A Summer of History and Heritage

Each year we remember and celebrate the birth of American independence with patriotic activities, festive decorations, parades, sparklers and fireworks, music, picnics, and lots of red, white, and blue. Summer is also a great time to visit historical sites, explore our American heritage, and learn about the leaders and everyday people from the past who helped shape our culture and safeguard our democracy. Here are important Staunton-area spots to forge connections to our history and heritage. 

VA250

VA250 is Virginia’s statewide commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, the Revolutionary War, and U.S. independence. It strives to “educate Americans about our history; engage with every community to tell a complete story; and inspire people to recommit to the values inherent in citizenship” through a blend of celebration, education, and civic engagement. Check the website for upcoming events across the Commonwealth.

Happy Birthday America

Grab your lawn chairs, don your red, white, and blue, and get ready for a fun, patriotic celebration of America’s independence! Starting in 1970, the Statler Brothers brought free summer concerts to their native Staunton each July 4th. In recent years, Wil and Langdon Reid, who are sons of two Statler Brothers, have launched Happy Birthday America, a free, family-friendly event in Gypsy Hill Park filled with live music and pageantry. This year’s event hold special significance as the event was named an America250 Block Party.

Get up early and stretch your legs in the Firecracker 5K. Later, wave flags and cheer for your favorite parade floats. After the parade wraps up, head over to Moxie Stadium for carnival rides, vendors, and lots of delicious food, which you can enjoy during a lineup of performers that includes the Reids’ group Wilson Fairchild and Jimmy Fortune. Finally, the night will end on a grand note with an impressive fireworks display.

History and Democracy

Trinity Episcopal Church is important to American history as it provided a refuge and meeting space for the Virginia General Assembly during the Revolutionary War when the group fled Richmond to avoid British forces, serving as the state’s temporary capital between June 7-23, 1781. The church is on the National Register of Historic Places, and the churchyard features 18th-century headstones and graves of a number of Revolutionary War soldiers. 

For more insight into Staunton’s past, take one of the Historic Staunton Foundation’s free two-hour Saturday morning walking tours. Volunteer guides will point out architectural gems in both residential and commercial areas and explain how the city developed and evolved over time. If you’d prefer to explore at your own pace, HSF has guides to each historic district, and you can also grab a map at the Visitor Center (35 S. New Street).

Virginia is also the birthplace of eight presidents, which is more than any other state! You can learn about Staunton’s native son at Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library and Museum. The museum’s exhibits chronicle the life and times of Wilson, Staunton history, and the history of those who lived in the house, including enslaved persons. Don’t miss the museum’s signature exhibit for America’s 250th Birthday, Remember the Ladies: Fashion, Freedom, and the Fabric of a Nation. The gallery explores 250 years of American women’s history through the clothing they wore, revealing how fashion reflects identity, labor, social expectations, and expanding freedoms. Featuring garments from the Revolutionary era to the present, the exhibit highlights the stories of both famous and everyday women whose contributions helped shape the nation.

About a 45 minute drive southeast of Staunton, Thomas Jefferson’s Charlottesville home and masterpiece, Monticello, is a triumphant blend of neoclassical architecture and innovative ideas where visitors will learn about Jefferson’s life and contributions to American democracy. Exhibits also tackle more difficult subjects like the lives of enslaved people at Monticello. More historic house-and-grounds touring awaits at Montpelier, where James Madison (our fourth president) lived for 76 years. Not far away, Ash Lawn-Highland teaches visitors about James Monroe’s presidency and role in America’s history as its fifth president. 

How People Lived and Traveled

Staunton’s open-air Frontier Culture Museum illustrates the daily lives and traditions of the Valley’s early residents at different points in history. Costumed interpreters work farms representing those of the different cultures and peoples who settled the Valley. As each group brought its history and traditions and adapted to the landscape, it encountered and merged with other groups, and the overall culture evolved over time. Visitors will tour old-world farms like those built in Europe and Africa as well as new-world farms constructed on the American frontier.

South of Staunton, the Cyrus McCormick Farm is the birthplace of the mechanical reaper, a turning point in agricultural history that ended “harvest bottlenecks” launched the mechanization of farming. And north of town in Dayton, rotating exhibits at the Virginia Quilt Museum demonstrate the artistry and quiet depth of historic storytelling embedded in over 300 Appalachian and Shenandoah Valley quilts.

Staunton’s history and growth is tied to the railroad, which arrived in 1854, connecting the sleepy town to the outside world. Excursions on the Virginia Scenic Railway embark from the historic train station, and give riders insight into how people traveled in the past. There’s still time to “step back into the golden age of railroading” on a Summer of Steam excursion (through June 21). Railroad aficionados should also visit Waynesboro’s Blue Ridge Tunnel Trail, which ventures under Afton Mountain through an 1850s railroad tunnel. The trail is marked with interpretive signage explaining the history of the tunnel and those who built it, and its constant 50-degrees temperature makes it a welcome escape from the summer heat.

And Died…

It’s also worth a side trip to take in Staunton’s historic cemeteries:

Before the 20th Century, most people did not have access to public parks, so cemeteries were designed to be as park-like as possible. 12-acre Thornrose Cemetery combines human and architectural history and landscaped beauty. The main entrance, footbridge and tower were designed by architect T.J. Collins, and notable graves include that of Civil War general John Echols and Jed Hotchkiss, Stonewall Jackson’s mapmaker. A 22-foot marble Confederate infantryman marks the mass grave of 1,700 fallen Civil War soldiers who died at Cross Keys, Port Republic, Piedmont, McDowell, and other area battlefields. Staunton National Cemetery, final resting place for 753 Union soldiers who died on those same battlefields stands on the National Register of Historic Places and serves as an emotional reminder that wars have real people on both sides. And, founded in 1869, predominantly African American Fairview Cemetery was part of a Black community called Sandy Hollow in northern Staunton. 

Natural Treasures

Shenandoah National Park’s 200,000+ acres of wilderness protects more than 300 animal and 1,300 plant species and provides the public with 500 miles of hiking trails, camping and recreation areas, and the Skyline Drive with its 75 scenic overlooks. Established to conserve the area’s natural beauty and ensure public access, much of the park’s infrastructure dates to the Great Depression when the Civilian Conservation Corps workers built trails and lodges as part of Roosevelt’s New Deal. Make sure to take a ranger-led tour of Rapidan Camp, constructed in 1929 as Herbert Hoover’s “summer White House” and used by US presidents until the 1970s. 

The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests preserve 1.8 million acres of public land stretching across the Appalachian Mountains. Established in 1918 when the government bought back overworked private land and put it into conservation to halt the environmental impact, the wilderness areas were sites of important public works projects during the Great Depression. They now provide priceless opportunities for citizens to recreate in the great outdoors.

Historic Rooms

If you’re visiting Staunton for a few nights or longer, why not stick to the history theme by booking a stay in one of our rooms with a past? Don’t worry: along with historic details, these rooms offer comfortable beds, modern bathrooms, and upscale amenities.

• Both Hotel 24 South and the Blackburn Inn provide guests with elegant, modern lodgings in historic buildings convenient to Staunton’s best attractions.
• Frederick House boasts the luxury of a fancy hotel in a more personal setting.
• Book a stay at Gibson’s Warehouse, a modern space in a historic building with ties to railroad history! 
• Barristers Row offers 11 luxurious suites, which are a perfect blend of comfort and elegance a short stroll from the train station.
• Historic Berkeley Place is an 1897 Queen Anne Victorian mansion in the Gospel Hill historic district. Thoughtfully modernized, the elegant home’s seven suites still contain original details like stained glass

Make plans to visit! Staunton is an ideal destination for history lovers looking to uncover American history and heritage.