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Category: News
Lincoln’s Army visits Waynesborough Area
During the long, hot afternoon of June 10, 1864, a column of Union cavalry under Brigadier General A. N. Duffie pushed southward along Back Creek searching for the gap through the ridge to the headwaters of the Tye River. (Today his path is State Route 814 through Love in Sherando area.) The column unexpectedly came…
High Society in Waynesboro
At the time that it was built, 1890, the Brandon Hotel was in Basic City, not yet a part of Waynesboro. It opened on Thanksgiving Day to a grand feast and a brass band from Charlottesville. Two hundred people were invited and four hundred showed up. It was the showcase in the valley with up-to-date…
Valentine’s Day: The Long Lost Letters of Two Lovers
This week, just in time for Valentine’s Day, two love letters were discovered inside the old News Virginian building on Main Street hill. There are no dates or exact names mentioned in the love letters. Before the building was used as the offices for the News Virginian, it was a Presbyterian Church from 1878 to…
A Boy, a Virus, and the Education of a Community
By Shawn Decker In the 1980s a deadly untreatable illness called HIV was making the headlines across the nation. Much was not known about the disease at the time. It carried with it the stigma and fear that comes naturally when people and their community are faced with an unknown disease. The experience of Shawn…
The Strangest Hero of All
Among the ranks of common soldiers are those who, perhaps for only a fleeting moment, display uncommon valor above and beyond the call of duty and are singled out for the nation’s highest aware for combat heroism, the Medal of Honor. Deep in the archives of the U.S. Army lies a yellowed scrap of paper…
Why Was General Wayne Called “Mad Anthony?”
Was he insane “mad?” Was he angry “mad?” Was he reckless “mad?” The Revolutionary War hero had a fiery temperament and was a strict disciplinarian who demanded obedience and loyalty from his men. But he was also loyal to his troops and was constantly trying to improve their circumstances; so much so that many of…
When the News Arrived from Dallas
It was a Friday when the news started to trickle in through television and radio. At first it seemed like some sort of sick joke and then it was followed by horror. When that evening’s News Virginian found its way to door steps all around Waynesboro the large bold letters on the front page were…
The Grapevines vs. the Brick Kiln
In reality, it was Hippert vs. Plumb. According to the Chancery Court records of 1884, George Washington Hippert of Waynesboro, sought to prevent John Plumb, also of Waynesboro, from firing up his brick kiln in the coming summer. Mr. Hippert claims that in the summer of 1882, Mr. Plumb, who lived across the road from…
The Newly Found Civil War Documents
Many men from Waynesboro and the surrounding areas have served their country bravely when they were called to war. Often when it comes to the historical records of who served in America’s wars the records are found to be incomplete or are lost over time for various reasons. Records from Vietnam, Korea, and World War…
Did George Washington Sleep in Waynesboro?
You’ve heard the stories and seen the signs: “George Washington Slept Here.” Did Washington sleep here? An account by W. W. Barnwell in his Historical Highlights of Waynesboro and Vicinity, states that: “It has also come down from some obscure source that George Washington stopped at the tavern for dinner, overnight and breakfast. Washington’s journal…
Pioneers: Early Explorers of Our Area
We have to applaud the early explorers for their bravery, determination, perseverance, and fearlessness of the unknown elements, terrain, disease, and beasts. Without them, we would not have civilization in this area as we know it today. As early as 1669 and 1670 John Lederer went west and explored the Blue Ridge Mountains. Initially, he…
General Anthony Wayne
General Anthony Wayne and his family estate of Waynesborough in Chester County, Pennsylvania are synonymous in acquiring our namesake. In tribute, the General Wayne Hotel was erected and was host to many important figures – General and Mrs. Dwight Eisenhower, political dignataries General Anthony Wayne was a United States Army officer and statesman and worthy…
Remembering the Battle of Waynesboro
by Richard G. Williams, Jr. In 1947, a 12-year old boy sat at a desk in a bedroom of his grandfather’s home. There he sketched a pencil drawing of his hero–General Robert E. Lee. It is an excellent profile likeness of the good General; especially considering it was drawn by a 12-year old. This home…
Industrial Age of Waynesboro
Here’s an earlier depiction of the early Basic and Waynesboro area. It is taken from the book, “1835 Gazetteer of Virginia and the District of Columbia” by Joseph Martin. “Waynesboro’s P.V. 109 ms. from R. and 10 from W., situated at the western foot of the Blue Ridge, on South river. Waynesboro is an industrious…
Indians
Well before the Romans, or the Greeks or the Egyptians created their cultures, an ethnic group known as the “First People” began its colonization of North American. There are a number of theories of how the original settlers came to the continent. Some belive they were the “Lost Tribes” of the Old Testament. Others fancifully…