About Our Area
History of the Town of Shenandoah
By Town of Shenandoah Website
Sep 17, 2008, 16:56

Courtesy of: http://www.shenandoah.va.us/history.htm

Town of Shenandoah - Daughter of the Stars

The Town of Shenandoah, Virginia, is nestled between the picturesque Blue Ridge Mountains and the Massanutten Ridge in Page County. Shenandoah, which is 10 minutes west of Shenandoah National Park and 25 minutes east of Harrisonburg, was founded in 1837 by two brothers, Daniel and Henry Forrer.

The Forrer brothers settled in the area because they saw a grand opportunity to exploit the natural resources found in and around Shenandoah. The natural resources included extensive iron ore deposits, hardwood, high-grade limestone, and waterpower. The proximity to the South Fork of the Shenandoah River, was also a great benefit which was later used by the Forrer's to take iron ore and other commodities produced by the Shenandoah Iron Works to broader markets down stream.

On February 20, 1838, the Forrer's established the first post office in Shenandoah under the name Shenandoah Iron Works with Henry Forrer being the postmaster. Development of the town ensued thereafter with houses, businesses, and industries developed astride of the Shenandoah River. The Shenandoah Iron Works, which was owned and operated by Daniel and Henry Forrer, was also located along the river banks. Ten houses were built facing the river in the Furnace Hollow section of town by a man named Mr. Pee Dee, hence, the name of this section of town today. Other historical structures were also built including Stephens Cottage, the South Fork House, Mt. Lebanon United Church at Comertown, and the Old Verbena Mill in Verbena, just south of town off of Route 340.

The Town of Shenandoah played an instrumental role in the Civil War. The Confederate Government built and operated a gun powder plant near town on the west- side of the Shenandoah River. Shenandoah industries forged iron into soldiers, which were then shipped to Richmond for use by the entire Confederacy. Cannon balls and gun powder were also shipped out from the gun powder plant.

After the Civil War, two men, William Milnes, Jr., and Thomas Johns came to Shenandoah in 1866 and purchased thirty-two thousand acres including the Forrer's Shenandoah Iron Works. These men continued the iron works; however, they introduced modern tools and machinery that were patented in order to improve production.

One of the major distinctions of the Town of Shenandoah is its flood prone nature due to its close proximity to the Shenandoah River. Time and time again, the town has been ravaged with floods. With all of the major development of the time occurring in or near the flood plain area, it was only a matter of time before a major flood wiped out the entire town.

On September 28, and 29, 1870, the inevitable happened when flood waters decimated the entire developed portion of Shenandoah. Between 30 and 60 buildings were completely destroyed or washed away as the water of the South Fork of the Shenandoah River billowed its way through town.

Despite the wrath of the flood, the William Milnes was able to take charge of the town and rebuild fairly easy. At the time of the flood, the entire country was experiencing prosperity due to an industrial boom. Milnes took this opportunity to spearhead the Shenandoah Valley Railroad, which would begin in Roanoke, Virginia and wind through the Shenandoah Valley to Hagerstown, Maryland. Milnes' persistence led to the Shenandoah Valley Railroad being built along with the installation of a telegraph line. The town is now rich in railroad history.

Through the work of William Milnes, Shenandoah became the midpoint between Roanoke, Virginia and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and enabled town industries to ship out their goods through means other than the river. Milnes took advantage of the railroad's presence and erected the Big Gem Cast Iron Furnace. The Big Gem was completed in 1882 and produced 110 tons of iron ore per day. It became a popular tourist destination as well because of the sparks that could be viewed each night as red hot cinder was poured down the cinder bank. The Big Gem literally lit up the entire town.

On June 27, 1882, the post office name was changed from Shenandoah Iron Works to Milnes in honor of William Milnes. The town also became incorporated on February 12, 1884 by an Act of the General Assembly. The town name was also changed to Milnes.

The railroad tracks that were built paralleled the river flood plain and Front Street, which is now modern day First Street. The area in and around Front Street became the town's commercial hub as business were constructed facing the rail yard. Front Street became a thriving "Main St. Community," as hundreds of people would come to the downtown to shop and watch the trains pass by. However, Norfolk and Western Railroad, closed its major maintenance and operations facilities along the Front Street corridor in 1957. Since this time, only a handful of businesses remain and buildings have deteriorated. The only thing that remains is the aura of the "good old days." In 1890, the town name was changed from Milnes to Shenandoah City by an Act of the General Assembly. Since this time, the town has parted with the City portion of the name.

The year of 1890 also was the year of another great "Boom" as Shenandoah experienced a period of rapid growth. The Shenandoah Land and Improvement Company bought land around town and surveyed the corporate limits. Streets were staked and a map of the town was produced. Many buildings were erected during this period of growth by the Shenandoah Land and Improvement Company. Most of the structures that were built by the Land and Improvement Company; however, are no longer visible due to fires which are also a distinct feature of the town's history.

Between 1890 and 1907, a period of depression, swept through the entire country. This depression affected Shenandoah as businesses closed and went bankrupt. Others such as the luxurious town hotel, "The Shenandoah," were destroyed by a fire in 1891. Massive flooding in 1896 washed away the river bridge and yet another fire destroyed the town bank.

In 1907, the Big Gem Furnace discontinued operations and parts of the land were sold off. The Big Gem was completely dismantled in 1917 and the land passed ownership to the Lukens Steel Corporation who has just recently donated the land to the town. The land, 68.4 acres, may be the site of a proposed historical and outdoors recreational park named after the Big Gem Furnace

Since the railroad downgraded its facilities along First St. in 1957, the downtown, as mentioned earlier has remained dormant. Most of the town's growth has occurred along the Route 340 corridor, which runs the entire length of Page County. The town has in place plans to revitalize Shenandoah, which like most other small, rural, town's in America, suffered from the popularity of strip malls and the development of large shopping centers. The town would like to revive "Old Front Street," develop the Big Gem Furnace tract, and play off of its rich railroad history and proximity to such popular tourist destinations as Luray Caverns, Massanutten Resort, and the Shenandoah National Park.