstock Brew House

Starting in the 1920s, clothing and textile manufacturing became prominent industries in the Shenandoah Valley. One group that operated in the area was the Casey Jones Work-Clothes Company. They opened plants in Woodstock, Mt. Jackson, Shenandoah,…

Blue and Gray Tavern

According to one of its advertisements, the Blue and Gray Tavern, operated by H.M. Dorsley, operated approximately 1/2 miles north of Toms Brook Virginia. Its signature dish appears to have been Virginia Barbecue. The catch line on their printed…

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 in the last decade of the 19th…

Lee-Jackson Hotel

In 1807 John Strayer constructed the front portion of this building at the corner of the Valley Pike and what was then the Sperryville Turnpike. The structure held both his home and mercantile business that sold hardware, clothing, and paint.…

Zirkle Store

Sometime in the late 19th century Captain T. J. Adams operated a general store in Quicksburg Virginia. He died in 1904 and Clarence Lafayette Zirkle bought the business. Zirkle would have sold a wide array of items ranging from dry goods to farm…