The Wolf Gap Chapter of Civilian Conservation Camp Camp Roosevelt is well-known locally as the first CCC Camp in the United States. Our new exhibit at the Historic Courthouse introduces us to a previously little-known CCC Camp, Camp Wolf Gap.
Established in 1933, not long after its counterpart across the county, Camp Wolf Gap served young Black men in those segregated times.
Little physical evidence remains of Camp Wolf Gap. Work is underway to mark vestiges of the camp and its history. This exhibit shows us how long-buried history can be brought to light.
The exhibit will be at the Historic Courthouse through September of 2024. The Courthouse Visitor Center and Museum is open every Friday and Saturday from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm., March through December.
The Shenandoah County Historical Society presented three John H. Adamson Excellence in Historical Preservation Awards for 2024 at their May 21 Annual Dinner Meeting in Edinburg, Va.
The award recipients for 2024 are:
BCD Enterprises, LLC and Huber Architects, PC for the rehabilitation of the historic Calvert House in New Market, VA (built in 1770) for adaptive reuse as office space, including use of as much of the original building materials as possible.
Cheryl Lyon, Hope Brim, and Neil Thorne for their research, securing a state historical marker, and the book Creative Women of Fisher’s Hill which rediscovered the history of three unique women who lived in Shenandoah County during the 19th/early 20th century: Bertha Von Hillen, Marla J. C. a’Becket and Emma Howard Wight.
Seven Bends State Park with Tom Stevens, Park Manager, for the preservation of 1066 acres of land along the North Fork of the Shenandoah River, and for preserving the history of the river, farmland, the historic Woodstock Reservoir, Camp Lupton and the Dellinger Family Cemetery.
Each year, the Society asks the community for nominations of recent, significant works of historic preservation in Shenandoah County in the recent past. General preservation categories include History, Architecture, Material Culture (such as textiles, documents, folk art, photographs, tools, and more) and Scenic Beauty. The awards are intended to build greater awareness of the value of historic preservation and to encourage others to follow the examples of those being recognized. Up to three awards are presented each year. (Photo by Andrew Thayer)
Andrea Weeks, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Director of the Ted R. Bradley Herbarium at George Mason University will speak about a pioneering botanist, Lena Clemmons Artz, (1891-1976) who was born, raised and is buried in Woodstock VA
The Shenandoah Valley was once home to Ms. Artz, a high school biology educator, who dedicated her life outside of the classroom to documenting the unique plant communities of Shenandoah and Rockingham Counties and advocating for their preservation.
Until an archive of her field notebooks and personal papers was discovered, little was known about her life or her contributions to our knowledge of the flora of Virginia. This presentation summarizes findings from this archive and her herbarium specimens to illuminate her life’s work and how it unexpectedly intersected with that of another unsung, resident botanist of the Shenandoah Valley, Francis W. Hunnewell, Il.
A Massachusetts attorney and prolific botanical collector with lifelong ties to Harvard, Hunnewell became a Virginian by choice as the last private owner of Belle Grove Plantation. Despite their very different backgrounds, he and Lena had much in common and conducted fieldwork together. Come to the presentation to learn about these fascinating individuals and their contributions to our knowledge of the flora of the southeastern US.
The Program will take place at the St. Paul’s Heritage Center, 106 S. High Street in Edinburg, VA at 7:00 pm. There will be refreshments following the presentation. Parking is available in the Shentel Lot across the street.
SCHS will host a special exhibit honoring the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, a pivotal moment during WWII. The event will take place at the National Guard Armory in Woodstock from October 5 – October 20, 2024.
Shenandoah Valley soldiers were a part of D-Day and we’re pleased that we’ll be able to help tell the story of DDay at Omaha Beach.
The exhibit has been created by local and internationally known artist Keith Rocco with other artists and historians. Stay tuned as we work out details for this important traveling exhibit to be on view in Shenandoah County.
We welcome new Historic Courthouse Visitor Center and Museum volunteer Clemmitt Sigler! It has been terrific to not only have a new volunteer docent, but someone with an extensive family connection with the history of the courthouse. Clemmitt’s father, Marvin Sigler, served as Clerk of Circuit Court of Shenandoah County for 32 years. Mr. Sigler’s original office was in the rear addition to the Historic Courthouse. Clemmitt remembers when he was young coming to work with his Dad some Saturday mornings and crawling around on the original 19th century tile floors.
Clemmitt grew up on a Standardbred horse farm near Mt. Jackson and graduated from Triplett Elementary School and Stonewall Jackson High School in the class of 1979. He studied Chemical Engineering at VA Tech and worked at Oak Ridge, TN and Havre de Grace, MD before returning to VA Tech for graduate studies. He earned his M.S. in physics in 1992 and settled in Blacksburg. While there he heard his call to serve as Lay Reader and Warden in the Anglican church, first in Blacksburg, then at Covenant Reformed Episcopal Church in Roanoke. He now serves as Pastor of Branch of the Vine, a new church in the Mt. Jackson area.
We are delighted to have Clemmitt join our volunteer corps!
At the meeting of the SCHS Board of Directors on June 5th, the following officers were elected for the coming year:
President: Barbara Adamson
Vice-President: Rick Lytton
Secretary: Susan Walls
Treasurer: Laura Zimmerman
Janet Wagniere will continue to serve as Newsletter Editor, as well as Dennis Atwood will handle Publicity and Financial issues, Hank Zimmerman will continue as Webmaster and Susan Walls will continue to head up the Church Project.
• Foster a spirit of cooperation between existing organizations, writers, historians, genealogists, collectors, preservationists, and other members of the Shenandoah County community.
• Aid in the collection and creation of materials and publications about the history of Shenandoah County and ensure that they are preserved and made available to the community.
• Support efforts by citizens, organizations and government to preserve historic buildings and sites.
• Share history through programs and exhibits.
The Shenandoah County Historical Society was founded in 1985 and is established as a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. It is completely volunteer driven. The Society is sustained by memberships, donations, grants and profits from book sales. All donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
DOWNLOAD BOOK ORDER FORMS HERE
First People - The Early Indians of Virginia
Keith Egloff & Deborah Woodward
Full of stories that represent the full diversity of Virginia's Indians, past and present, this popular book remains the essential introduction to the history of Virginia Indians from the earlier times to the present day. 2006. 68 pages. 2nd edition.
Softcover
Item# 3008
Price: $14
Members: $13
A History of the Valley of Virginia
Samuel Kercheval
The earliest history of this section of Virginia. First edition published in 1833 and revised and enlarged by the author in 1850. Third edition came in 1902, and a fourth in 1925. An authority on early conditions in the Valley, based in part on conversations derived first hand from people who lived in the pioneer period. 1925. 405 pages. 4th Edition. 2001 reprint.
Hardcover
Item# 3003
Price: $36
Members: $35
DOWNLOAD BOOK ORDER FORMS HERE
The Fairfax Line: A Historic Landmark • McClinton, Coleman & Francis F. Wayland • Includes Thomas Lewis's Journal of 1746, edited by John W. Wayland. 1996. 97 pages. Softcover • Item #3001 • Price: $14 Members: $13
The Campaign for Woman Suffrage in Virginia • Julienne & Baston Tarter • At the centenary of the movement, this book recognizes the important contributions of women who created two statewide organizations to win the right to vote. 208 pages. 6 in. x 9 in. Softcover • Item #3013 • Price: $25 Members: $24
A History of the Valley of Virginia • Samuel Kercheval • The earliest history of this section of Virginia. First edition published in 1833 and revised and enlarged by the author in 1850. Third edition came in 1902, and a fourth in 1925. An authority on early conditions in the Valley, based in part on conversations derived first hand from people who lived in the pioneer period. 1925. 405 pages. 4th Edition. 2001 reprint. Hardcover • Item #3003 • Price: $36 Members: $35
A Short History of Page County VA • Harry Strickler • In the first half of the 18th Century, it was believed that the first settlement in the Shenandoah Valley was at Massanutten in 1776 in what is now Page County. Old homes, excerpts from court records, the Civil War, towns and villages, Shenandoah National Park, churches education, industry, Indian mounds, biography and genealogy information can all be found in this book. Published in 1952; reprinted in 1996. 427 pages. Hardcover • Item #3016 • Price: $43 Members: $40DOWNLOAD BOOK ORDER FORMS HERE
