Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    A Walking Tour of Staunton, Virginia
    A Walking Tour of Staunton, Virginia
    A Walking Tour of Staunton, Virginia
    Ebook23 pages15 minutes

    A Walking Tour of Staunton, Virginia

    By Doug Gelbert

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    There is no better way to see America than on foot. And there is no better way to appreciate what you are looking at than with a walking tour. Whether you are preparing for a road trip or just out to look at your own town in a new way, a downloadable walking tour is ready to explore when you are.

    Each walking tour describes historical and architectural landmarks and provides pictures to help out when those pesky street addresses are missing. Every tour also includes a quick primer on identifying architectural styles seen on American streets.

    John Lewis brought his family to this spot in the Shenandoah Valley as the pioneering settlers in the year of Washington's birth - 1732. A few years later William Beverley, a wealthy planter and merchant, won a grant of 118,000 acres here "in consideration for inducing a large number of settlers to the community." The town was laid out in 1747 and took the name of Lady Rebecca Staunton Gooch, wife to Royal Lieutenant-Governor Sir William Gooch. Thanks to its central location the settlement attracted the government and the with the westernmost courthouse in British North America prior to the Revolution was constructed here. It was no small thing - Augusta County in the 1700s extended (theoretically) as far west as the Mississippi River. In 1801 when Staunton was incorporated as a town the population totaled 800.

    Staunton grew as a market town for the fertile Shenandoah Valley and small industries churning out carriages and boots and blankets followed. The Virginia Central Railroad arrived in 1854 and during the Civil War the town served as an important supply depot for the Confederacy. Union troops arrived in 1864 and destroyed the railroad station and Staunton's manufacturing capacity but spared much of the town.

    The post-war years saw Staunton embark on an economic and building boom. In 1908 it became the first city in America to adopt a city manager form of government based on the corporate form of organization. The elected council appoints a city manager who administers municipal affairs.

    The urban renewal fever sweeping America in the 1960s struck Staunton and more than 30 downtown buildings fell before a wrecking ball, igniting the creation of the Historic Staunton Foundation to help preserve much of the streetscape seen today. Much of that streetscape is the vision of one man - Thomas J. Collins, an architect responsible for over 200 buildings in the Staunton area. The nimble Collins worked in many styles we will encounter on our walking tour and we will begin with one of his creations for the railroad that primed the pump for Staunton's growth...

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDoug Gelbert
    Release dateMay 4, 2011
    ISBN9781458092991
    A Walking Tour of Staunton, Virginia

    Read more from Doug Gelbert

    Related to A Walking Tour of Staunton, Virginia

    Related ebooks

    Americas (North, Central, South, West Indies) History For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Coal Mining and Toll Scrip

      Sep 5, 2023

      Coal Mining and Toll Scrip
      5 min read

    • Article

      Built To Last

      Jul 1, 2022

      These man-made objects have grown into important sources of national pride to Americans. They also are iconic U.S. symbols to international visitors. The futuristic Space Needle was built for the 1962 World’s Fair hosted by Seattle, Washington. That

      4 min read

    • Article

      The Midwest Main Street

      Apr 5, 2022

      The Midwest Main Street
      5 min read

    • Article

      7 Things You (probably) Didn’t Know About The White House

      Nov 23, 2023

      Construction on the White House began in 1792 on a site in Washington DC selected by the first US president, George Washington. Over the next eight years, a mix of free African-American and white wage labourers, enslaved workers and skilled craftsmen

      5 min read

    • Article

      Oldest Operating National Bank

      Jan 2, 2024

      Oldest Operating National Bank
      4 min read

    • Article

      City Guide: Whakatū Nelson

      Sep 8, 2022

      City Guide: Whakatū Nelson
      8 min read

    • Article

      Revival Las Vegas

      Aug 22, 2023

      Revival Las Vegas
      3 min read

    • Article

      Texas Bungalow Neighborhoods

      Dec 24, 2019

      Texas Bungalow Neighborhoods
      2 min read

    • Article

      New York National Bank Tour Continues with Forestville, Fredonia

      Jan 4, 2022

      Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a family function in Chautauqua County, N.Y., a subdivision in the far western corner of the state bordering on Lake Erie. I had never been to this part of Upstate New York before, and while I did not have mu

      4 min read

    • Article

      Guthrie, Oklahoma’s…

      Jun 29, 2021

      Guthrie, Oklahoma’s…
      1 min read

    • Article

      Steeped In History

      Dec 2, 2021

      Steeped In History
      3 min read

    • Article

      Guide: Queenstown

      Jul 4, 2021

      Guide: Queenstown
      9 min read

    • Article

      Old Town Winchester

      Mar 26, 2019

      Old Town Winchester
      3 min read

    • Article

      Out On The Town

      Sep 24, 2019

      Out On The Town
      3 min read

    • Article

      City of Unrest

      Jul 27, 2021

      City of Unrest
      4 min read

    • Article

      Small Town Colorado Notes

      Oct 4, 2022

      Small Town Colorado Notes
      4 min read

    • Article

      Architects Of The A-List

      Sep 5, 2023

      Architects Of The A-List
      2 min read

    • Article

      A Local Revival

      Nov 1, 2023

      A Local Revival
      7 min read

    • Article

      A Cotswold dream

      Sep 22, 2021

      A Cotswold dream
      7 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for A Walking Tour of Staunton, Virginia

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      A Walking Tour of Staunton, Virginia - Doug Gelbert

      A Walking Tour of Staunton, Virginia

      a walking tour in the Look Up, America series from walkthetown.com

      by Doug Gelbert

      published by Cruden Bay Books at Smashwords

      Copyright 2011 by Doug Gelbert

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the Publisher.

      John Lewis brought his family to this spot in the Shenandoah Valley as the pioneering settlers in the year of Washington’s birth - 1732. A few years later William Beverley, a wealthy planter and merchant, won a grant of 118,000 acres here in consideration for inducing a large number of settlers to the community. The town was laid out in 1747 and took the name of Lady Rebecca Staunton Gooch, wife to Royal Lieutenant-Governor Sir William Gooch. Thanks to its central location the settlement attracted the government and the with the westernmost courthouse in British North America prior to the Revolution was constructed here. It was no small thing - Augusta County in the 1700s extended

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1