MANY BELIEVE THAT PRIOR TO THE 1600’S, the land now encompassing Staunton, Waynesboro and Augusta County was populated by Indians who lived and hunted here and traveled the trail, which later became U.S. Route 11. Settlers began arriving sometime in the early 18th century, shortly after Virginia’s Governor, Alexander Spotswood, visited the region in 1716. History records indicate that the first white settler to travel over the Blue Ridge Mountains was John Lewis, who settled in the Staunton area in 1732. Others, many of Scottish-Irish heritage, followed, perhaps enticed by a favorable taxing situation as well as the quest for religious freedom.

History comes alive at the Museum
of American Frontier Culture

One of Staunton’s main streets, Beverley, is named after William Beverley who received a “modest” grant from King George of about 120,000 acres in about 1736. By 1747, Beverley had designed a small village within his manor. A few years later, the General Assembly chartered Beverley’s village, which was then named Staunton, using the last name of the wife of a colonial governor; Governor Gooch. Staunton was incorporated as a city in 1871 and still uses the council-manager system of government that began at its formation.

Waynesboro began as a small village sometime about 1750. It was not until 1801 that a town was created, and not until 1833 that the General Assembly granted a charter for the town, named after Pennsylvania general, Anthony Wayne. In 1923 it merged with the town of Basic, which was located across the river.

Augusta County is named for Augusta, Princess of Wales and the mother of George, III. It was initially formed when Virginia’s Governor Spotswood claimed the entire valley for the British Crown in 1716; thus creating Spotsylvania. Spotsylvania became Orange County in 1734. Later, in 1738, Augusta County was created from parts of that county. It was officially organized in 1745, when taxes were first collected.

By the mid-1800’s, farmers in the region were growing crops that were feeding many in the United States. It was also a pioneer in public education, with over 80 schools
educating thousands of children.

During the Civil War, thousands fought and perished for the Confederacy. Union troops marching through the valley burned crops and buildings, but within a short time after the war, ended the buildings were rebuilt and the crops replanted. Railroads came to the region in the 1880’s, which made distribution of goods and services even easier than in the pre-war days, paving the way for what remains today a thriving economy.