The greater Shenandoah Valley region is recognized worldwide for the striking beauty and  Its rich history. 

The Shenandoah Valley has been home to people for millennia. Many Indigenous tribes lived in the Valley. The Monacan people lived in the region for over 10,000 years. The Monacan belonged to a vast Powhatan autocracy that stretched across the state. In the piedmont and mountain regions of this area lived Siouan Indians of the Monacan and Mannahoac tribes, arranged in a confederation ranging from the Roanoke River Valley to the Potomac River, and from the Fall Line at Richmond and Fredericksburg west through the Blue Ridge Mountains. 

If you wish to learn more about the Monacan people and their history, visit their website: https://www.monacannation.com/ 

The greater Shenandoah Valley region has nearly 300 historic sites on the National Register of Historic Places and 11 National Historic Landmarks. The region also includes 45 nationally registered historic districts that focus on historic buildings or themes; 24 properties protected by historic easements; and a number of localities, particularly in the northern or Lower Valley, that have excellent architectural surveys. Prominent historical sites include: the old Taylor Hotel and Handley Library in Winchester, the Thomas Harrison House in Harrisonburg, Augusta County Courthouse and Woodrow Wilson’s birthplace in Staunton, and Lee Chapel and the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington. We also have many scenic and historic roadways such as Route 11, Route 340, the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the world-famous Skyline Drive.  

Many historic sites in the region are located in rural settings: farms that define the Valley landscape; archaeological sites that hide beneath fields and forests; and battlefields that have local, regional, and national meaning. 

Many sites eligible for historic designation have not been nominated. Some localities do not have high-quality surveys of their architectural sites and resources. Local historic preservation ordinances remain rare and have varying depth and breadth. Relatively few properties are permanently protected through historic easements. Some sites fall into disrepair due to neglect, abandonment, or poorly designed development projects. Old cemeteries, once-proud homes and barns, and even historic sites like Willa Cather’s birthplace (Gore, VA) are at risk of being destroyed. 

Read VCC’s study of the Middlebrook-Brownsburg Corridor: the agricultural, cultural, and natural resources of the picturesque corridor between Staunton and Lexington. Download Part 1 and Part 2.