"Shenvalee Motel." New Market Photographs, 1904-1982. Herb Parker Shenandoah County History Collection.
This photograph shows a flier from the 1920s advertising the Shenvalee Hotel in New Market Virginia.
The Shenvalee began in 1926 when Roland F. Hill came to New Market and purchased what was then called the “Dr. Strayer Farm.” Hill would use the land to create a resort hotel and golf course. Local newspaper publisher John G. Miller would eventually chose the name Shenvalee, a combination of the words Shenandoah, Virginia, and Lee for the site.
That era’s economic prosperity had allowed numerous tourist attractions to emerge in Shenandoah County. Shenandoah, Endless, and Luray Caverns, Civil War sites in Strasburg and New Market, and resorts at Orkney Springs, Bryce, and Shenandoah Alum Springs brought thousands of visitors to Shenandoah County each year. Many of these visitors were residents of Washungton DC and its suburbs who were looking to escape the city during the summer. Roland Hill’s attraction was designed to attract these individuals and to add to the county’s appeal.
Hill took the dwelling that stood on the property and enlarged it into a two-story hotel whose rooms surrounded a large ballroom. He also created a nine-hole golf course on the site. This was the first golf course opened in Shenandoah County. What is today known as the “Olde Course” was constructed by teams of men using picks, shovels, and wagons. Both the hotel and course opened on July 7, 1927. Bobby Jones, a popular amateur golfer and co-founder of the Masters Tournament, was the first to tee off.
Shenvalee developed the tagline “The Home of Hospilatity” to promote the site. It advertised its proximity to local attractions, natural beauty, quiet atmosphere, and golf facilities. Visitors, and numerous locals, also flocked to the resort for its well-known food and dining facilities.
Since its opening, the hotel and course have expanded dramatically. A fire that heavily damaged the hotel in 1929 led to a complete renovation that added a third floor and eliminated the ballroom. A pool and accompanying Poolside Motel opened in 1960. Four years later an additional 9-hole course opened. In 1969 the Golf Course Motel was added and was expanded in 1973. A final 9-hole course was added in 1992, making Shenvalee a 27 PGA hole course.
"Shenvalee Hotel." Herb Parker Postcard Collection, undated.
“New Jail Building, Woodstock.” Mary Ann Williamson Collection, undated.
This picture shows what was then called the “new” county jail on Court Square in Woodstock.
Constructed in 1906, this building replaced a stone jail that had been built 100 years earlier. That structure featured a jail yard, wooden fence, and small, dark cells that were called the “dungeon.”
This new jail was designed to improve prisoner’s living conditions and the appearance of the area. Cells were located in the rear portion, which was designed to be formidable to deter potential criminals and escapees. However only a few people would be housed in the jail at one time since only those awaiting trial or serving very short sentenced were incarcerated here. Anyone else would be sent to one of the state’s numerous road camps or prisons.
The front portion was more welcoming. It housed the Sheriff’s office on the first floor and a second floor apartment for him and his family. These residential quarters were placed here so the Sheriff, his wife, and children could also serve as around-the-clock jailer, cook, and janitor.
A new cast-iron fence was also constructed at the time to surround the jail yard. This would become a popular place for Woodstock residents who, during their visits downtown, regularly socialized with each other while leaning on the fence.
By the 1960s the jail and office were seriously overcrowded. The convict population had soared as the local population increased and the state expected local jails to house more prisoners. Deputies also now staffed the jail 24-hours a day and served as emergency dispatchers. There were also no separate facilities for male and female prisoners. So in 1974 this structure was demolished and a new jail, attached to the newly completed Circuit Courthouse, was constructed.
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Woodstock Herald, January 28, 1880
Pictured above is one of the many articles printed in local, state, and national newspapers describing a race riot that occurred at Liberty Furnace and Columbia Furnaces in 1880. These items provide a detailed overview of the events that sparked this incident, the hostilities that occurred, the response of local authorities, and the aftermath.
According to the sources, the riot began around 2:30PM on January 27, 1880. Five armed men stormed the Columbia Furnace Ore Bank and stopped worked there. The group, which grew to over 40 individuals, then proceeded to Liberty Furnace where they fired on the workers. Two African Americans were wounded. The rioters then occupied the area.
The individuals involved attacked the works over the issue of “colored labor.” The decision to employ African Americans to smelt iron was not a new one. Shenandoah County’s furnaces had been using black labor since before the Civil War when slaves filled many positions. After the war these individuals and their descendants continued to work in the field. However local whites felt they were stealing valuable jobs. So they resorted to violence.
Local authorities responded quickly. The Wissler family, owner of both furnaces, sent word of the riot to Woodstock. By 5:00PM Justice J.H. Grabill issued a warrant ordering the arrest of those involved. Sheriff Hoshur and his deputies traveled to the area but found the situation was too much for them to handle. So they called out the militia and county’s company arrived on the afternoon of the 28th. The rioters retreated from the furnaces and hid in the brush after exchanging fire with the soldiers. Captain Magruder, commander of the militia, began to make plans to attack the next day and asked for reinforcements. The Governor activated the militia in Fredrick and Rockingham Counties.
However the owners of the furnaces decided to take action that would end the violence and prevent further damage. They contacted the rioters and offered to fire all African American workers if they would lay down their arms and return to work. The protesters agreed and the riot ended. No one was ever prosecuted.
The only people who suffered were the African Americans who lost their jobs and the local black community. Local whites agreed that the decision to fire them was the correct one. The only rights they were willing to defend was the right of the owners to hire who they wanted, not African American’s right to work. The Woodstock Herald observed “their discharge was a matter of necessity” and “importing [African Americans] into a section of the country where families of women and children are frequently left alone…at a time when the apprehensions of the people have been aroused by outrages almost daily committed by negroes” was a terrible mistake. The Wissler brothers also chimed in and stated “they prefer white to negro labor” and had only hired the African Americans because they could not find enough white labor.
Without jobs, and in a hostile community, the African Americans involved quickly began to leave the area. By the end of the 19th century the size of the black community had shrunk dramatically as individuals moved to other areas to find work and better lives. Today, the small size of our local minority community is a legacy of this migration and the riot that sparked it.
Mt. Jackson Bank Currency, 1902
Pictured above is one of the 11,527 Blue Seal National Bank Note issued by the Mt. Jackson National Bank in 1902. Though it closely resembles US currency at the time, it was not legal tender. Instead these bank notes were only promises by the bank to pay the bearer the like amount is US currency if requested.
The history of this system is extremely complicated. From 1863 until 1935 the US Treasurer Department allowed banks chartered with the Federal Government to issue "National Bank Notes." These banks were required to purchase government bonds that were used to back the value of each note. In essence the financial institution would own a certain amount of US dollars and would then give a depositor this note with a promise to give them some of this currency is they wanted it.
Each National Bank designed their own note that was then printed by the Treasury Department. Each was larger than the official currency so it could be easily identified. They also bore the name of the bank that printed them instead of the symbols of the Federal government. This allowed merchants to identify who issued the note and determine if they would accept it as payment. How much one of these could buy often depended on the stability of the issuing institution.
After they were printed, the sheets of bills were then sent to the bank were they were signed and then cut. Many were often signed before they were cut so the top edge of notes often showed the lower parts of signatures. On this example, the descending "p" in J.I. Triplett's signature appears on the top of the bill.
The Mt. Jackson National Bank was one of several such national banks that existed in Shenandoah County. The Bank had been established by local businessman Dr. J.I. Triplett. It was initially capitalized at $50,000 and was originally housed in a structure that still stands at 6013 Main St. Dr. Triplett considered the institution the most challenging of all his ventures to run. In 1904 it moved to a new, three story brick building located beside the site of the current town hall.
In 1933 Mt. Jackson National Bank closed and was acquired by competitor People's Bank who moved into the bank building. In 1962 People's was acquired by First Virginia Bank which constructed a new building on Main Street and demolished the old structure to make room for an adjacent parking lot.
Mount Jackson National Bank Note, 1902. Digital Collection. Truban Archives, Shenandoah County Library, Edinburg, Virginia.
Telegram to Mrs. Ellis Miller, December 3, 1902
On December 3, 1902 Mrs. Ellis Sheetz of Edinburg received this telegram announcing the death of her husband. According to later newspaper accounts, Mr. Sheetz was killed while working in Pennsylvania. He, and a group of citizens from Shenandoah County, had traveled there to help build houses. While framing one at Wilson Creek PA a wind storm arose and demolished the house. Some of the timbers struck Ellis while he was working on the lower floor. He was knocked unconscious and died 25 minutes afterwards. His body was returned to Edinburg by his friends and was buried in Cedarwood Cemetery by local undertaker Lemmon. He was sixty years old and left a wife and four children. The family had received a letter from him the day before his death which announced he would be returning home in time for Christmas.
Another member of his party, George Stickley of St. Luke, was on top of the structure when it was blown down. He was "considerably injured" and was also escorted home.
At the time it was popular for residents of the Valley to travel to different areas to find work. The pay in many other parts of the country was much higher than in the valley and many unskilled laborers from the area needed the extra work to support their families. Industrial jobs in Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois attracted many. Of the thousands of individuals who made these treks, many would settle permanently in these new areas while others returned home to start a new life with the money they had earned.
Telegram to Mrs. Ellis Miller, 1902. Digital Collection. Truban Archives, Shenandoah County Library, Edinburg, Virginia.
1922 Mt. Jackson High School Diploma awarded to Maye G. Lytton
The school from which Maye G. Lytton graduated in 1922 had one of the shortest life spans of any such building in Shenandoah County. It had been constructed in 1920 to replace an aging structure located on the north end of town near what is now the RMH Mt. Jackson Health Center. Dr. J.I Triplett donated $25,000 and the land. However the new building would be destroyed by fire on February 14th, 1925. Along with the structure, insured for $40,000, the school’s library and many items belonging to the students were destroyed.
Mt. Jackson’s citizens were determined this disaster would not interrupt the educational process. Within a few weeks school was once again in session after classroom space had been found in various local buildings. Civic groups funded the purchase of new equipment, books, and desks.
On March 6th the school board ordered the construction of a new $44,000 building at the same site. Dr. Triplett provided over $3000 to the building fund. In honor of his donation to both building campaigns, the school board renamed the high school in his honor. This makes diplomas bearing the name “Mount Jackson High School” some of the rarest in the county.
An addition was made in 1939 to house the grade school and a gym. Triplett High School and Vocational School would operate until 1959 when Stonewall Jackson High School opened in Quicksburg. Grades K-7 were then housed at the school until new elementary schools were opened in 1977 and middle schools in 1991. After which the school was vacated. In 1994 the county donated the building to the Mt. Jackson Fire Department which demolished the older portion to build new quarters.
Stop by the Truban Archives to learn more about this item and the county’s schools.
Mt. Jackson High School Diploma, 1922. Digital Collection. Truban Archives, Shenandoah County Library, Edinburg, Virginia.
Civil War Excursion Train at Narrow Passage (Shenandoah County Va)
From a late 19th century pamphlet advertising photographs from Civil Battlefields
2015 is the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War. As the sesquicentennial wraps up, it is important to understand how the war was, and is, remembered. Part of that story is this photograph.
After the war, the nation became fascinated with the conflict. Individuals flocked to battlefields to marvel at the sites where so much blood had been shed and to mourn for the family members and friends they had lost.
Railroads companies capitalized on this with war themed excursion trains. Several came to the Shenandoah Valley. This train stopped at several sites in the region before heading to Antietam and Gettysburg.
Veterans often led these tours and captivated visitors with war tales. Over time shared stories of sacrifice and heroism helped heal some of the scars caused by the conflict. To rebuild their tarnished reputation, former Confederates helped build this narrative by emphasizing their battlefield exploits instead of secession.
Today, thousands of visitors still flock to local Civil War battlefield to better understand the conflict and how it affects their lives. Stop by the Truban Archives to learn more about this item and the Civil War in this area.
Civil War Excursion Train at Narrow Passage, undated, Shenandoah County Photograph Collection, Truban Archives, Shenandoah County Library, Edinburg, Virginia