Historic Staunton A President, a Bard, and 300 Years of History Story by Dixie Dee Whited Photos courtesy of Staunton CVB
Hundreds of years before my family settled in the Shenandoah Valley, the first settlers arrived from Pennsylvania, Maryland, and eastern Virginia by traveling the Great Wagon Road. Many were German-born or the Pennsylvania- born children of German-speaking Protestant immigrants or came from the province of Ulster (Scots-Irish) in the north of Ireland. At the end of the 1700s, the Scots-Irish were the largest English-speaking group on the Colonial American frontier. Because of the size of their population, the Scots-Irish played a crucial role in shaping the Shenandoah Valley’s culture and identity. They did this through Presbyterian beliefs, education, farming practices, wool and linen production, language, music, and even through the introduction of whiskey. The fledgling city was named Staunton for Lady Rebecca Staunton, the wife of the then- governor, Sir William Gooch. It’s easy to tell the visitors from the locals when talking about Staunton (STAN-ton). In fact, a funny story was circulated that during the Civil War, the locals changed the pronunciation from STAWN-ton to STAN-ton to immediately recognize unwanted Yankees through their speech.
Mary Baldwin University was founded in 1842 and situated in Downtown Staunton.
Staunton has been called the “Queen City of the Valley” because from 1738-1770, it was the seat of the world’s largest county, the Northwest Territory—which encompassed what is now Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and part of Minnesota. Staunton grew because it was on the Great Wagon Road and provided shelter and food for travelers. It also offered waterpower for local farmers to grind their grains. It became a government center during June 7-23, 1781, when Staunton became the capital of Virginia. Why such a short time? It was because the General Assembly fled there after being chased out of Richmond by the invading British. Lt. Col. Banastre Tarleton just missed capturing Thomas Jefferson and many members of the legislature in Charlottesville.
Evenings are beautiful in downtown Staunton.
HISTORIC STAUNTON
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE SUMMER 2024 | 10
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