Staunton, Virginia
Encyclopedia
Staunton (ˈ ) is an independent city
within the confines of Augusta County
in the commonwealth
of Virginia
. The population was 23,746 as of 2010. It is the county seat
of Augusta County
.
It is known for being the birthplace of Woodrow Wilson
, the 28th U.S. president, and the home of Mary Baldwin College
, a women's college. The city is also home to Stuart Hall
, a private co-ed preparatory school, as well as the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind
.
Staunton is the larger of the two principal cities of the Staunton-Waynesboro micropolitan statistical area
, which covers Augusta County
and the cities of Staunton and Waynesboro. The micropolitan area
had a combined population of 116,299 in 2009.
from Essex County
, was granted by the Crown
over 118,000 acres (478 km²) in what would become Augusta County. Surveyor
Thomas Lewis
in 1746 laid out the first town plat
for Beverley of what was originally called Beverley's Mill Place. Founded in 1747, it was renamed in honor of Lady Rebecca Staunton, wife to Royal Lieutenant-Governor Sir William Gooch. Because the town was located at the geographical center of the colony (which then included West Virginia
), Staunton served between 1738 and 1771 as regional capital for what was known as the Northwest Territory, with the westernmost courthouse
in British North America
prior to the Revolution
. By 1760, Staunton was one of the major "remote trading centers in the backcountry" which coordinated the transportation of the vast amounts of grain and tobacco then being produced in response to the change of Britain
from a net exporter of produce to an importer. Staunton thus played a crucial role in the mid 18th century expansion of the economies of the American Colonies which, in turn, contributed to the success of the American Revolution
. It served as capital of Virginia in June 1781, when state legislators
fled Richmond
and then Charlottesville
to avoid capture by the British
.
Slaves were held in Staunton, as they were throughout the southern states and some of the northern. For instance, in 1815, a slave named Henry ran away from John G. Wright's Staunton plantation. Wright later placed an ad in the Daily National Intelligencer in Washington, D.C.
seeking Henry's return. This ad is notable in its genre for the fact that it notes that Henry was an excellent cook and was widely travelled, having been to the West Indies.
Located along the Valley Pike
, Staunton developed as a trade
, transportation and industrial center, particularly after the Virginia Central Railroad
arrived in 1854. Factories
made carriage
s, wagon
s, boot
s and shoes
, clothing
and blanket
s. In 1860, Staunton Military Academy
was founded. By 1860, Staunton had at least one pro-union, anti-slavery newspaper (the Staunton Spectator
) and at least one pro-secession, pro-slavery newspaper (the Staunton Vindicator
). The Spectator ran editorials before the war urging its citizens to vote for union, while the Vindicator ran, e.g., stories reporting on "unruly" slaves mutilating themselves to escape being sold. During the Civil War
, the town became an important Shenandoah Valley
manufacturing, staging area and supply depot for the Confederacy
. On June 6, 1864, Union
Major General David Hunter
arrived with 10,000 troops to cut supply, communication and railway lines useful to the rebellion. The next day, they destroyed the railroad station, warehouse
s, houses, factories and mills. Union soldiers looted
stores and warehouses and confiscated supplies.
On July 10, 1902, Staunton became an independent city.
, a hospital for the mentally ill, which originally began operations in 1828. The hospital was renamed Western State Hospital in 1894.
In its early days, the facility was a resort-style asylum. It had terraced gardens where patients could plant flowers and take walks, roof walks to provide mountain views, and many architectural details to create an atmosphere that would aid in the healing process. However, by the mid 19th Century, this utopian model of care had vanished, replaced by overcrowding in the facility and the warehousing of patients. Techniques such as "ankle and wrist restraints, physical coercion, and straitjackets" were used. After the passage of the Eugenical Sterilization Act of 1924 in Virginia, patients were forcibly sterilized at Western State until the law authorizing the practice was repealed in the 1970s. Later, electroshock therapy and lobotomies
were practiced at the facility.
Western State vacated the property in the 1970s when the hospital moved to its present site near Interstate 81. The facility was then converted to the Staunton Correctional Center, a medium-security men's penitentiary
. The prison closed in 2003, and the site was left vacant for several years. In 2005, the state of Virginia gave the property to the Staunton Industrial Authority.
The site is now a mixed-use neighborhood called The Villages at Staunton. The first building that was renovated was The Bindery, which holds residential condos. The development team consisted of Frazier Associates of Staunton, Folsom Group of Charlottesville, Miller & Associates of Richmond, and The Arcadia Land Company of Wayne
, Pennsylvania
.
, the city has a total area of 19.7 square miles (51.0 km²), all land. Staunton is located in the Shenandoah Valley
in between the Blue Ridge
and Allegheny Mountains
of the Appalachian Mountains
. It is drained by Lewis Creek. Lewis Creek flows into the Shenandoah River, which flows into the Potomac, and eventually to the Chesapeake Bay.
of 2000, there were 23,853 people, 9,676 households, and 5,766 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,210.3 people per square mile (467.3/km²). There were 10,427 housing units at an average density of 529.1 per square mile (204.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.29% White, 13.95% Black or African American
, 0.22% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from other races
, and 1.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.11% of the population.
There were 9,676 households out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were married couples
living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.4% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.81.
In the city the population was spread out with 19.8% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 89.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,941, and the median income for a family was $44,422. Males had a median income of $30,153 versus $22,079 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $19,161. About 7.7% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.9% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.
As of 2008, Staunton was suffering one of Virginia's "most severe population declines", with the immigration rate and the birth rate failing to make up for the emigration rate and the death rate. The population declined almost 4% between 2000 and 2007, according to a study done by Charles Spar of the University of Virginia
.
Police in the Staunton region estimate that there are over 300 gang members in the city. These gang members are active in the Crips
, the Bloods
, and MS-13, as well as in purely local gangs.
Blackfriars Theatre
. The Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library
is open for visitors, as well as the Museum of American Frontier Culture, which provides an insider's look at life in early America.
Staunton is also home to the Statler Brothers
, country music
legends who until 1994 performed free concerts at the annual Fourth of July celebration, accompanied by other country music artists. Statler Brothers members Don Reid, Harold Reid
, and Phil Balsley
grew up and still reside in the city.
Folksinger Phil Ochs
attended Staunton Military Academy between 1956 and 1958, where he played clarinet in the marching band. His exposure to the country music played on local radio, quite different from what he was used to hearing in his home state of Ohio
, was a significant influence on his decision to become a singer.
film Gods and Generals
. The local Shenandoah Valley Railroad
as well as a number of nearby houses were used in filming of Hearts in Atlantis
. In 1993, a portion of the Showtime production of Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker
was filmed here. In the summer of 2006, some scenes for the movie Evan Almighty
were also filmed in Staunton. Some scenes for Familiar Strangers were also filmed in Staunton in 2007.
during the Victorian era
. His firm, T. J. Collins & Sons, is still in business.
The city was once home to about ten hotels. One of them that is still in operation is the Stonewall Jackson Hotel
. It was renovated in the early 2000s, and is now in operation as a hotel and a conference center. The Ingleside Resort is also still in operation. During World War II
it was used by the INS
as a detention center for enemy aliens held under Executive Order 9066
. Some of the hotels that are no longer in operation are The Virginia Hotel, the Eakleton Hotel, the Valley Hotel
, and the American Hotel. All of these buildings are still standing except for the Virginia Hotel, which was demolished in 1930 to make way for a planned addition to the Stonewall Jackson Hotel which was never built. The New Street Parking Garage now stands on the site. Among the houses in Staunton on the National Register of Historic Places is The Oaks, at 437 East Beverley Street. An 1840s structure, it was modified and enlarged in 1888 by famed Civil War cartographer Jedediah Hotchkiss
.
: The Hayseeds. In 1914, the city fielded a team in the Virginia Mountain League
: The Staunton Lunatics. The Lunatics moved to Harrisonburg in July 1914, just before the league disbanded. From 1939 to 1942, the city fielded a team in the Virginia League (1939-1942): the Staunton Presidents. Staunton currently has no minor league baseball, but the Staunton Braves
represent the city in the Valley Baseball League
, a collegiate wooden bat league
that plays in the Shenandoah Valley.
form of government. In 1908, Staunton was the first city in the United States to give an appointed employee authority over city affairs through statute. In 1912, Sumter, S.C.
, was the first U.S. city to implement the council-manager form of city government. The city of Staunton refers to itself on its website as the "birthplace of President Woodrow Wilson, and the city manager form of government."
Staunton is part of Virginia's 6th congressional district
.
in late 1865. Arrangements were made to bring in women from the North as teachers, and the jury rooms of the Augusta County Courthouse, located at 1 E. Johnson Street, were to be used as classrooms. The court protested this plan, however, and it is possible that another location was found.
Attorneys for the city of Staunton submitted a plan for the desegregation
of its public schools in 1965 by eliminating all negro schools in time for the 1967-68 school year, which was approved by the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. However, the implementation of this plan was delayed to such an extent that a group of African-American parents brought suit in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia
against the city. This case, Bell v. School Board of Staunton, was decided on January 5, 1966, with the court stating that the delay was a violation of the rights of the students under the Fourteenth Amendment
and ordering that the schools and their faculty be desegregated in time for the 1966-67 school year.
The Staunton city school district is one of about twenty left in Virginia which take elementary school students out of class for Bible lessons on a voluntary basis, a practice known as Weekday Religious Education
. Although the U.S. Supreme Court ended taxpayer funded religious education in 1948 in McCollum v. Board of Education
, four years later they opened the door for privately funded voluntary classes held during school hours but away from school premises in Zorach v. Clauson
. In 2005, a group of parents in Staunton asked the school board to halt the practice. However, the challenge was unsuccessful, and the Bible classes are still being taught (as of July 2011).
provides service to Staunton under the Cardinal route. The route serves Staunton's downtown train station. It also serves as the closest station for the nearby cities of Harrisonburg
and Lexington
.
Staunton had a municipal bus system during the 20th century, known as the Staunton Transit Service, but it was dissolved in 1989. In 1944, World War II
veteran S. Melvin Johnson wrote to Truman Gibson
, assistant to William H. Hastie
, advisor to Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson
, regarding segregated seating on the Staunton Transit Service and stating that returning African-American soldiers would not stand for such conditions. This letter was an indication of the role that African-American veterans would later play in the American civil rights movement. Currently, the Staunton Trolley provides fixed-route bus service throughout Staunton. It includes three routes - the Red Route, the Green Route and the Silver Route. The Green Route connects to the City's Amtrak station. The Coordinated Area Transportation Services (CATS) operates a demand-response service throughout the Staunton area, as well as a fixed shuttle service between the downtown areas of Staunton and Waynesboro.
The city is located very close to the intersection of I-81 and I-64. VA-262 provides a partial beltway around the city. US-11 passes through the city.
The nearest commercial airport is Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport
in Weyers Cave, Virginia
.
Independent city
An independent city is a city that does not form part of another general-purpose local government entity. These type of cities should not be confused with city-states , which are fully sovereign cities that are not part of any other sovereign state.-Historical precursors:In the Holy Roman Empire,...
within the confines of Augusta County
Augusta County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 65,615 people, 24,818 households, and 18,911 families residing in the county. The population density was 68 people per square mile . There were 26,738 housing units at an average density of 28 per square mile...
in the commonwealth
Commonwealth (United States)
Four of the constituent states of the United States officially designate themselves Commonwealths: Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Virginia....
of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. The population was 23,746 as of 2010. It is the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Augusta County
Augusta County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 65,615 people, 24,818 households, and 18,911 families residing in the county. The population density was 68 people per square mile . There were 26,738 housing units at an average density of 28 per square mile...
.
It is known for being the birthplace of Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
, the 28th U.S. president, and the home of Mary Baldwin College
Mary Baldwin College
Mary Baldwin College is a private, independent, and comprehensive four-year liberal arts women's college in Staunton, Virginia. It was ranked in 2008 by US News & World Report as a top-tier, master's level university in the South. Mary Baldwin offers pre-professional programs in law, medicine,...
, a women's college. The city is also home to Stuart Hall
Stuart Hall School
Stuart Hall School in Staunton, Virginia was founded by the Episcopal church as Virginia Female Institute in 1844. It was renamed in 1907 in honor of its most famous headmistress, Flora Cooke Stuart, the widow of Confederate cavalry leader Maj. Gen. J.E.B...
, a private co-ed preparatory school, as well as the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind
Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind
The Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind, located in Staunton, Virginia, USA, is an institution for educating deaf and blind children, first established in 1839 by an act of the Virginia General Assembly.- History :...
.
Staunton is the larger of the two principal cities of the Staunton-Waynesboro micropolitan statistical area
Staunton-Waynesboro micropolitan area
The Staunton–Waynesboro Micropolitan Statistical Area is a United States Micropolitan Statistical Area in Virginia, as defined by the Office of Management and Budget as of June, 2003...
, which covers Augusta County
Augusta County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 65,615 people, 24,818 households, and 18,911 families residing in the county. The population density was 68 people per square mile . There were 26,738 housing units at an average density of 28 per square mile...
and the cities of Staunton and Waynesboro. The micropolitan area
United States micropolitan area
United States Micropolitan Statistical Areas , as defined by the United States Office of Management and Budget, are urban areas in the United States based around a core city or town with a population of 10,000 to 49,999. The micropolitan area designation was created in 2003...
had a combined population of 116,299 in 2009.
History
The area was first settled in 1732 by John Lewis and family. In 1736, William Beverley, a wealthy planter and merchantMerchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
from Essex County
Essex County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,989 people, 3,995 households, and 2,740 families residing in the county. The population density was 39 people per square mile . There were 4,926 housing units at an average density of 19 per square mile...
, was granted by the Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
over 118,000 acres (478 km²) in what would become Augusta County. Surveyor
Surveying
See Also: Public Land Survey SystemSurveying or land surveying is the technique, profession, and science of accurately determining the terrestrial or three-dimensional position of points and the distances and angles between them...
Thomas Lewis
Thomas Lewis (Virginia)
Thomas Lewis was an Irish-American surveyor, lawyer, and a pioneer of early Virginia. He was a signatory to the Fairfax Resolves preceding the American War for Independence, and after the conflict, contributed to the settlement of western Virginia in an area that would one day become part of West...
in 1746 laid out the first town plat
Plat
A plat in the U.S. is a map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. Other English-speaking countries generally call such documents a cadastral map or plan....
for Beverley of what was originally called Beverley's Mill Place. Founded in 1747, it was renamed in honor of Lady Rebecca Staunton, wife to Royal Lieutenant-Governor Sir William Gooch. Because the town was located at the geographical center of the colony (which then included West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
), Staunton served between 1738 and 1771 as regional capital for what was known as the Northwest Territory, with the westernmost courthouse
Courthouse
A courthouse is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply...
in British North America
British North America
British North America is a historical term. It consisted of the colonies and territories of the British Empire in continental North America after the end of the American Revolutionary War and the recognition of American independence in 1783.At the start of the Revolutionary War in 1775 the British...
prior to the Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. By 1760, Staunton was one of the major "remote trading centers in the backcountry" which coordinated the transportation of the vast amounts of grain and tobacco then being produced in response to the change of Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
from a net exporter of produce to an importer. Staunton thus played a crucial role in the mid 18th century expansion of the economies of the American Colonies which, in turn, contributed to the success of the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. It served as capital of Virginia in June 1781, when state legislators
Virginia General Assembly
The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members,...
fled Richmond
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
and then Charlottesville
Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville is an independent city geographically surrounded by but separate from Albemarle County in the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States, and named after Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the queen consort of King George III of the United Kingdom.The official population estimate for...
to avoid capture by the British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
.
Slaves were held in Staunton, as they were throughout the southern states and some of the northern. For instance, in 1815, a slave named Henry ran away from John G. Wright's Staunton plantation. Wright later placed an ad in the Daily National Intelligencer in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
seeking Henry's return. This ad is notable in its genre for the fact that it notes that Henry was an excellent cook and was widely travelled, having been to the West Indies.
Located along the Valley Pike
Valley Pike
Valley Pike or Valley Turnpike is the traditional name given for the Indian trail and roadway which now is designated as U.S. Highway 11 in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia....
, Staunton developed as a trade
Trade
Trade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...
, transportation and industrial center, particularly after the Virginia Central Railroad
Virginia Central Railroad
Virginia Central Railroad was chartered as the Louisa Railroad in 1836 by the Virginia Board of Public Works and had its name changed to Virginia Central Railroad in 1850. It connected Richmond with the Orange and Alexandria Railroad at Gordonsville in 1854, and had expanded westward past the Blue...
arrived in 1854. Factories
Factory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
made carriage
Carriage
A carriage is a wheeled vehicle for people, usually horse-drawn; litters and sedan chairs are excluded, since they are wheelless vehicles. The carriage is especially designed for private passenger use and for comfort or elegance, though some are also used to transport goods. It may be light,...
s, wagon
Wagon
A wagon is a heavy four-wheeled vehicle pulled by draught animals; it was formerly often called a wain, and if low and sideless may be called a dray, trolley or float....
s, boot
Boot
A boot is a type of footwear but they are not shoes. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle and extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearly distinguishable from the rest of the sole, even if the two are made of one piece....
s and shoes
Shoemaking
Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand. Traditional handicraft shoemaking has now been largely superseded in volume of shoes produced by industrial mass production of footwear, but not necessarily in quality, attention to detail, or...
, clothing
Clothing
Clothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies...
and blanket
Blanket
A blanket is a type of bedding, generally speaking, a large piece of cloth, intended to keep the user warm, especially while sleeping. Blankets are distinguished from sheets by their thickness and purpose; the thickest sheet is still thinner than the lightest blanket. Blankets are generally used...
s. In 1860, Staunton Military Academy
Staunton Military Academy
Staunton Military Academy was an all-male military academy located in Staunton, Virginia for much of its 116-year history. The school closed in 1976. Many notable American political and military leaders are graduates...
was founded. By 1860, Staunton had at least one pro-union, anti-slavery newspaper (the Staunton Spectator
The Valley of the Shadow
This page is about an American Civil war project. For other uses, see Valley of the Shadow The Valley of the Shadow is a digital history project hosted by the University of Virginia detailing the experiences of Confederate soldiers from Augusta County, Virginia and Union soldiers from Franklin...
) and at least one pro-secession, pro-slavery newspaper (the Staunton Vindicator
The Valley of the Shadow
This page is about an American Civil war project. For other uses, see Valley of the Shadow The Valley of the Shadow is a digital history project hosted by the University of Virginia detailing the experiences of Confederate soldiers from Augusta County, Virginia and Union soldiers from Franklin...
). The Spectator ran editorials before the war urging its citizens to vote for union, while the Vindicator ran, e.g., stories reporting on "unruly" slaves mutilating themselves to escape being sold. During the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the town became an important Shenandoah Valley
Shenandoah Valley
The Shenandoah Valley is both a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , to the north by the Potomac River...
manufacturing, staging area and supply depot for the Confederacy
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
. On June 6, 1864, Union
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
Major General David Hunter
David Hunter
David Hunter was a Union general in the American Civil War. He achieved fame by his unauthorized 1862 order emancipating slaves in three Southern states and as the president of the military commission trying the conspirators involved with the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln.-Early...
arrived with 10,000 troops to cut supply, communication and railway lines useful to the rebellion. The next day, they destroyed the railroad station, warehouse
Warehouse
A warehouse is a commercial building for storage of goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial areas of cities and towns. They usually have loading docks to load and unload...
s, houses, factories and mills. Union soldiers looted
Looting
Looting —also referred to as sacking, plundering, despoiling, despoliation, and pillaging—is the indiscriminate taking of goods by force as part of a military or political victory, or during a catastrophe, such as during war, natural disaster, or rioting...
stores and warehouses and confiscated supplies.
On July 10, 1902, Staunton became an independent city.
Western State Hospital
Staunton is also home to the former Western State Lunatic AsylumWestern State Hospital (Virginia)
Western State Hospital, called Western State Lunatic Asylum in its early years, is a hospital for the mentally ill in Staunton, Virginia, which originally began operations in 1828. At Western State’s birth in 1828, the asylums location seemed almost inevitable. Around 1825, significant changes in...
, a hospital for the mentally ill, which originally began operations in 1828. The hospital was renamed Western State Hospital in 1894.
In its early days, the facility was a resort-style asylum. It had terraced gardens where patients could plant flowers and take walks, roof walks to provide mountain views, and many architectural details to create an atmosphere that would aid in the healing process. However, by the mid 19th Century, this utopian model of care had vanished, replaced by overcrowding in the facility and the warehousing of patients. Techniques such as "ankle and wrist restraints, physical coercion, and straitjackets" were used. After the passage of the Eugenical Sterilization Act of 1924 in Virginia, patients were forcibly sterilized at Western State until the law authorizing the practice was repealed in the 1970s. Later, electroshock therapy and lobotomies
Lobotomy
Lobotomy "; τομή – tomē: "cut/slice") is a neurosurgical procedure, a form of psychosurgery, also known as a leukotomy or leucotomy . It consists of cutting the connections to and from the prefrontal cortex, the anterior part of the frontal lobes of the brain...
were practiced at the facility.
Western State vacated the property in the 1970s when the hospital moved to its present site near Interstate 81. The facility was then converted to the Staunton Correctional Center, a medium-security men's penitentiary
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
. The prison closed in 2003, and the site was left vacant for several years. In 2005, the state of Virginia gave the property to the Staunton Industrial Authority.
The site is now a mixed-use neighborhood called The Villages at Staunton. The first building that was renovated was The Bindery, which holds residential condos. The development team consisted of Frazier Associates of Staunton, Folsom Group of Charlottesville, Miller & Associates of Richmond, and The Arcadia Land Company of Wayne
Wayne, Pennsylvania
Wayne is an unincorporated community located on the Main Line, centered in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. While the center of Wayne is in Radnor Township, Wayne extends into both Tredyffrin Township in Chester County and Upper Merion Township in Montgomery County...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the city has a total area of 19.7 square miles (51.0 km²), all land. Staunton is located in the Shenandoah Valley
Shenandoah Valley
The Shenandoah Valley is both a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , to the north by the Potomac River...
in between the Blue Ridge
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southern-most...
and Allegheny Mountains
Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range , also spelled Alleghany, Allegany and, informally, the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...
of the Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
. It is drained by Lewis Creek. Lewis Creek flows into the Shenandoah River, which flows into the Potomac, and eventually to the Chesapeake Bay.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 23,853 people, 9,676 households, and 5,766 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,210.3 people per square mile (467.3/km²). There were 10,427 housing units at an average density of 529.1 per square mile (204.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.29% White, 13.95% Black or African American
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, 0.22% Native American, 0.46% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.52% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.11% of the population.
There were 9,676 households out of which 24.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.4% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.4% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.81.
In the city the population was spread out with 19.8% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 89.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,941, and the median income for a family was $44,422. Males had a median income of $30,153 versus $22,079 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $19,161. About 7.7% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.9% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.
As of 2008, Staunton was suffering one of Virginia's "most severe population declines", with the immigration rate and the birth rate failing to make up for the emigration rate and the death rate. The population declined almost 4% between 2000 and 2007, according to a study done by Charles Spar of the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
.
Police in the Staunton region estimate that there are over 300 gang members in the city. These gang members are active in the Crips
Crips
The Crips are a primarily, but not exclusively, African American gang. They were founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1969 mainly by Raymond Washington and Stanley Williams...
, the Bloods
Bloods
The Bloods are a street gang founded in Los Angeles, California. The gang is widely known for its rivalry with the Crips. They are identified by the red color worn by their members and by particular gang symbols, including distinctive hand signs...
, and MS-13, as well as in purely local gangs.
Arts and culture
Staunton is home to the American Shakespeare Center, a theatrical company centered at the Blackfriars Playhouse, a replica of Shakespeare'sWilliam Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
Blackfriars Theatre
Blackfriars Theatre
Blackfriars Theatre was the name of a theatre in the Blackfriars district of the City of London during the Renaissance. The theatre began as a venue for child actors associated with the Queen's chapel choirs; in this function, the theatre hosted some of the most innovative drama of Elizabeth and...
. The Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library
Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library
The Woodrow Wilson Presidential Library houses Woodrow Wilson materials from during and immediately after his lifetime, as well as memoirs of those who worked with him, and governmental volumes concerning World War I. The library is located at the Woodrow Wilson Birthplace, at 18–24 North Coalter...
is open for visitors, as well as the Museum of American Frontier Culture, which provides an insider's look at life in early America.
Staunton is also home to the Statler Brothers
Statler Brothers
The Statler Brothers were an American country music vocal group founded in 1955 in Staunton, Virginia.Originally performing gospel music at local churches, the group billed themselves as The Four Star Quartet, and later The Kingsmen...
, country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
legends who until 1994 performed free concerts at the annual Fourth of July celebration, accompanied by other country music artists. Statler Brothers members Don Reid, Harold Reid
Harold Reid
Harold Reid is the former bass singer for the country vocal group The Statler Brothers. He wrote or co-wrote 17 songs that were hit singles for the group, including "Bed of Rose's" and the #1 hit "Do You Know You Are My Sunshine." The latter was written with his younger brother, Don Reid, the lead...
, and Phil Balsley
Phil Balsley
Philip Elwood Balsley is the former baritone singer for the retired country vocal group The Statler Brothers...
grew up and still reside in the city.
Folksinger Phil Ochs
Phil Ochs
Philip David Ochs was an American protest singer and songwriter who was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, earnest humanism, political activism, insightful and alliterative lyrics, and haunting voice...
attended Staunton Military Academy between 1956 and 1958, where he played clarinet in the marching band. His exposure to the country music played on local radio, quite different from what he was used to hearing in his home state of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, was a significant influence on his decision to become a singer.
Film
Downtown Staunton and Sherwood Avenue were used in the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
film Gods and Generals
Gods and Generals (film)
Gods and Generals is a 2003 American film based on the novel Gods and Generals by Jeffrey Shaara. It depicts events that take place prior to those shown in the 1993 film Gettysburg, which was based on The Killer Angels, a novel by Shaara's father, Michael...
. The local Shenandoah Valley Railroad
Shenandoah Valley Railroad (short-line)
Shenandoah Valley Railroad is a privately owned intrastate short-line railroad extending northward from Staunton, Virginia in Augusta County and Rockingham County...
as well as a number of nearby houses were used in filming of Hearts in Atlantis
Hearts in Atlantis (film)
Hearts in Atlantis is a 2001 American/Australian drama thriller directed by Scott Hicks. It is loosely adapted from Stephen King's novella "Low Men in Yellow Coats", from his story collection Hearts in Atlantis.-Plot:...
. In 1993, a portion of the Showtime production of Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker
Assault at West Point: The Court-Martial of Johnson Whittaker
Assault at West Point is a 1994 television docudrama about Johnson Chesnut Whittaker, one of the first black cadets at West Point, and the trial that followed an assault he suffered. The film features Samuel L. Jackson, who portrays a lawyer who defends Whittaker.-Plot:Johnson Whittaker, a black...
was filmed here. In the summer of 2006, some scenes for the movie Evan Almighty
Evan Almighty
Evan Almighty is a 2007 American religious comedy film and the stand-alone sequel to Bruce Almighty . The film was directed by Tom Shadyac, written by Steve Oedekerk, and starring Steve Carell as the title character. Morgan Freeman also reprised his role as God from the original film. Production of...
were also filmed in Staunton. Some scenes for Familiar Strangers were also filmed in Staunton in 2007.
Architecture
Staunton is home to nearly 200 buildings designed by architect Thomas Jasper Collins (1844–1925), who worked in various stylesVictorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
during the Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
. His firm, T. J. Collins & Sons, is still in business.
The city was once home to about ten hotels. One of them that is still in operation is the Stonewall Jackson Hotel
Stonewall Jackson Hotel
The Stonewall Jackson Hotel in Staunton, Virginia is an historic 1924 hotel that completed a major restoration in 2005. Originally opened in 1924, the hotel was designed by H.L. Stevens and is considered an excellent example of the American architect's work in the Colonial Revivalist style...
. It was renovated in the early 2000s, and is now in operation as a hotel and a conference center. The Ingleside Resort is also still in operation. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
it was used by the INS
Immigration and Naturalization Service
The United States Immigration and Naturalization Service , now referred to as Legacy INS, ceased to exist under that name on March 1, 2003, when most of its functions were transferred from the Department of Justice to three new components within the newly created Department of Homeland Security, as...
as a detention center for enemy aliens held under Executive Order 9066
Executive Order 9066
United States Executive Order 9066 was a United States presidential executive order signed and issued during World War II by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942 authorizing the Secretary of War to prescribe certain areas as military zones...
. Some of the hotels that are no longer in operation are The Virginia Hotel, the Eakleton Hotel, the Valley Hotel
Valley Hotel
The Valley Hotel was a hotel in Staunton, Virginia built around 1815. It is located on Augusta Street right across the street from a Baptist church . After it was a hotel it was a center for the African American community, and is currently a clock shop....
, and the American Hotel. All of these buildings are still standing except for the Virginia Hotel, which was demolished in 1930 to make way for a planned addition to the Stonewall Jackson Hotel which was never built. The New Street Parking Garage now stands on the site. Among the houses in Staunton on the National Register of Historic Places is The Oaks, at 437 East Beverley Street. An 1840s structure, it was modified and enlarged in 1888 by famed Civil War cartographer Jedediah Hotchkiss
Jedediah Hotchkiss
Jedediah Hotchkiss , also known as Jed, was an educator and the most famous cartographer and topographer of the American Civil War...
.
Sports
In 1894, Staunton fielded a team in the Virginia League (1894-1896)Virginia League (1894-1896)
The Virginia League was a minor league baseball organization active in central Virginia. In 1894 it fielded six teams: the Lynchburg Hill Climbers, the Norfolk Clam Eaters, the Petersburg Farmers, the Richmond Crows, the Roanoke Magicians, and the Staunton Hayseeds/ Newport News- Hampton...
: The Hayseeds. In 1914, the city fielded a team in the Virginia Mountain League
Virginia Mountain League
The Virginia Mountain League was a class D minor league baseball organization active in central western Virginia in 1914. It had four teams: the Charlottesville Tuckahoes, the Clifton Forge Railroaders, the Covington Papermakers, and the Staunton/ Harrisonburg Lunatics...
: The Staunton Lunatics. The Lunatics moved to Harrisonburg in July 1914, just before the league disbanded. From 1939 to 1942, the city fielded a team in the Virginia League (1939-1942): the Staunton Presidents. Staunton currently has no minor league baseball, but the Staunton Braves
Staunton Braves
The Staunton Braves are a collegiate summer baseball team in Staunton, Virginia. They play in the southern division of the Valley Baseball League. They have won the pennant in 1993-95, 1997-2000, and 2003. They were league champions in 1995, 1996, and 1999....
represent the city in the Valley Baseball League
Valley Baseball League
The Valley Baseball League is an NCAA-sanctioned collegiate summer baseball league in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia. Each Valley Baseball League season consists of 44 games played during summer. Many Valley Baseball League players have continued on to play in Major League Baseball.The...
, a collegiate wooden bat league
Wooden bat league
Wooden bat leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States that use wood bats instead of bats made of aluminum or composites. Most such leagues play in the summer months, during the traditional break in the academic year, and are approved by the NCAA....
that plays in the Shenandoah Valley.
Parks and recreation
- Betsy Bell Wilderness Park — a 70 acres (283,280.2 m²) mountaintop park with a 1959 feet (597.1 m) observation platform
- Gypsy Hill Park — a 214 acres (866,028 m²) multi-use facility with a golf course, football and baseball stadiums, gymnasium, lake, two playgrounds, three youth baseball fields, public swimming pool, volleyball court, horseshoe pits, tennis courts, the Gypsy Express mini-train, the Duck Pond, a skatepark, a bandstand, and several pavilions. Until the Staunton city parks were integrated, Gypsy Hill Park was only open to whites except for one day a year, which was set aside for other races to use the park.
- Montgomery Hall Park — a 148 acres (598,935.3 m²) multi-use facility with softball and soccer fields, tennis courts, disc golf course, playgrounds, picnic shelters, hiking and fitness trails, and a swimming pool, which is nonoperational for budgetary reasons. The offices of the Department of Parks and Recreation are at the Irene Givens Administration building, which also includes a kitchen, activity room, and conference room which are available for public use. Montgomery Hall Park was opened in 1950 after much agitation by non-white residents of Staunton. Before segregation ended in the mid 1960s, Montgomery Hall park was the only park in the city open to African-Americans
- Booker T. Washington Community Center — formerly the segregated Booker T. Washington High School, although according to the court which decided Bell v. Staunton Board of Education, the term "high school" was a misnomer, as the school also contained "first, second, and seventh grade classes and two special mentally retarded classes as well as the eighth through the twelfth grades."
- Nelson Street Teen Center — closed (as of 2011) due to budget cuts.
Government
Staunton operates under a council-managerCouncil-manager government
The council–manager government form is one of two predominant forms of municipal government in the United States; the other common form of local government is the mayor-council government form, which characteristically occurs in large cities...
form of government. In 1908, Staunton was the first city in the United States to give an appointed employee authority over city affairs through statute. In 1912, Sumter, S.C.
Sumter, South Carolina
-Demographics:, there were 59,180 people, 34,717 households, and 4,049 families living in the city. The population density was 4,469.5 people per square mile . There were 416,032 housing units at an average density of 603.0 per square mile...
, was the first U.S. city to implement the council-manager form of city government. The city of Staunton refers to itself on its website as the "birthplace of President Woodrow Wilson, and the city manager form of government."
Staunton is part of Virginia's 6th congressional district
Virginia's 6th congressional district
Virginia's sixth congressional district is a United States congressional district in the commonwealth of Virginia. It covers all or part of Shenandoah, Rockingham, Highland, Augusta, Bath, Bedford, Rockbridge, Botetourt, Roanoke and Amherst Counties. The current representative is Bob Goodlatte...
.
Education
Black Virginians were largely barred from education until Reconstruction. The first school in Staunton which allowed African-Americans to attend was established by the Freedman's Bureau under the supervision of the commanding general of the occupying Union armyUnion Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
in late 1865. Arrangements were made to bring in women from the North as teachers, and the jury rooms of the Augusta County Courthouse, located at 1 E. Johnson Street, were to be used as classrooms. The court protested this plan, however, and it is possible that another location was found.
Attorneys for the city of Staunton submitted a plan for the desegregation
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
of its public schools in 1965 by eliminating all negro schools in time for the 1967-68 school year, which was approved by the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. However, the implementation of this plan was delayed to such an extent that a group of African-American parents brought suit in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia
United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia
The United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia is a United States district court.Appeals from the Western District of Virginia are taken to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit The United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia (in...
against the city. This case, Bell v. School Board of Staunton, was decided on January 5, 1966, with the court stating that the delay was a violation of the rights of the students under the Fourteenth Amendment
Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was adopted on July 9, 1868, as one of the Reconstruction Amendments.Its Citizenship Clause provides a broad definition of citizenship that overruled the Dred Scott v...
and ordering that the schools and their faculty be desegregated in time for the 1966-67 school year.
The Staunton city school district is one of about twenty left in Virginia which take elementary school students out of class for Bible lessons on a voluntary basis, a practice known as Weekday Religious Education
Weekday Religious Education
Weekday Religious Education is a released-time Christian education program for public school students in the United States. The program is administered during school hours, but by law must be conducted outside school property...
. Although the U.S. Supreme Court ended taxpayer funded religious education in 1948 in McCollum v. Board of Education
McCollum v. Board of Education
McCollum v. Board of Education, 333 U.S. 203 , was a landmark 1948 United States Supreme Court case related to the power of a state to use its tax-supported public school system in aid of religious instruction...
, four years later they opened the door for privately funded voluntary classes held during school hours but away from school premises in Zorach v. Clauson
Zorach v. Clauson
Zorach v. Clauson, 343 U.S. 306 , was a case in which the Supreme Court of the United States considered a New York law that permitted schools to allow some students to leave school during school hours for purposes of religious instruction or practice while requiring others to stay in school...
. In 2005, a group of parents in Staunton asked the school board to halt the practice. However, the challenge was unsuccessful, and the Bible classes are still being taught (as of July 2011).
Public
- Shelburne Middle School
- Robert E. Lee High SchoolRobert E. Lee High School (Staunton, Virginia)Robert E. Lee High School is a public high school in Staunton, Virginia, United States.- External links :*...
- Virginia School for the Deaf and BlindVirginia School for the Deaf and BlindThe Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind, located in Staunton, Virginia, USA, is an institution for educating deaf and blind children, first established in 1839 by an act of the Virginia General Assembly.- History :...
Private
- Stuart Hall SchoolStuart Hall SchoolStuart Hall School in Staunton, Virginia was founded by the Episcopal church as Virginia Female Institute in 1844. It was renamed in 1907 in honor of its most famous headmistress, Flora Cooke Stuart, the widow of Confederate cavalry leader Maj. Gen. J.E.B...
-- preparatory school (boarding for girls, day school for coed) - Grace Christian School-- Coed Christian School for Pre-K to 12th Grade
- C. F. Richards Jr. Academy—coed Seventh-Day Adventist school
- Mary Baldwin CollegeMary Baldwin CollegeMary Baldwin College is a private, independent, and comprehensive four-year liberal arts women's college in Staunton, Virginia. It was ranked in 2008 by US News & World Report as a top-tier, master's level university in the South. Mary Baldwin offers pre-professional programs in law, medicine,...
-- dormitories for women, commuter for coed
Media
- The News LeaderThe News LeaderThe News Leader is a daily newspaper owned by Gannett Company, serving Staunton, Virginia and the surrounding areas. The paper was founded in 1904 by Brig. Gen. Hierome L. Opie as The Evening Leader....
, local newspaper. Owned by the Gannett CompanyGannett CompanyGannett Company, Inc. is a publicly-traded media holding company headquartered in Tysons Corner, Virginia, United States, near McLean. It is the largest U.S. newspaper publisher as measured by total daily circulation. Its assets include the national newspaper USA Today and the weekly USA Weekend...
. - WHSVWHSV-TVWHSV-TV, channel 3 , is an ABC affiliate television station for the Harrisonburg, Virginia, market. WHSV News 3, as it is known on-air, is owned by Gray Television and has its transmitter located west of the town of Stanley on Massanutten Mountain...
. ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
affiliate in HarrisonburgHarrisonburg, VirginiaHarrisonburg is an independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia in the United States. Its population as of 2010 is 48,914, and at the 2000 census, 40,468. Harrisonburg is the county seat of Rockingham County and the core city of the Harrisonburg, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical...
.
Infrastructure
Transportation
AmtrakAmtrak
The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, doing business as Amtrak , is a government-owned corporation that was organized on May 1, 1971, to provide intercity passenger train service in the United States. "Amtrak" is a portmanteau of the words "America" and "track". It is headquartered at Union...
provides service to Staunton under the Cardinal route. The route serves Staunton's downtown train station. It also serves as the closest station for the nearby cities of Harrisonburg
Harrisonburg, Virginia
Harrisonburg is an independent city in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia in the United States. Its population as of 2010 is 48,914, and at the 2000 census, 40,468. Harrisonburg is the county seat of Rockingham County and the core city of the Harrisonburg, Virginia Metropolitan Statistical...
and Lexington
Lexington, Virginia
Lexington is an independent city within the confines of Rockbridge County in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 7,042 in 2010. Lexington is about 55 minutes east of the West Virginia border and is about 50 miles north of Roanoke, Virginia. It was first settled in 1777.It is home to...
.
Staunton had a municipal bus system during the 20th century, known as the Staunton Transit Service, but it was dissolved in 1989. In 1944, World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
veteran S. Melvin Johnson wrote to Truman Gibson
Truman Gibson
Truman Kella Gibson, Jr. was an American lawyer, government advisor, and later influential boxing promoter who played a unique and unheralded role in the Civil Rights Movement, primarily as a member of the "Black Cabinet" of Presidents Franklin D...
, assistant to William H. Hastie
William H. Hastie
William Henry Hastie, Jr. was an American, lawyer, judge, educator, public official, and advocate for the civil rights of African Americans...
, advisor to Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson
Henry L. Stimson
Henry Lewis Stimson was an American statesman, lawyer and Republican Party politician and spokesman on foreign policy. He twice served as Secretary of War 1911–1913 under Republican William Howard Taft and 1940–1945, under Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt. In the latter role he was a leading hawk...
, regarding segregated seating on the Staunton Transit Service and stating that returning African-American soldiers would not stand for such conditions. This letter was an indication of the role that African-American veterans would later play in the American civil rights movement. Currently, the Staunton Trolley provides fixed-route bus service throughout Staunton. It includes three routes - the Red Route, the Green Route and the Silver Route. The Green Route connects to the City's Amtrak station. The Coordinated Area Transportation Services (CATS) operates a demand-response service throughout the Staunton area, as well as a fixed shuttle service between the downtown areas of Staunton and Waynesboro.
The city is located very close to the intersection of I-81 and I-64. VA-262 provides a partial beltway around the city. US-11 passes through the city.
The nearest commercial airport is Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport
Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport
Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport is a public airport located in Weyers Cave, 10 miles northeast of the central business district of Staunton, in Augusta County, Virginia, United States. It is mostly used for general aviation, but is also served by one commercial airline...
in Weyers Cave, Virginia
Weyers Cave, Virginia
Weyers Cave is a census-designated place in Augusta County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,225 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Staunton–Waynesboro Micropolitan Statistical Area....
.
Healthcare
- Commonwealth Center for Children and AdolescentsCommonwealth Center for Children and AdolescentsThe Commonwealth Center for Children and Adolescents, formerly known as The DeJarnette Center for Human Development, is a children's mental hospital located in the city of Staunton, Virginia....
(formerly the DeJarnette Center after famed eugenicist Joseph DeJarnetteJoseph DeJarnetteJoseph Spencer DeJarnette was the director of Western State Hospital from 1905 to 1943. He was a vocal proponent of eugenics, specifically, the compulsory sterilization of the mentally ill...
) psychiatric facility - Western State Hospital (Virginia)Western State Hospital (Virginia)Western State Hospital, called Western State Lunatic Asylum in its early years, is a hospital for the mentally ill in Staunton, Virginia, which originally began operations in 1828. At Western State’s birth in 1828, the asylums location seemed almost inevitable. Around 1825, significant changes in...
psychiatric facility
Notable residents
- Diana AdamsDiana AdamsDiana Adams was an American dancer, leading dancer for the New York City Ballet from 1950 to 1963 and a favorite of George Balanchine, later became a teacher and a dean at the School of American Ballet. Adams was born in Staunton, Virginia and died in San Andreas, California....
, dancer - John Brown BaldwinJohn Brown BaldwinJohn Brown Baldwin was a politician in Virginia during the American Civil War, when he served in the Confederate Congress.-Biography:...
, legislator - Mary Julia BaldwinMary Julia BaldwinMary Julia Baldwin was a Virginia educator for whom Mary Baldwin College in Staunton, Virginia, is named.Baldwin was one of the first students to enroll in Augusta Female Seminary, in Staunton, Virginia, after its founding in 1842. She graduated four years later first in her class...
, educator - Phil BalsleyPhil BalsleyPhilip Elwood Balsley is the former baritone singer for the retired country vocal group The Statler Brothers...
, baritone singer - Larry BoernerLarry BoernerLawrence Hyer Boerner was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Boston Red Sox. Boerner batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Staunton, Virginia....
, baseball pitcher - Allen Caperton BraxtonAllen Caperton BraxtonAllen Caperton Braxton was a Virginia lawyer, whose career included service as a member of the Virginia Constitutional Convention of 1901-1902, for which he is considered the founder of the Virginia State Corporation Commission, and as a president of The Virginia Bar Association.Braxton was born...
, segregationist and Staunton representative to the revanchist Virginia state constitutional convention of 1902. - John Breckinridge, senator and attorney general
- John BrownJohn Brown (Kentucky)John Brown was an American lawyer and statesman heavily involved with creating the State of Kentucky.Brown represented Virginia in the Continental Congress and the U.S. Congress . While in Congress, he introduced the bill granting Statehood to Kentucky. Once that was accomplished, he was elected...
, lawyer and statesman - Joseph CalhounJoseph CalhounJoseph Calhoun was a Republican member of the South Carolina House of Representatives and represented South Carolina in the United States House of Representatives...
, congressman - William ChristianWilliam Christian (Virginia)William Christian was an "Indian fighter", Continental soldier, militiaman and politician from Virginia who served in the era of the American Revolution. He was a signatory to the Fincastle Resolutions and founder of Fort William...
, soldier and politician - Gertrude Harris Boatwright ClaytorGertrude Harris Boatwright ClaytorGertrude Harris Boatwright Claytor was an American poet.Born in Staunton, Virginia, she later moved with her family to Roanoke, Virginia, where she was privately educated. In 1908 she married William Graham Claytor , an engineer at the Roanoke Railway and Electric Company...
, poet - George M. CochranGeorge M. CochranGeorge Moffett Cochran was born in Staunton, Virginia on April 20, 1912. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1934 from the University of Virginia, and his LL. B. degree in 1936 from the University of Virginia Law School. He was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1948 to 1965,...
, judge - John E. ColhounJohn E. ColhounJohn Ewing Colhoun was a United States Senator and lawyer from South Carolina.Colhoun, was born in Staunton, Virginia where he attended common schools before graduating from the College of New Jersey in 1774. He was a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1778 to 1800...
, senator and lawyer - Joseph W. FiferJoseph W. FiferJoseph Wilson Fifer was the 19th Governor of Illinois, serving from 1889 to 1893. He also served as a member of the Illinois Senate, 1881–83.“Private Joe” Fifer was born at Staunton, Virginia on October 28, 1840...
, governor of Illinois - Alexander HartAlexander HartAlexander Hart was a major in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War.-Military career:Hart hailed from New Orleans and commanded soldiers from the Fifth Louisiana Regiment during the war....
, major in the Confederate ArmyConfederate States ArmyThe Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the... - Francis CollinsFrancis Collins (geneticist)Francis Sellers Collins , is an American physician-geneticist, noted for his discoveries of disease genes and his leadership of the Human Genome Project . He currently serves as Director of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. Prior to being appointed Director, he founded and...
, geneticist - Joseph DeJarnetteJoseph DeJarnetteJoseph Spencer DeJarnette was the director of Western State Hospital from 1905 to 1943. He was a vocal proponent of eugenics, specifically, the compulsory sterilization of the mentally ill...
, psychiatrist and eugenicist - Dave FultzDave FultzDavid Lewis Fultz was a center fielder in Major League Baseball who played in the National League with the Philadelphia Phillies and Baltimore Orioles , and for the Philadelphia Athletics and New York Highlanders of the American League. He batted and threw right-handed...
, baseball center fielder - William HainesWilliam HainesCharles William "Billy" Haines was an American film actor and interior designer. He was a star of the silent era until the 1930s, when Haines' career was cut short by MGM Studios due to his refusal to deny his homosexuality...
, film actor and interior designer - Wade H. HaislipWade H. HaislipWade Hampton Haislip was a United States Army four star general who served as Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Army from 1949 to 1951.-Military career:...
, four-star general - Emmett HangerEmmett HangerEmmett Wilson Hanger, Jr. is an American politician of the Republican Party. He was a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1983 to 1991, when he was unseated by Creigh Deeds. Since 1996 he has been a member of the Senate of Virginia. He currently represents the 24th district...
, politician - Kenton HarperKenton HarperKenton Harper was an American printer, soldier, town mayor, banker, newspaper editor, and legislator. He served as an officer in the U.S. Army during the Mexican–American War and later as a Confederate general officer during the American Civil War...
, printer, soldier and politician - John N. HendrenJohn N. HendrenJohn N. Hendren was a Virginia attorney and judge who served as the second Treasurer of the Confederate States of America, serving during the last year of the American Civil War....
, judge and treasurer of the Confederate States of America - George Moffett HarrisonGeorge Moffett HarrisonGeorge Moffett Harrison was born at Staunton, Virginia. He received his early education from his father. When he was sixteen, the war began and he enlisted in the Confederate Army. He served in the army during the entire war and returned home in 1865...
, judge - Thomas D. HowieThomas D. HowieThomas Dry Howie was an American army officer, killed during the Battle of Normandy during World War II, while trying to capture the French town of Saint-Lô. He is known as "The Major of St...
, teacher and military officer - Alexander HumphreysAlexander HumphreysAlexander Humphreys, M.D. was a pioneer physician at Staunton, Virginia.He was born in County Armagh, Ireland, in 1757, the son of John Humphreys and Margaret Carlisle. He initially studied medicine under his uncle, Dr. Carlisle. After that, he attended the University of Edinburgh where he received...
, physician - Parry Wayne HumphreysParry Wayne HumphreysParry Wayne Humphreys was an American politician who represented Tennessee in the United States House of Representatives....
, congressman - Carroll KnicelyCarroll KnicelyCarroll F. Knicely was editor and publisher of the Glasgow Daily Times for nearly 20 years and served under three Kentucky Governors as commissioner and later Commerce Secretary.-Career in publishing:Knicely started out as an apprentice linotype operator at The News...
, editor and publisher - Steve LandesSteve LandesR. Steven Landes is an American politician. A Republican, he was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates in 1995...
, politician - Samuel Augustus MerrittSamuel Augustus MerrittSamuel Augustus Merritt was an American politician who served as a California legislator, as a Congressional Delegate from Idaho Territory, and as a judge in Utah Territory....
, delegate and judge - James Coffield MitchellJames Coffield MitchellJames Coffield Mitchell was an American politician who represented Tennessee in the United States House of Representatives....
, congressman - Samuel MorganSamuel MorganSamuel Dold Morgan , was an American businessman, builder, and manufacturer. He was known as "The Merchant Prince of Nashville."...
, businessman, builder and manufacturer - Eustace MullinsEustace MullinsEustace Clarence Mullins, Jr. was a populist American political writer, biographer, and antisemite. His most famous and influential work is The Secrets of The Federal Reserve, described by congressman Wright Patman as 'a very fine book [which] has been very useful to me'...
, white supremacist, anti-semite, conspiracy theorist, author, and publisher of Revelation Books. - Don Reid, lead singer and songwriter for The Statler Brothers
- Harold ReidHarold ReidHarold Reid is the former bass singer for the country vocal group The Statler Brothers. He wrote or co-wrote 17 songs that were hit singles for the group, including "Bed of Rose's" and the #1 hit "Do You Know You Are My Sunshine." The latter was written with his younger brother, Don Reid, the lead...
, bass singer for The Statler Brothers - Larry SheetsLarry SheetsLarry Kent Sheets , is a former Major League Baseball outfielder and designated hitter who played for the Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, and Seattle Mariners from 1984 to 1990 and 1993...
, baseball outfielder and designated hitter - John B. StephensonJohn B. StephensonJohn B. Stephenson was a sociologist and scholar of Appalachia, a founder of the Appalachian Studies Conference, and president of Berea College from 1984 to 1994.-Early life and education:...
, sociologist - Alexander Hugh Holmes StuartAlexander Hugh Holmes StuartAlexander Hugh Holmes Stuart was a U.S. political figure. Stuart served as the Secretary of the Interior between 1850 and 1853.-Early years:...
, congressman, secretary of the interiorUnited States Secretary of the InteriorThe United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior.The US Department of the Interior should not be confused with the concept of Ministries of the Interior as used in other countries...
, and chairman of the Committee of NineCommittee of NineThe Committee of Nine was a group of state leaders in Virginia, following the American Civil War, who engineered the political machinery so that the Old Dominion might be readmitted into the Union.Led by Alexander H. H. Stuart, a former U.S... - Jacob SwoopeJacob SwoopeJacob Swoope was an eighteenth and nineteenth century politician from Virginia.Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Swoope attended the common schools as a child. He moved to Staunton, Virginia in 1789 and held several local offices before being elected the first mayor of Staunton under the new...
, politician - Malfourd W. TrumboMalfourd W. TrumboMalfourd W. "Bo" Trumbo is a Circuit Court judge in the 25th circuit of Virginia. He replaced Judge Duncan Byrd Jr., who died in a 2004 traffic accident, at which point Trumbo was appointed to an eight year term...
, politician and judge - Thomas WilsonThomas Wilson (Virginia politician)Thomas Wilson was a U.S. Representative from Virginia, father of Edgar Campbell Wilson and grandfather of Eugene McLanahan Wilson....
, congressman - Woodrow WilsonWoodrow WilsonThomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
, 28th president of the United States - Larry WoodallLarry WoodallCharles Lawrence Woodall was a backup catcher in Major League Baseball. He played ten seasons in the American League with the Detroit Tigers...
, baseball catcher - Jacob YostJacob Yost (Virginia congressman)Jacob Yost was an American politician who represented Virginia in the United States House of Representatives from 1887–1889 and 1897-1899....
, congressman
Sister cities
Dabas, HungaryDabas, HungaryDabas is a town in Pest county, Hungary, and the center of a microregion. It has a population of 16,000.-History:The town consists of four different parts: Upper Dabas, Lower Dabas, Gyón and Sári. The village of Dabas was already a populous settlement in 1270, but in the Ottoman era the whole...
Vişeu de SusViseu de SusVişeu de Sus is a town in Maramureş County, northern Romania, located at the confluence of the Vişeu and the Vaser. It has an area of 443 km² and administers one village, Vişeu de Mijloc.-Population:Its population is under 17,000...
, RomaniaRomaniaRomania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Staunton, VirginiaNational Register of Historic Places listings in Staunton, VirginiaThis list includes properties and districts listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Staunton, Virginia, an independent city within the confines of Augusta County...
- U.S. Route 11 Business