Synopses & Reviews
The Shenandoah Valley, which stretches some 200 miles from Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, to Roanoke, Virginia, is rich in both history and natural beauty. Highlights from the 14 day-trips in this book include such sites as the New Market Battlefield, where 247 teenage cadets from VMI halted advancing Union troops; 6,000 acres of rare virgin forest in Ramsey's Draft Wilderness Area; the Mennonite towns of Dayton and Bridgewater, where the horse and buggy is still a primary mode of transportation; Highland County, where sheep outnumber people; and Fort Valley, which was the planned route for George Washington's final retreat had the Revolutionary War turned out badly for the Americans.
Synopsis
From the Strasburg to Fort Valley to Front Royal Tour: This tour begins in Strasburg, settled by the Alsatian pioneer Jost Hite around 1730 and best known today for its many antique shops and nearby Civil War sites. The tour then heads south down the old Valley Pike (U.S. 11) to the northern edge of Woodstock, where it turns to climb Massanutten Mountain to the Woodstock Tower, which offers a bird's-eye view of the "Seven Bends" of the Shenandoah River and panoramic views to the east and west. The tour then descends into Fort Valley, a sparsely populated and picturesque "valley within a valley" that has a timeless feel about it. It ends in Front Royal, known as Helltown during its wilder days in the 1700s. Front Royal saw much Civil War action and was the setting for the exploits of legendary Confederate spy Belle Boyd. Several museums covering various aspects of local history and the Civil War are included in this tour.
Synopsis
Shenandoah most often translated as "Daughter of the Stars" is one of the loveliest names in the language. Backroads travelers will find that it fits the Valley perfectly.
Most people know the Shenandoah Valley for its Civil War-era history, from Robert E. Lee's capture of John Brown at Harpers Ferry in 1859 to Stonewall Jackson's Valley Campaign of 1862 to the Battle of New Market in 1864. Fewer know that the Winchester area was home to George Washington, explorer Richard Byrd, novelist Willa Cather, and singer Patsy Cline. Or that Thomas Jefferson owned the geologic wonder known as Natural Bridge. Or that the McCormick Farm near Steeles Tavern was the site of a revolutionary breakthrough in agriculture.
The word Shenandoah may have had as many spellings and definitions as there are stars in the sky, but travelers will know they've reached the Valley when they see rugged Goshen Pass, the beautiful country roads between Lexington and Staunton, the Mennonite farms around Harrisonburg, and the mineral springs that first attracted visitors over 200 years ago.
The 13 tours in this book explore areas of unspoiled wilderness and mountain landscapes within easy range of metropolitan centers like Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Richmond, and Norfolk.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 237-241) and index.