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Staunton By Nancy and Richard Woodworth The first thing you should know about Staunton is that its name is pronounced STAN-ton. The second is that this is Virginia’s oldest town west of the Blue Ridge Mountains and was part of America’s first western frontier. The third is that it is the Queen City of the Shenandoah Valley, a showcase for architecture and the arts. Founded in 1732, just a decade later than Richmond, Staunton was settled by the first wave of immigrants heading west from the thirteen original colonies into Appalachia and beyond. Its boom days lasted from the Civil War past the turn of the century. Lately, its downtown has been held up as an example of historic rejuvenation. Staunton is what you might call a frontier town grown up. Thanks to local architect T.J. Collins, who designed or remodeled more than 200 local buildings between 1891 and 1911, Staunton has an architectural importance far greater than its population of 25,000 would indicate. It contains no fewer than five historic districts. One is the wharf area – a wharf without water, incidentally – where the coming of the railroad produced the largest collection of Victorian warehouses still standing in Virginia. The wharf area is now the centerpiece of a downtown revitalization known for dining spots, shopping, lodging and two emerging Shakespeare theaters. A city of hills that some think give it a European look, Staunton is wonderfully focused for the visitor. Most attractions are within walking distance of the tight little downtown, which, as local innkeeper Michael Organ likes to say, embraces "ten delicious dining experiences within ten blocks, all in historic buildings." Old buildings thrive in new incarnations. The Belle Grae Inn, offering both guest rooms and dining, grew up around a Victorian mansion. The Frederick House harbors lodging in five restored townhouses and two older houses. An old grain mill is now the Mill Street Grill. Part of the train station houses The Pullman Cafe and a Victorian ice-cream parlor and another part the Depot Grille. Staunton’s best-known attraction is the Woodrow Wilson Birthplace, lately expanded with the addition of a full-fledged museum. Up and coming is the Frontier Culture Museum, a state-backed museum of living history showing early farm life. The Statler Brothers Complex is of interest to fans of the red-white-and-blue country singers who for 25 years favored their hometown with a Happy Birthday USA celebration every July 4. Some fine little shops and unusual garden enterprises are scattered around the countryside. Staunton is surrounded by schools: Mary Baldwin College, Stuart Hall prep, the College of the Holy Child Jesus for students from Spain. And it is surrounded by scenery: the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Appalachian foothills and Shenandoah National Park. It makes a good base for exploring a compact area bounded by historic Lexington, Charlottesville, Hot Springs and the Skyline Drive. This old frontier town has matured well, indeed.
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