stop-here-historic-places-to-visit

Stop Here! Edinburg Mill

/ Sarah Kay Bierle / Leave a comment

People are survivors, and we celebrate and acknowledge that when they recover from a deadly illness, come out of a terrible experience, or find the courage to keep going after loss. What if I told you there’s a monument to survival and community work? Not a monument in the traditional sense – rather a structure that survived an inferno that consumed the Shenandoah Valley through the courage of two young women and and a rather compassionate Yankee.

The place? Edinburg Mill. Let’s stop here and take a look at the history… Continue reading →

Stop Here! Hupp’s Hill Civil War Park

/ Sarah Kay Bierle / 2 Comments

Ever been somewhere and found a historic site but didn’t have time to full explore it? That’s what happened to me in Strasburg, Virginia, last year. I found a Civil War site, earthworks and all, but due to a heavy rainstorm and a flight I had to catch out of Washington D.C., I didn’t have time to really explore.

So…guess what’s on my bucket list to go back and see? Hupp’s Hill Civil War Park. Let’s stop, take a look, and talk about it’s history! (And write some notes that I’ll be referencing in the future, too.) Continue reading →

Stop Here! Shenandoah Valley Civil War Museum

/ Sarah Kay Bierle / 3 Comments

Heading to Winchester, Virginia to look for a little history or enjoy a weekend getaway? As you wander the historic downtown district in this city about seventy-five west of Washington D.C., you’ll see the old courthouse building which dates back 1840.

An important structure in the local history and a key part of Civil War history in the Shenandoah Valley, the old courthouse now features The Shenandoah Valley Civil War Museum as well as the building’s own fascinating story written on the walls – literally. Let’s stop and take a look… Continue reading →

Stop Here! Stonewall Jackson’s Headquarters

/ Sarah Kay Bierle / 6 Comments

While I love the colonial and early American history found in Winchester, Virginia, I learned about this town through Civil War studies. The first time I remember reading about Winchester was in a children’s biography of “Stonewall” Jackson, and in later years, I started researching about families in the town and that general’s time in the area.

It’s only fitting then that one of the very first historic sites I visited on my very first trip to Winchester was connected to Jackson’s history and time in the community. Let’s stop and take a look… Continue reading →

Stop Here! Abram’s Delight – Historic Home Museum

/ Sarah Kay Bierle / 2 Comments

Last week we talked about early colonial history sites to tour in Winchester, Virginia. You just might need to plan longer than a day to explore this wonderful town, located about 75 miles west of Washington D.C. in the pristine Shenandoah Valley.

Today, our tour notes will take you out of the old town district to another important site preserved by the Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society and open for tours from April to October every year. Called Abram’s Delight if offers a glimpse of early settler life and the homes and typical furnishings found in the area during the antebellum period. Let’s stop here and take a look… Continue reading →

Stop Here! George Washington’s Office Museum

/ Sarah Kay Bierle / 4 Comments

Located approximately seventy-five miles west Washington D.C. at the northern end of the Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, Winchester offers rich history and well-preserved historic sites. Though Civil War or music history probably first comes to mind from Winchester’s past, George Washington actually spent time here in the Colonial Era and took his first political steps representing this area.

The small log building that Washington used as an office during his time here has been preserved by the Winchester-Frederick County Historical Society and is open for touring April through October. Let’s stop here and take a look…

Continue reading →