Staunton Yesterday and Today

Before beginning a project dependent on citizen participation and meant to have broad community impact, it is important to understand the city’s history – struggles, successes, defining moments, and important characteristics. Recent events and even distant history can shape citizens’ attitudes and determine whether a project is successful or not. The following historical summary has been adapted largely from the city’s 2003 Comprehensive Plan Update.

1736 to 1899

With the southeastern corner of its 19.7 square mile land area situated at the intersection of U.S. Interstates 64 and 81, Staunton lies just west of Shenandoah National Park in the heart of Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley (see Map 1 in the Appendix). The city is a 2h:40m drive southwest from Washington, D.C., 1h:40m drive northwest from Richmond, and 1h:30m drive northeast from Roanoke. The land comprising modern-day Staunton, Virginia was part of a 118,000-acre land grant given by King George II to William Beverley in 1736. After the 1745 construction of a regional courthouse in the area, the Town of Staunton was incorporated in 1761 and named for Lady Rebecca Staunton, the wife of Virginia Governor William Gooch.

Because of its strategic location at the intersection of the Great Wagon Road (modern day U.S. Route 11) and key routes to the expanding western frontier, the town developed a strong travel and hospitality industry. By 1800, Staunton had grown to a population of 800 and its 200+ buildings included four hotels and eight taverns for weary travelers. Continued growth led to the construction of the Western Lunatic Asylum in 1828 (closed), the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind in 1839 (still in use), the Augusta Female Seminary in 1842 (Mary Baldwin College), and the Virginia Female Institute in 1844 (Stuart Hall). The 1854 arrival of the Virginia Central Railroad further solidified the town’s travel industries and fueled increasing development as a center for frontier trade. Only two years later in 1856, future U.S. President Woodrow Wilson was born in Staunton.

Although the town served as a key Confederate supply depot and one of Stonewall Jackson’s headquarters during the Civil War, Staunton avoided much of the Union-led destruction seen in many Southern cities.  With a population of over 5,000 and most of its infrastructure intact, Staunton was poised for post-Civil War success and finally incorporated as a city in 1871. True financial wealth soon came to Staunton as mining companies’ management and their families relocated to the city to oversee West Virginia and Shenandoah Valley operations. Staunton had to overcome a very destructive 1896 flood, but began the 20th century with a new five-and-a-half-mile streetcar system in addition to a large supply of new and beautifully restored buildings thanks to the talented young architect T.J. Collins.

1900 to Present

In 1908, Staunton was the first city to adopt the city manager form of government, and in spite of the Baldwin Street sink-hole cave-ins two years later, from 1910 to 1950 the city prospered with the population growing from 10,000 to just under 20,000. As in many other cities, post-WWII interstate highway construction and soaring automobile popularity pushed much of Staunton’s residential, commercial, and industrial development outside the traditional city boundary. Staunton’s response to this disinvestment in the city center and the resulting tax base decline was to annex the growing suburban areas. The population actually grew slightly in the 1960s and reached a 1970 peak of 24,504, but this stop-gap strategy was curtailed when the Virginia General Assembly put a moratorium on annexation in 1972 (although the ban was later lifted in 1979).

After over 30 downtown buildings were razed to make way for 1960s Urban Renewal projects, and in response to VDOT plans to put a major highway through downtown, a number of city residents formed the Historic Staunton Foundation (HSF) in 1971. The group’s efforts to preserve and highlight the remaining historic fabric of the community were instrumental in laying the foundation for Staunton’s gradual recovery. Although the 1980 city population dropped to under 21,857 and economic struggles continued, positive signs were seen in 1983 as the National Trust for Historic Preservation recognized HSF for its outstanding efforts. Just before the state’s 1987 city annexation moratorium renewal, Staunton added an additional 12 square miles from Augusta County in January 1987, raising the city’s population to an estimated 23,900.

The 1990s once again proved Staunton’s dedication to historic preservation and downtown reinvestment. During the decade, the Wharf Historic District restoration began, the popular Frontier Culture Museum finished initial development, a downtown farmer’s market opened, and a major streetscape improvement project got underway. Concurrently, a recently-formed Economic Development Department began implementing strategies to address various economic issues and better market the city. Staunton received additional recognition of its continuing revitalization efforts when in 1995 the city was given the distinction of being a Main Street Community.

The list of exciting new projects and awards continued into the new century. The banner year of 2001 brought the beginning of the historic Eakleton Hotel renovation and the opening of the Shakespearian Blackfriars Playhouse.  In the same year, Staunton was chosen by the National Trust for Historic Preservation (from a field of 70 locations around the country)  to be one of the year’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations. Three more awards followed in 2002: given the President’s Citation from the Preservation Alliance of Virginia, recognized as a Great American Main Street Community by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and received the Palladio Award for the design of the New Street Parking Garage.  Plans to renovate the Stonewall Jackson Hotel into a new conference center were announced in 2003, and the city is currently in discussions with the state and developers in an attempt to initiate a mixed-use redevelopment of the vacant Staunton Correctional Center. The city’s decades of revitalization work have resulted in the rehabilitation of over 250 buildings in the last 30 years. This has created a true critical mass of downtown activity which should continue fueling Staunton’s turnaround.