Strasburg Virginia

From the pages of
The Strasburg News
May 10, 1917

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Portions of the paper is missing, so some of the
information will be incomplete.

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In your quiet hours, did you ever stop to study your town?  Did you ever wonder what it is that causes us all to be proud of the fact that Strasburg is our home?  Could you answer that question?  No!  There are some question which are only answered by an emotion, and no amount of fine language could convey such a feeling even to a friend.  We can explain our commercial advantages, our industrial, agricultural, climatic, scenic, and numerous other advantages, but aside from all these there is an intangible something about the environment of Strasburg that sets it apart from most other communities.  We have even heard visitors say, after staying in Strasburg for a few weeks, that our town seem more like home to them than their home town itself.  thus there is a feeling of contentment in Strasburg, and those who leave our midst find that luring remembrances of the "old home town," continually beckon to them to return.  Strasburg is gifted in not having so many social classes and clans.  if you are honorable, you are honored; and you are respected for what you are -- not for what you are worth, what you set yourself up to be, nor for what your forefathers were.  Hence, if you win the respect of Strasburg, your friends are many and you soon love the town, its people, and the entire community as a home.

Our Town's Foundation

but there is something more -- a great deal more, to Strasburg than this sentimental side.  The town rest upon commercial, industrial and agricultural advantages, which make for it a foundation as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar.  Among the folk of Strasburg there is no great amount of wealth, and hence no great amount of poverty -- all are industrious, and our industries are largely the gifts of Nature, our foundation.  We may say that the business life of Strasburg flows through three main arteries; namely, agriculture and its allied pursuits, the lime industry, and railroad, the later being due to the fact that Strasburg is the terminal for both the Baltimore & Ohio and Southern roads.  These make the real foundation upon which Strasburg rests, and we repeat, they are mainly the gift of Nature.

Agricultural Advantages

Located in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley, which was known as the granary of the Southern Confederacy, Strasburg is naturally the trading center for a wide agricultural area.  Our farmers are among ..... people and their profits from the sale of products add much to the total of deposits in our banks, as well as contribute substantially to the business of our merchants.  The Strasburg Steam Flouring Mills, with a daily capacity of 150 barrels, about one car load, of high grade flour, as well as the smaller mills located at Fishers Hill, Toms Brook, Wheatfield, Marlboro, Middletown, and dozens of others scattered through the Valley, came as a result of our fertile lands.  Our almost perfect climate and soils for the production of apples has given us another agricultural industry, the commercial apple orchard; and though this industry is in its infancy in this section, it has already begun to bring in thousands of dollars to our community.  In another column the apple industry will be dealt with more extensively.

The Lime Business

Strasburg's average labor payroll ranges between $20,000 and $25,000 monthly.  Of this amount fully one half is paid out by the owners of our five lime plants; namely, the Shenandoah Lime Company, M. M. Orndorff, the Powhatan Lime Company, the Strasburg Lime Company, and the Standard Lime and Stone Company.  At least 250 men are required to keep these plants running at full blast, and accordingly they are the source of income for a large number of families and do much to keep our merchants and other business houses prosperous.  Besides this, large quantities of wood, as well as staves and heading for the manufacture of barrels, are purchased from local dealer, all of which adds to the volume of circulated money.  Without these plants, Strasburg would lose much of her life, and her progress for years to come will be measured largely by the prosperity of our lime manufacturers.

Our Railroad Facilities

There are no towns in the Valley and few in the county that have the advantage of better railroad facilities than has Strasburg.  By the perusal of a railroad map, it will be noted that we are located at one of the two extreme southern terminals of the Baltimore & Ohio Railway, both of which are among America's greatest transportation systems.  This fact gives us the advantage of having direct routing and straight freight rates to all eastern cities, as well as to all principal points South.  Aside from being one of the gateways through which the natural commerce between the North and South much flow, Strasburg also occupies a commanding position in the Valley of Virginia proper.

Occupies Strategic Position

It was after the battle of Kernstown, in the Civil War, that General McClellan telegraphed McDowell as follows:

"Your course was right. (In ordering his two divisions, commanded by Williams and Shields, to follow Jackson.)  As soon as you are strong enough, drive Jackson hard and push his well beyond Strasburg.  As soon as thorough defeat of Jackson will permit it, resume movement on Manassas, always leaving the whole of Shields' command at or near Strasburg."
It will be recalled that the objective of the Union armies was Richmond, but McClellan was afraid to concentrate his entire forces against that city for fear that Jackson would sweep down upon Washington.  Strasburg was the pivotal point about which Jackson was operating.  It was here that some of the greatest games of military strategy in history were planned and executed, and it was here that some of the greatest games  of military strategy in history were planned and executed and it was around old Massanutten that the peerless Jackson played hide and seek with the armies sent against him and lured them into defeat.  Hence the command that McDowell should hold Strasburg.

Strategic Position Today

Today Strasburg holds the same strategic position in a commercial way, as she did in the sixties and in the art of war.  Natured has made this the logical point for the verging of the Baltimore & Ohio and Southern railways, and consequently it has been made the terminal for all freight as well as a portion of the passenger trains operated in the Valley by these roads.  Our industries command the South via the Southern and the North via the Baltimore & Ohio.

Advantages of Terminal

Although a railroad company secures it revenue from persons and industries located at every station on its lines, yet the railroad spends very little of its money outside of its terminal points, and the points from which their equipment and supplies are purchased.  Thus it is that which the entire Valley outside of Strasburg.  Our railroad payroll will average at least $10,000 per month.  This does not mean simply a ten thousand dollar exchange of money within our community, but on the other hand represents an inflow of altogether new capital each month.  This ten thousand dollars does not all go to the men in the train service, but to the employees in the various departments of the service.  There are seven telegraph operators regularly employed at Strasburg and Strasburg Junction.  Besides these Agents H. S. Funk and C. W. Spengler have under them some then or twelve other men employed in the offices and transfer shed.  General Foreman Harvey L. Bell of the Southern has under him some twelve to fifteen car inspectors, hostlers, helpers, etc., besides the pumper at the water tank and the four hands employed on the coal tipple; and Foreman W. F. Lichliter of the Baltimore & Ohio has four to five assistants.  Track Foreman W. H. Shank of the Southern has fifteen men, although those men do not go outside of the year limits of Strasburg and Strasburg Junction -- these two yards themselves contain approximately four miles of side - tracks.  Track Foreman Frank Horan keeps from six to eight men under him.  But the trainmen do come in for the heaviest portion of the monies paid out here by the railroad companies.  There are approximately eighty five trainmen who live and draw their pay here, most of whom are employed by the Southern.  The Southern also keeps a yard engine and crew at work here, whose duty it is to make up trains and place and take out cars from the local industrial plants.  Few people realize the full extent of the improvements recently made by the Southern at the Strasburg yards.  The trackage at the yard was also doubled; a round house for the repair of engines has been built; a cinder put with an automatic hoister operated by air has been installed, and numerous other improvements made.  Besides this the officials are preparing to move the water tank from its present location and the coal tipple from Strasburg Junction to the Strasburg Yard, as well as to make improvements to the passenger station.

Strasburg's Other Advantages

Thus we have tried to show that agriculture, the lime industry and railroading compose the natural and very staple foundation upon which Strasburg rests.  In other - columns we are giving a brief history of each one of our local churches, as well as the most popular fraternal orders, Strasburg also has the largest public school enrollment in the county.  A modern high school building was erected in 1910, and three high school instructors and eight grammar school teachers are now employed.  The total student enrollment this year is 450.  Besides the business establishments already mentioned, our town has two banks, two drug stores, two restaurants, an excellent hotel, a modern cleaning and pressing establishment, one of the best equipped printing offices in this section of the State, a gate manufacturing establishment, two millinery stores, an up-to-date picture theater, a grist and planing mill, a lumber yard, coal yard, an exclusive farm implement house, an exclusive hardware house, and numerous dry goods, grocery and general merchandise stores, as well as the usual shops of the various trades.  Only recently the old "Horse shoe Factory" was purchased by C. L. Robinson of Winchester and work is now in progress to convert the huge building into an ice manufacturing and cold storage plant.  this came as a result of the growing apple industry and only goes to prove that one industry demands and brings another.  Thus it is that Strasburg is constantly growing and all the while becoming a better place in which to live.  We have a gravity water system which furnishes the town, the lime plants and the Southern Railway Company with the purest of soft water, and which is not an expense but a paying investment to the town.  We are supplied with lights by the Valley Light & Power Company, and a good portion of the town is now sewered.  We have excellent concrete sidewalks, as good as can be found in the Valley, and plans are now laid to macadam all our streets.  If you are hunting a good "home town", come to Strasburg.  We are located exactly one hundred miles west of Washington, the Capital of our Nation.  We are in the midst of one of the richest agricultural section of the country and yet within a few hours ride of either Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia or New York.

.................. apples shipped out ..... Valley of Virginia.  The farmers .. ...... around Charlottesville, in the Piedmont section, planted commercial apple orchards some years back, a.. our neighboring county of Frederick led the Valley in the planting of large orchards.  Today, Frederick county, through comparatively small in area, ships more apples than any other county south of New York state.

Our Present Production

In 1897 the Southern Railway began keeping record of all apples shipments originating in the Valley.  That year only 15,000 barrels or about 93 car loads were shipped from Shenandoah county.  Eighteen years later, 1915, when Shenandoah harvested her banner apple crop, a total of 140,000 barrels or about 900 car loads were shipped out of the county.  Of this amount 47,000 barrels were shipped from the territory adjacent to Strasburg including the shipments leaving the Toms Brook, Maurertown, and Fishers Hill stations.  Last year being an off year, 95,000 barrels were shipped from the county and 37,000 from the Strasburg section.  Aside from out apple shipments, for the past several years Shenandoah County has been selling an average of about 25,000 crates of peaches, plums, and cherries.  Conservative estimates, based upon the bloom production and the average increase, place the 1917 crop for Shenandoah County at 200,000 barrels, with Strasburg's proportion approximately 60,000 barrels.

Strasburg Orchards Young

The first capitalized commercial orchard in this immediate section was put out by the Strasburg Orchard & Produce Company just ten years ago.  This Orchard comprises 150 acres and is manager by John H. Pifer.  Only four crops have been harvested, so that the orchard is yet quite ........ ee and only about 25% of the apple trees in this section are yet in bearing.  With a 200,000 crop this year, what will be the total harvest eight or ten years from now?  The most popular varieties grown here are the York Imperial, Ben Davis, Black Twig, Stayman Winesap, Old Winesap and a few Grimes Golden and Stark's Delicious.

Have World-Wide Market

Every once in a while one hears the cry that the Valley people are going to extremes in planting out orchards.  However, there is little real fear of there ever being an over-production.  In the first place, the winter varieties can be kept indefinitely in cold storage, and the market supply this regulated according to the demand.  Aside from this, our Shenandoah apples are becoming known as the best in color and flavor which can be produced, and there is a growing demand for them.  By actual figures, two thirds of the apples shipped from this section last year were exported.  Most of these foreign-bought apples were shipped from New York and Boston to Glasgow, Scotland, and from there distributed throughout the British Isles.  With a world-wide market, and the world fast being educated to the fact that the apple is a very wholesome fruit, there is little to fear by way of over-production.

Our Advantages in Soil

Again we find that when Nature ribbed the hills of Shenandoah with limestone, she gave us an asset worth thousands and thousands of dollars.  It has been stated that the very best soil for the apple tree is a combination of flint and limestone, found on our rolling hills.  Hence the most of our orchards have been planted on lands which were formerly considered the least valuable, and although our orchards acreage has been constantly growing of late years, as yet few of our best grain raising and grazing lands have been disturbed.  Thus the commercial apple orchard has been an added asset, instead of a new industry which has come to displace another one.

Trees Must Be Cultivated

There is one great obstacle in the way of an inexperienced orchardist, which is due to the conception on his part that a tree does not need cultivation or attention.  However, an apple tree which is expected to produce an profitable crop must be cultivated just as any other plant, and the land should not be robbed of its fertility by the raising of other crops with the trees.  Very often orchardists stunt the growth of trees and reduce the yield of crops by trying to grow two crops on the same piece of land.  In order to get the best results, about 33 trees should be planted to the acre, and the orchard cultivated annually for about ten years, or until they are old enough to bear prolifically.  In addition all orchards should be sprayed two or three time annually.  This means a considerable expense; but, in the Shenandoah Valley, it is simply an investment which, with all else being equal, will bring good returns.  Las year the export apples shipped to Glasgow brought our producers an average of $3.25 per barrel, f. o. b. Strasburg, and some brought as high as $4.75 per barrel.

... through the ...... failure they have left .......for us to profit by.  It is the ... of living men that profits us .... the individual man, who passes ... repasses on the street each day, ... stamping an impression of his character indelibly on the minds of all those with whom he come in contact.

There is a class of men whose lives are particularly attractive -- they are the men who are "making good", whose ideas seem worth while, and whose business ideals seem worthily high.

Strasburg is proud of the fact that in here list of citizens many such men are to be found.

It was during the year 1914 that two of the best business men of Strasburg came together, and after viewing the business situation of Strasburg, determined upon the organization of an exclusive and up-to-date hardware business.  Such a business is necessary in the development and growth of a town.  A progressive hardware business, with capable management, and backed by sufficient capital, is unquestionably essential to the welfare of a community.

Omar P. Stickley, who for nine years was engaged in the plumbing and heating business, and Abe Stickley, who for two years was engaged in the automobile and garage business united and became known as Stickley Brothers, a firm which devotes its entire attention to the hardware business.  Previous to the establishment of this firm, there was no exclusive hardware business in Strasburg.  Persons desiring to make purchases along this line were forced to deal with those who carried an incomplete supply, as a side line.

......ap.....which....farm....country. .... the other....the town....card would .....would go to ....to do their.....their shopping ...... implement house, ..... finds every available .... the farm, but he ......with people who ..... the lines he is inter ..... a great deal in com ...  It can be truthfully .... farm supply house, when  ..... is the cause for many ......a town many times.
..... towns the size of Strasburg  ... b found firms handling farm ... in connection with other lines.

However, it is seldom that a thorough success is realized in such cases.  Naturally such houses cannot handle as great variety in the various lines, and too often the salesman has to sell a substitute upon the ground that it is the best he can do and that it is just as good.  Then it often happens that the farmer is not thoroughly satisfied and the merchant is given a "knock".  Hence, the "general merchandiser" handles every available line, but is really not supposed to be proficient in any.  It is the house that specializes on one line that becomes 100 per cent efficient, and it is this house that succeeds in a way that no others can.

The farmer is the man to whom the world is now looking, and fully depending upon for a living.  it is not every man that can farm.  Farming is a business which should be conducted with as much skill and efficiency as any other, and it generally requires more brains to make a real success of farming than it does in many other branches of industry.  And, due to the fact that the world is now so thoroughly dependent upon the farmer, no class of business men should be encouraged more by the general public.  No class of people understand the full amount of truth in these statements more than the men of the younger generation.  It is the young men -- with energy and ore scientific training -- that understand the true conditions of the world and believe in "mother earth" the mother that gives all life, not only to the farmer, but to every living creature.

Strasburg can claim among its list of citizens men of the younger generation, men who are accomplishing things in a little different way from the ordinary.  She has men who realize that the farming industry is the back bone of industrial Shenandoah Valley, and hence the great sustaining life of Strasbourg.  As a matter of fact. ..... business men of .... came from the....
........ Company, Incorporated ......distinction of ..... of the younger .... were born and studied farming ..... men who now serving the farmers of this community in a most gracious manner.  Naturally they reap a great deal of pleasure from the study of modern farm methods and thus acquire much knowledge which can be diffused among their patrons.  By keeping in close contact with both the farmers and the manufacturers of farming implements, and by finding a real pleasure in their work they acquire much knowledge upon the great questions of present day farming.

It was in the year of 1910 when the firm of C. L. Swartz and Company came into existence, and since that time the community has been able to claim one of the best implement houses in Shenandoah Valley.  C. L. Swartz was born in the county.  He was in business at Maurertown for about eleven years after which time he traveled as a salesman until his health forced him to retire.  Before entering business her, Mr. Swartz for some time was engaged in farming in Eastern Maryland.  Having been born and reared on a farm and having spent much time as a farmer, he was thus enabled to better know the needs of a farmer.  At present Mr. Swartz is retired from active business, but still retains the title of president of the firm of Swartz & Company, Incorporated.

When the business conducted by the firm of C. L. Swartz and Company was inaugurated, Samuel E. Saum was known as the associate in the business.  Mr. Saum was previously engaged in business in Western Pennsylvania, where he obtained a wide knowledge of business.  He was born on a farm and practically all his training has had some bearing upon the line of business to which he is now giving the best portion of his life.  Through diligent effort he has learned every phase of the farm implement retail business and is at present rendering invaluable service alike to his house and to the farmers residing in Strasburg's trading territory.

The firm of C. L. Swartz and Company was under the management of Messrs. Swartz and Saum until the year 1913 at which time Mr. Swartz retired from actual service and Walter T. Glaize was taken in as the third member of the firm.  At this time the business was incorporated with the following officers; C. L. Swartz, president; W. T. Glaize, vice-president; S. E. Saum, secretary and treasurer.

Prior to the year of 1913, Mr. Glaize had spent his entire career on the farm, his home being only a few miles from Strasburg.  In view of the fact that he was so well known here, his many friends have found an additional amount of pleasure in doing business in Strasburg since has become connected with commercial interest of the town.

Under the management of Messrs. Saum and Glaize, the firm of Swartz & Company, Incorporated has made rapid strides in development.  Yet all the conservation ideas so necessary to a well founded business have been maintained, and every customer can feel perfectly safe in a business transaction with them.  Their guarantee is as good as if given by the oldest business man in Shenandoah county.  These two young men form a combination which competes with any implement business of a similar magnitude in the South and their establishment is second to very few in Shenandoah Valley.

The present business occupies one of the most prominent corners in Strasburg and consumes more space than any other business here.  In the beginning of the business small quarters were occupied.  At present two large warehouses are filled with goods.  One is located on the Southern Railway tracks at Capon grade crossing and the other on West Main Street at the verging of Capon Grade with Valley Pike.

While the first thought of Swartz & Company Incorporated is the farm implement business, hay, grain and other feeds are also carried.  These lines add much to making Swartz & Company, Incorporated a more convenient trading place for the farmer.

Too, there are still greater things in store for this progressive firm and for their customers.  It will only take time.  This house, now a credit to Strasburg, will do it greater credit in the near future.  The height of ambition of all connected with the firm is to give entire satisfaction to every customer, and to treat one and all with the same amount of courtesy and consideration. The many customers which the firm enjoys will substantiate the remark that they always give full value for every dollar spent with them.

Products Shipped ....Apples, Hay, .....Products

Shenandoah County is located ...... Valley -- hence its name.  Its a .......or 316,800 acres, and in 1910 the .... reported 20,942 souls residing within the past .......Shenandoah Valley is know far and wide ...... rural sections in the United States, and within the past .... resources of our county, as well as the entire Valley have been greatly developed.  One marked and glowing feature concerning our riches is the fact that our wealth is so evenly distributed among our citizenship.  In an article written for the American Magazine by Littell M"Clung, which is reproduced on page 10 of this paper, the author notes his observation in these words;  "There are not very many rich folks in the Valley of the Shenandoah and, consequently, not many poor ones."

Picture at this point.  "Typical Farm Scene - Wheat Field on Farm of A. J. Miller, Strasburg".

This condition no doubt accounts for much of the happiness and general prosperity of the Valley people.

Ancient Establishment of Shenandoah County

On the North, Shenandoah County is bound by Frederick County, on the East by Page and Warren, on the Sought by Rockingham, and on the West by Hardy County in West Virginia.  In the early days, when the white men first made their way across the Blue Ridge, the entire Shenandoah Valley was known as a part of Spotsylvania County.  In 1734 the Valley territory was embraced within the limits of Orange County, then .... and ...... two counties, namely ....... Augusta.  The establishment ... these two counties was provided for by an Act of Assembly of November, 1738; but the two districts were to remain parts of Orange County until the Governor and Council should decide that the number of inhabitants was sufficient to warrant the establishment of courts and the appointment of justices.  In 1739 a petition was presented to Governor Gooch from the lower Valley, setting forth the hardships of going all the way, in some cases as far as a hundred miles, to Orange Court House to transact legal business, and praying that "ye sd County of Frederica may immediately take place.".  To this petition was appended a list of fifty-two names.  But it was not until 1743 that the request of the petitioners was complied with: the first session of court being held in Frederick County on November 11, 1743.  Courts were established in Augusta County in 1745.

In September, 1744, an Act was passed providing for the surveying of the line between Frederick and Augusta, and for dividing the cost of the work between the citizens of the two districts.  Frederick embraced all that is now Shenandoah, with a part of Page, Warren, Clarke, Frederick, and the West Virginia counties of Jefferson, Berkeley, Hampshire, and a part of Rockingham, with parts of Hardy, Pendleton, and page, as well as the counties of Rockbridge, Botetourt, and the great county west, as far as anyone cared to venture.  In November, 1753, and Act of Assembly provided for the erection of Hampshire County from Frederick and Augusta.  In February, 1772, Frederick County was further divided, and from it were erected the new counties of Berkeley and Dunmore, both of which were to be organized from May 15, 1772.  Owing to the disfavor that Lord Dunmore brought upon himself early in the Revolutionary struggle, the people of Dunmore County would no longer endure the name.  By an Act of Assembly of October, 1777, the name was to be changed to "Shenando" from and after February 1, 1778.  "Shanando" came in time to be "Shenandoah."  In October, 1777, Rockingham county and parish were formed from Augusta.

Revolutionary Hero

Shenandoah County, as well as Rockingham, Page, and portions of Warren, Frederick and Augusta, was settled largely by Germans, migrating across the mountains from Pennsylvania.  Rev. Peter Muhlenberg, later a General in the Revolutionary Army, came with this element, and it was in the quaint old Lutheran church at Woodstock that he threw off his black mantle of priesthood and stood forth as a warrior.  He read his colonel's commission and dramatically called upon the men of the Valley to follow him to the battlefield.  He served throughout the war, and was one of the most prominent figures in the conflict for freedom, as well as in the subsequent years of political struggles.  After the war he lived in Pennsylvania, and served that state three terms in Congress, and in 1801 was chosen United States Senator.  On of the figures placed in Statuary Hall of the National Capitol by the state of Pennsylvania is a statue of Muhlenburg in the act of throwing off his clerical robe.  no doubt, there are many people living in Shenandoah County, and even Woodstock, who do not realize what stirring events took place at our county seat in the early history of our country.

Events of the Civil War

But of all our war history, Shenandoah County is richer with the events of the Civil War than any other.  We doubt if there is an acre of land in all the county which has not buried within its bosom the shrieking shrapnel and the whistling minie-balls of both the Confederate and Union forces.  Throughout the war the county was disputed territory, first in the hands of the Confederate forces and then the Union troops.  Thus it was the scene of many battles and skirmishes, and today there are yet visible numerous trenches and embankments, which were used as fortifications, marking the fields of battle.  Most notable among the battles within our county were the bloody conflicts at New Market Rudes Hill (near New Market), and Fishers Hill.  We may be safe in saying that every school child in Virginia, old enough to study history, has a mental picture in its mind of the battle of New Market, where the battalion of cadets from the Virginia Military Institute, 230 strong and mere lands, immortalized the field and the school from which they came.  The attack on Cedar Creek in Frederick, but just a few miles northeast of Strasburg, was made from the Shenandoah County side, although the battle proper was fought in Frederick County.  Other minor engagements within the county took place at Lebanon Church, Toms Brook and Strasburg; (Hupp's Hill).

Shenandoah County Today

But we have been reveling in past history.  Since the dawn of the twentieth century, or during the past seventeen years, Shenandoah County has made rapid strides forward.  She is more highly developed today, more productive, and therefore richer than ever before -- richer in agriculture, in good roads and transportation facilities, in commerce, in manufacturing industries, in educational facilities, and in better and more elevating living conditions generally.  Within the bound of the county are 80 public school buildings, for which there are employed 155 teacher, 1562 white and 3 colored.  Nine of the towns and villages have modern high schools, and there is one private educational institution, Massanutten Academy, located at Woodstock, which has an enrollment of approximately 100 students.  There are also employed within the county 44 Christian minister, representing various denominations, chief among which are the following;  Methodist, Lutheran, United Brethren, Episcopalian, Baptist, Seven Day Adventist, Christian, Presbyterian, Brethren or Dunkard and Reformed.  These denominations own approximately 75 church edifices at which regular services are held, as a number of the ministers serve two or more congregations, which others serve only one.  There is also a Catholic chapel at Woodstock, but it is without a resident priest.

Peculiarity of our County

Unlike most counties, Shenandoah does not have any one town which predominates over the other communities;  consequently there is no daily newspaper published within the county, but instead four weeklies; namely, Shenandoah Valley at New Market, Edinburg Sentinel, Woodstock Herald, and Strasburg News.  From New Market, located at the Southern end of the county, to Strasburg, at the Northern end, the distance in thirty-six miles and from the eastern to the western boundaries the distance is about ten miles.  The north fork of the Shenandoah River, the Southern Railway, and the Valley Turnpike all run the entire length of the county.  However, the Shenandoah river pursues a very winding course, curving from the side of the Massanutten mountain out into the Valley, then back to the mountain again, and then out into the Valley numerous times.  By rail or the pike, the distance between Woodstock and Strasburg is only twelve miles, yet the course of the river between these two points covers a total of fifty-one miles.  Thus there are acres upon acres of river bottom lands in Shenandoah County formed by this serpentine course of the river, which largely accounts for the richness of our lands.  Farm lands in this county sell for prices ranging between $50 and $200 acres per acre, with most all bringing at least $100.

Standing of our Towns

Within Shenandoah County there are twelve railroad stations with maintain agencies, besides several other sidings.  From the South end to the North end of the county these stations are as follows:  New Market, Quicksburg, Mt. Jackson, Bowmans, Edinburg, Woodstock, Maurertown, Toms Brook, Fishers Hill, Strasburg Junction, Strasburg and Capon Road.  Of course there are numerous other villages scattered over the county not directly on a railroad.  Of the towns proper, Woodstock (the county seat) and Strasburg lead in size, both communities having about 2,000 inhabitants.  New Market, Mt. Jackson and Edinburg rank about the same and come next in size and trade.

Products Shipped From County

In Shenandoah County a farmer can almost live from the products of his own farm, so varied are the crops raised.  But besides the products raised for home consumption Shenandoah produces much for foreign or distant markets.  chief among these are the following;  Apples, hay, lumber, cattle, dairy and poultry products, flour, lime, etc..  Apples, have lumber and flour are produced generally the country over.  The territory adjacent to New Market and Mt. Jackson excels in the production and shipment of cattle, Edinburg excels in poultry products, Woodstock in dairy products (and lawyers) and Strasburg in lime.  However, all agricultural products and their by-products are produced the country over.  When all young orchards now under cultivation come into bearing, Strasburg will also likely excel in the production of apples.

Come Live With Us

The sun does not set on a land that is better than the Shenandoah.  Shenandoah County cannot boast of a city within her bounds, but she can boast of a wonderful country-side homeland, the Vale of Shenandoah. Read "The Country Boy's Creed found on page one.

The first drug store conducted in Strasburg was owned by the late John E. Rogers, Sr., father of Postmaster Rogers.  This store was located on Main street, opposite the Rogers residence; in the Grove building now occupied by John Smith.  Soon after Mr. Rogers' death, Dr. Leach did business as a pharmacist at the same stand for several years.  Brown & Crawford (Drs. G. A. Brown and J. A. Crawford) conducted a drug store for several years after this, the most of which time they occupied the store room now used by the grocer, B. W. Grubbs.  In the year 1888, the store was purchased by N. Bender Schmitt, who for some time past had been the owner and manager of the Schmitt Drug Store of Woodstock.  C. L. Kneisley, then a young man of Woodstock, had been an apprentice under Mr. Schmitt, and he was sent to Strasburg to take charge of the branch house.  Mr. Kneisley was a man of much energy and unusual business ability and he made the Strasburg store a paying investment from the beginning.  Many people here recall when Strasburg's first soda fountain was installed in the store.

In 1905, soon after the death of Mr. Schmitt, Mr. Kneisley became the sole owner of the local store.  However, in the fall of 1911 his health broke down and in March of the following year he died.  Two managers were employed to take charge of the business, first Dr. William Balley and later Dr. Roy J. Borden.  In January 1916 a part interest in the store was sold to Wayland & Goodall, a firm owning several drug stores in different section of the state.  For a short while the business here was under the management of Dr. Wayland, until the services of Dr. Henry C. Reece were employed.  Immediately after Wayland & Goodall took charge, the store room was remodeled and enlarged.  Dr. Reece immediately became very popular in Strasburg and saw such an opportunity before him that he purchased the interest in the business owned by Wayland & Goodall.  Thus the store is now owned by Mrs. C. L. Kneisley and Dr. Reece, but still retains the name of Kneisley's Drug Store.  Dr. Reece's motto is "if it is to be had at a drug store, we have it", and he aims to keep his stock up to the standard of this motto.  The Kneisley Drug Store has one of the best locations in Strasburg.  Main Street opposite the Post Office, and the fountain department is no less popular than the prescription counter.  Recently a large Victorla has been installed, much to the enjoyment of the patrons.

Kneisley's Drug Store in Strasburg' Rexall Store.  It also has the agency for A. G. Spalding & Brothers' athletic goods.  Huyler's and Liggett's candies, Troy Steam Laundry, Velvetina Toilet Goods, and carries a varied and complete line of sundries.

The business conducted under the name of and owned by Samuel F. Hoshour is the most exclusive grocery market in Strasburg.  Mr. Hoshour's claim to having one of the cleanest stores in the Valley is well founded and his market has always stood the severest tests of the State inspectors and received their praise as well as their O. K.  The fact that Mr. Hoshour specializes in green and staple groceries gives him a distinct advantage over his competitors, for he is thus enabled to carry a more complete line.  Very naturally a complete line gives him a heavier volume of business, and the volume in turn keeps his stock up to the minute in freshness.  When you send a servant or child to Hoshour's special effort is made to select goods that cannot fail to please the housekeeper.  If you come yourself, you are allowed to pick for yourself; and if you send another, clerks are instructed to put themselves in the customer's place.  Hoshour has the agency for Sunshine Cakes and Crackers, Paramount Aluminum, and makes a specialty of high grade canned and package goods.

Mr. Hoshour came to Strasburg in October 1915, at which time he purchased his grocery business from W. H. Ellis, and also purchased his present home on Fort Hill.  Mr. Ellis had purchased the business in 1913 from J. W. Machir, who was its founder in 1910.  At that time the Machir building was constructed on the corner of Main and Holliday streets, which is one of the most central locations in the town.

One young man in Strasburg has demonstrated the fact that a jolly smile and a hearty hand shake for all will do much to win one's way into the good graces and esteem of the general public.  This man is George A. Ebersole, one of our progressive real estate and insurance agents.

Mr. Ebersole was born and reared in Frederick County, but was little known in Strasburg until the year 1912, when he came here and connected himself with C. L. Fletcher, then in the insurance business.  About one year later, Mr. Ebersole bought out the interest of his partner and has since been conducting the business in his own name.  He has not only been successful, but he has won the confidence of the people of Strasburg to such an extent that at one last Corporation election he was chosen as one of our Councilmen, whose responsibility it is to guide the destiny of our town.

Mr. Ebersole has a way of telling you that insurance is a necessary adjunct to any line of business; of explaining to you the many advantages of life insurance as a protection of insisting that insurance will boost your credit rating, that when he has finished you are convinced.  Hence his success.  He is the representative of some of the strongest companies in the world, among them being the Aetna Fire Insurance Company, Fireman's Fund, Northern Assurance Company, Springfield Fire and Marine, New York Underwriters, Milwaukee Mechanics, Niagara Fire Insurance Company, all of which are fire protection companies.  He also represents the Hartford Steam Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company, the Fidelity Deposit Company of Maryland, Employers Liability Company and the Mutual Life Insurance company of New York.

In the year 1899, the Shenandoah Valley Loan and Trust Company of Woodstock was chartered to do business in Shenandoah County with an authorized capital of  $50,000.  However, $20,000 was the amount paid in.  The company has earned a surplus of $2,000, besides the dividends paid the stockholders since the inauguration of the business.

While the company is chartered to do a loan and trust business, its main work thus far has been to furnish a depository to those who do not wish to make time depository in a bank, and at the same time pay a larger interest than these financial institutions.  The money deposited with this company is loaned out on real estate as security, which is appraised by a member of the board of directors, and loans are limited to 50% of the value of the real estate.

The business affairs of the company are under the direct supervision of W. H. Newman, who is the Secretary and Treasurer of the Company.  However he is ...by the officers......who are as follows; E. D. Newman who is also president of a number of banks in this and adjoining counties, F. S. Pennybacker, Vice President who is also president of the Peoples Bank of Mt. Jackson.  These gentlemen with Messrs. M. B. Wunder, Clerk of the Circuit Court and Vice President of the Shenandoah National Bank; and C. M. Hoover, who is President of the Citizens National Bank of New Market Compose the directorate.

Chapin-Sacks Manufacturing Company is the largest ice cream manufacturing concern in the United States.  "The Velvet Kind" is their trade mark and is to be seen on large electric signs and smaller ornamental signs in hundreds of soda fountains and ice cream parlors scattered over the country.  This great business establishment operates plants in the District of Columbia and four states, namely; Virginia, Maryland, Florida, and Michigan.  In the Valley of Virginia, and especially in Shenandoah County, the name "Chapin-Sacks" is a household word, familiar in the home of the town folks as well as in the country homes of the farmers and dairymen.

The home office of the Chapin-Sacks Manufacturing Company is located in Washington, where one of their plants is also located.  The other plants are at Buckeystown, Md., Jacksonville, Fla., Webberville, Mich., Petersburg, Va., Lynchburg, Va., Suffolk, Va., and Woodstock, Va..  The Timberville Creamery was also purchased by the Cahpin-Sacks firm this spring and will be put in operation on June 1st next.  The Woodstock plant for sometime past has been second to largest of the eight and is now destined to surpass its only rival.  Huge motor trucks leave the Woodstock plant in the early hours of the morning each day, one comes down the Valley as far as Stephens City and two go up the Valley, one as far as Melrose in Rockingham County.  Very often extra trucks are required to meet the demands.  These trucks carry loads both ways.  Leaving Woodstock, they distribute ice and ice cream to retail dealers in the various towns and villages, as well as to individual farmers on the pike.  Returning they gather up milk which is put in large cans and placed at the various loading stations scattered all along the route.  Farmers and dairymen living off the pike haul their milk to these stations.  Receiving stations are now being built at Middletown and Stephens City and will be ready for use within a few weeks.

The story of the development of the ice cream business in the Valley reads like a romance.  Last year the Cahapin-Sacks firm paid to the farmers and dairymen of this section the sum of $150,000 for milk.  25,000 gallons of ice cream were made, and sold in the Valley, and the plant at Woodstock furnished employment for thirty men.  It was only seven years ago, in 1910, when "Chapin-Sacks became known locally.  At that time they bought the creamery business of A. W. Nicodemus & Sons, which had been established in the year 1903.  The first day the Nicodemus firm was doing business eighty pounds of milk was purchased.  They began business in an old wooden building 20 by 36 feet.  In 1908 a modern brick plant was erected; 30 by 70 feet, and a 3 ton ice plant installed w.... storage .....ice plant was ..... capacity of 10 Tons and a second cold storage room added.  Two years later the 1 1/2 ton motor trucks were put on the road to gather milk and distribute the products of the plant, which at the present time also include butter.  Soon after this it was noticeable that larger facilities were needed, and for several years the Chapin-Sacks Company had under consideration the erection of a much larger plant.  Various locations in different towns were considered as desirable sites, and finally ground was purchased on the Southern Railway right-of-way near the depot at Woodstock.  The plant has now been under construction for several months and will be completed within a few weeks.  The main building will be three stories high and will have 30,000 feet of floor space.  The new ice plant will have a capacity of 30 tons per day, and the company will handle 100,000 pounds or 12,000 gallons of milk daily.  Both condensed and powdered milk will be manufactured from the new plant.  Water will be supplied by wells 200 feet deep and the water stored in a reservoir of 50,000 gallon capacity.  The company has been and will continue to operate a garage in conjunction with their plant.

H. O. Nicodemus, who was a member of the firm of A. W. Nicodemus & Sons, has been the efficient manager of the plant since the sale was made.  The creation of the ice and ice cream business has not only meant a great deal to Woodstock, but has been of great benefit to the whole of Shenandoah and portion of adjoining counties.  only recently the price of milk was raised, and today the farmers and dairymen are receiving just three times the amount they received for their milk fourteen years ago.  The plant has greatly developed the dairying business and farmers are now finding their dairy cattle very profitable.  With the new plant in operation there will be even a greater demand for milk, and no doubt "Chapin-Sacks" will reach out father than ever before in their dealings of mutual profit.

When Court Day comes, the store of T. Glenn Locke is always on of the centers of attraction for the large crowds that visit Woodstock on that day.  Mr. Locke has given his store the name of "The Up-To-Date Store" and he is unquestionably maintaining the up-to-date portion of the name.

Nineteen years ago, in 1898, Mr. Locke began business in small quarters and with a very small stock of goods.  at that time he did all the buying, was his own clerk, and did all the smiling from his side of the counter too.  And it was this smile, with his genial hand-shake and manner, that has aided Mr. Locke a great deal in building up the business which he oversees today.  Mr. Locke now has a large force of regular clerks employed and on special days employs others.  His policy has always been to give full value for every dollar passed over his counters and to treat each and every patron with the same fairness and honesty.  this too, has undoubtedly been an important factor in the rapid development of his trade.

It was only a few years after opening business that Mr. Lock found it necessary to seek larger quarters, and the business was moved into the large store-room now occupied, which is located on Main and Court streets opposite the county jail.  Even these quarters have been outgrown and Mr. Locke is now planning to construct during 1918 a handsome three story brick building.  The basement with the first and second stores will be used for the business and the third story will be rented out as apartments.  Such a long step forward shows plainly the development and progress of the business.  Mr. Locke has catered to a general merchandise trade which covers a wide scope of territory, including Cedar Creek, Trout Run and the fort Valleys.  He has handled a large amount of country produce, and in turn has carried such a complete line of both dry goods, clothing, ladies' ready to wear, china, glass, enamel, furniture, hardware and groceries that he has succeeded in holding a very large trade.

Wheat being one of the staple crops throughout the Shenandoah Valley practically every community in the Valley has its flour mill.  The leaky and moss covered race, leading from the dam on "the old mill pond" to the mill and there pouring its torrents on the grinding water wheel, has made up the setting for many a familiar and picturesque scene in the land of the Shenandoah.  In fact, there are a few water-wheel mills in the Valley now, but they are fast being replaced by mills equipped with more modern machinery.  As its name implies, the plant of the Strasburg Steam Flouring Mills is steam driven, and was from the very beginning.  How often have we people of Strasburg heard the old steam whistle sound the hours of seven, twelve, one and six o'clock?  What consternation was there in town, when this same whistle was used as a fire alarm!

The plant of the Strasburg Steam Flouring Mills was built in the year 1891 with a capacity of 100 barrels of fine grade flour daily.  The capacity is now 160 barrels or about one carload daily.  It is not only one of the largest mills in the Valley, being a four-story structure with 8000 square feet of floor space, but the quality of flour produced is unexcelled, even by many of the more highly advertised brands.  It has an extensive refining process, and is known by millers far and wide as one of the most modern and best kept roller plants in the South.  Much of this reputation has been won by George H. Hottel, the head miller, and now president of the Company.  he has several patents of his own in the refining process, and besides keeping the entire plant immaculately clean, he added every available piece of machinery to the process which would aid in purifying the final product.

When the milling company was organized the directorate was composed of the following men:  Josiah Stickley, President; Dr. G. A. Brown, Secretary; Edward Zea, Treasurer; W. H. Smith, Manager; and George H. Hottel, Miller.  The first three named represented the interest owned by the Strasburg Land and Improvement Company.  This company in 1894 sold its interest to W. B. Baker Sons of Winchester.  Mr. Stickley was then elected President and Treasurer, and after the death of Mr. Smith in 1907 assumed much of the management of the mill until in 1909, Charles D. Smith, son of the elder Smith, was made manager.  Young Mr. Smith is a business man of marked ability, which fact was recognized when he was elected a director in the Massanutten National Bank several months ago.  The mill represents one of the most profitable investments in this section, and is also very beneficial to the farmers in this section, as it affords them a convenient and profitable market for their grain.  Mr. Smith is now planning to erect, during the summer, an additional two-story warehouse 40 by 60 feef.  The company will then handle corn, hay, and the various grains and feeds, besides wire fencing, roofing, etc..  This will add much to the local trade of the business, for heretofore most of their flour has been sold upon foreign markets.  For years the great bulk of the flour has gone to North and South Carolina, it being handled through two brokers located at Raleigh, N.C. namely:  E. L. Harris and F. H. Philips.  Throughout the Carolinas, the brands of "Acme", "Pilot" and "Climax" are well known, they being the three brands manufactured by this mill.

Bread is the staff of life -- a real necessity, and for that reason, so is flour.  The world today is crying for bread, and with its reputation already won, the Strasburg Steam Flouring Mills need never fear for a ready market for its products.  With its efficient management, the mill will continue to prosper, and thus be an asset to the life and industry of our town and community.

The well known firm of C. E. Crabill & Son, jewelers, is one whose business is built upon a foundation of twenty-five years of faithful service and square dealing.  Charles E. Crabill, the elder member of the firm, already had a well established patronage throughout Northern Shenandoah County, as well as portions of Frederick and Warren Counties, when four years ago, he took in his son, R. B. Crabill, as his partner.  New blood -- especially when it is good blood, life giving blood -- always tells.  Young Ralph Crabill has introduced a new spirit of push and progressiveness, which upon the solid foundation laid by the elder Crabill, makes the firm impregnable in its stronghold.  The business has always been able to withstand every test of competition, and in addition has forged ahead to its present standing.  A few months ago a solid plate glass front was added to the store-room, which is located opposite the Post Office on Main Street and next to Kneisley's Drug Store.

Expert repairing of jewelry, watches, clocks, sewing machines and most any of the finer mechanical devices, now consumes a large portion of the time of the Crabills.  They also do much engraving for before going into business with his father, young Mr. Crabill graduated from the Department of Engraving at Bowman's Technical School in Lancaster, Pa..  All articles purchased from their store are engraved free of charge.  This means a considerable saving, for the average charge for expert engraving usually amounts to quite a sum.  The firm also handles sewing machines and supplies, and fire arms and ammunition.

The Crabills make a specialty of wedding, birthday and Christmas presents, and at all times carry a line of silverware and cut glass in stock.  The "study to please", and their guarantee is back of every deal made.

Just one year ago, The Peoples Drug Store of Strasburg came into existence.  Before that time Strasburg had never enjoyed the benefits of more than one pharmacy.  The business was started at the instigation of Dr. S. G. Good and Messrs. John M. and J. Ray Miller.  They have a splendid location on Main street, opposite the F. E. Grove department store and near the Post Office.

Previous to May 1916, Miller Brothers had been conducting a confectionery store in connection with a soda fountain.  This business was located in the same room now occupied by the drug store.  Miller Brothers were native Strasburgers, hustling young men, who had won the respect and confidence of a large patronage.  They saw the opportunity for another up-to-date drug store and yet not being pharmacists themselves, were unable to make the adventure without taking in a partner or hiring trained help.  Much time was spent in an effort to get a competent man who would fit the place.  Finally Dr. S. G. Good of New Market, who had been in the retail drug business there for thirty-two years, was induced to go over the field here as a prospective partner.  Dr. Good was so much pleased with the prospects for success that an agreement was soon made and on May 1, 1916.

The Peoples Drug Store was opened to the public.  The business has been constantly growing to the entire satisfaction of the investors.  A hug soda fountain business has been worked up, and the store is known as the Mecca for a large patronage.  Only last month an electric pop corn popper was installed, which represents an investment of $600.  This too has become very popular, and shows the progressives of the firm.  Their object is to please the public, and thus to hold an also enlarge their circle of business friends.  The Peoples Drug Store shows every sign of progress, and we believe it is destined to grow larger as the years pass by.

Numbered among the enterprises that go to make Strasburg a progressive community is that one which is conducted by H. L. Borden.

For a number of years Strasburg was without a builders' supply establishment, and for some time after the business was started here it met with little success.

Mr. Borden, who was connected with the Peffer-Cone Lumber Company, of Front Royal, Virginia, (which firm was his predecessor in the business) moved to Strasburg four and a half years ago from Front Royal, and immediately identified himself with the best interests of this community.

At the time Mr. Borden bought the business which he now conducts, the stock he took over aggregated about $2,500.  He now carries a stock valued at more than $6,000.  Every article needed in the building or repairing of a house can be obtained from him.  Windows, doors and interior trimmings are specialties; but many accessories which are essential to this line of work, may be found in the stock of H. L. Borden.

The establishment of this business has been of great benefit to Mr. Borden's fellow-citizens, enabling them to get satisfactory service in their own town, which before this was uncertain and at time impossible.

Since becoming a resident of Strasburg, Mr. Borden has made many warm friends, as well as a large number of satisfied customers.  It is stated that within the next few months he will erect a good planning mill, which will enable him to give the public even better service than he is giving now.

The Peoples National Bank of Strasburg, although one of the youngest financial institutions in our County, has made remarkable progress, until today it is among the best and foremost banks in the County.

About ten years ago a number of our most substantial and progressive citizens realizing the need of a National Bank in Strasburg, promoted and organized this institution.  The movement was a popular one among the citizens of the community and the stock was all subscribed in a short time, chiefly by home people.  The Article of Association were signed by six of our prominent citizens and application was made to the Comptroller of the currency for a charter as a National Bank.  This was granted on the 15th day of June 1907 and The Peoples National Bank was made the First National Bank in Strasburg.  At the first meeting of the Directors, Rev. Geo. A. Copp was elected President, W. Frank Bowman, Vice President and Fred D. Maphis, Cashier.  Mr. Bowman on leaving this County was succeeded by D. F. Yost as vice-president.  All of these officers have been re-elected each year, as well as most of the directors.  Among these stockholders and directors who too a prominent part in the development of the bank and to whom much of its success is due, Messrs. H. C. Burgess, A. P. McInturff, A. J. Brumback and Alfred Kibler, have died.  Messrs. Burgess and Brumback have been succeeded by their sons, Samuel L. Burgess and J. Herbert Brumback as stockholders and directors.  Of the fifteen original directors, five Messrs. Geo. A. Copp, M. M. Orndorff, Jesse H. Funk, D. F. Yost and W. H. Spiggle, are still members of the board, which together with the above is composed of the following men:  S. L. Burgess, C. E. Chandler, Ezra W. Foltz, Henry A. Funkhouser, Dr. H. T. Hopewell, John C. Kibler, W. F. Lichliter, John Lockstampfer, Fred D. Maphis and J. Herbert Brumback.

The policies of the bank have been liberal yet conservative.  It has had the confidence of the people since the first day of its organization and today its depositors number over one thousand with deposits of nearly $175,000.00.

This bank seeks to promote the interests of the community and its citizens and is knows and "The bank for all the people" and Headquarters for Farmers and Fruit-Growers.

There is time and opportunity for every man.  Too many men waste time in idle discontent and envy, when they are confronted by the phenomenal success of some other man.  Every man should do his part in the world's work manfully, and combat the idea that some unseen forces fixes his destiny.  When a man folds his hands and resigns himself to inaction, he has already lad a foundation for ultimate failure.

Every man should calmly and deliberately choose his vocation. Having made his choice, he should thoroughly and patiently equip himself for his life work; and having taken up that work, he should devote to it his best energies.  Every man should further realize that success is more surely and happily reached when the choice of his life work is voluntary than when it is forced upon him.
There is both time and opportunity for every man.  Use the time well and grasp the opportunity firmly; for opportunity of the present moment and looks for a greater one, will find it ever like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow -- just on ahead.  He will never realize his idea.  Too many men are always intending to act in the future, forgetting that "procrastination is the thief of time".  It is the man of the hour that counts -- the man, who by making use of the opportunities of today, finds himself prepared for the emergencies of tomorrow.  He is the man to whom other men are looking with confidence.  The affairs of the present moment are the most urgent.  In a time of emergency, men accomplish that which at other times they deem impossible -- make every moment an emergency.  If a man failed to meet the demands of today, just so much more will he fail to meet the demands of tomorrow, with the additional burdens which every day lays upon him.  The application of whole souled energy to every task broadens the ability and increases the capacity.  Fitful and intermittent effort is condemned as half hearted and indifferent.

Constant and earnest effort never fails of recognition.  The secret of success is nothing more nor less than the faithful performance of today's duties, and the bringing to bear upon them of all the energy and intelligence we possess.  It is always worth while to study the progress of men who accomplish things, men who are fired with laudable ambitions, men who are always looking for another ladder round to climb, and who have the determination to carry their ideals with them wherever they go.  Such men, dissatisfied with the building of a merely average business, plan faithfully and wisely for a bigger one.  They keep abreast of the times and are ready for the larger opportunities when they present themselves.  Strasburg has numerous such men, and their services are making history for the town and county.  There are those whose energy has fired the ambitions of other men; whose success has stirred others to larger endeavor.

It is a group of such men, energetic, wise and progressive, who compose the management of the Massanutten National Bank, men who have ever believed in doing their level best and a little more, with each day that passes.  These men have worked and attained success.  The coming of larger opportunities in the growth of their business brought to them increased ability, developed a larger capacity for intelligent service, and they are bringing to bear upon the problems of today minds well trained and capable of the best solution of these problems.

In the year 1890 the Massanutten Bank was organized.  Prior to the time when this institution opened its doors to the public, there was no other bank in Strasburg, and only two others in Shenandoah County.  For years, the Massanutten Bank was the largest in the county.  Credit is due to those who were its promoters and organizers -- prominent among them, Messrs. R. W. Crawford, E. D. Newman, M. L. Walton, Edward Zea and J. W. Eberly, all of whom were representative citizens of the county.

In a word the Massanutten Bank was the beginning of industrial and commercial Strasburg.  In the early days preceding its organization, it was even hard to get a check cashed in Strasburg, and for that reason very few checks were used.  Money was hard to borrow, except from individuals, which fact was a great drawback to the development of the town.  What could our business men and industries do toady, if there were no banks here to come to their support when capital is needed?  The directors of the Massanutten Bank own the Shenandoah Lime Company and as this company was the pioneer in the lime industry, they are to be credited with much of the development of the town.

The Massanutten Bank remained in business until the year 1907, at which time the officers and directors deemed to make it a National Bank, and a charter was granted during the same year.  Since becoming a National Bank, the deposits are resources have almost doubled, and it has earned a surplus that now equals the capital, which is $25,000.  This substantiates our statement that the entire population has shown its appreciation of the development of this financial institution.

From the first the bank promised well being under the management of some of the community's best men.  Edward Zea was the first president, and held that office for thirteen years, up to the time of his death.  Mr. Zea was a prominent merchant of Strasburg before he entered the banking business.  Judge E. D. Newman was vice president, and filled that until the death of Mr. Zea, at time he was made president.  Judge Newman is a prominent attorney of Woodstock, the county seat of Shenandoah county, and is connected with a number of other banks and prominent financial enterprises.  J. W. Eberly accepted a position as cashier when the bank was first organized and has faithfully assisted the directors in many successful transactions.

Mr. Eberly was engaged in the mercantile business in Strasburg for a number of years, and is at present interested in many of the local enterprises.  R. S. Wright, vice president, was elected to his office at the time of Mr. Zea's death, to fill the vacancy caused by the promotion of Judge Newman.  Mr. Wright has been identified with the commercial interest of Strasburg for a number of years.
The above mentioned officers, with the directorate, deserve much credit for the success of the institution.  the directorate is composed of some of the best business men of the community.  In addition to the officers, the board is composed of;  Dr. B. R. White, a practicing physician of Strasburg; C. D. Smith, manager of the Strasburg Steam Flouring Mill; Jeremiah Wakeman, a prominent planter of Shenandoah county; and Rev. J. D. Hamaker, a highly respected and very capable counselor.  Under the supervision of these gentlemen the bank could not do other than prosper, and it promises to do in the future as it has in the past; to continue to grow and keep pace with all progressive movements.  With a remarkable growth during the years of its history, with a record of being ever identified with the progressive movements of the town and county, and with the friendship and confidence of a large and growing list of depositors, the Massanutten National Bank has a bright future.  it has always stood ready to aid every enterprise worthy of confidence, and at the same time has offered its depositors, big and little, absolute security of deposits.  The banking rooms are open to men and women of Strasburg and Shenandoah county, and the officers deem it a pleasure to aid and encourage those who bring to them problems for their unraveling.

This bank now numbers among its depositors all of the larger industries in the communities, namely; the Shenandoah Lime Company, the Powhatan Lime Company, the Strasburg Lime Company, the Standard Lime & Stone Company, the Strasburg steam Flouring Mills, as well as numerous smaller enterprises.  More money goes over the counter of this bank to working men, the Southern Railway Company, the Baltimore & Ohio Railway Company and the various other industries than any other institution in the county, all of which speaks well for the confidence with which the bank is held by the local business men and the general public.

Tonawanda Tribe, No. 47, Improved Order of Red Men was instituted in November 1910, by Walter S. Nicklin a former Strasburg boy, at that time Great Prophet of the Reservation of Virginia.  S. L. Burgess was active in its organization.  there were thirty one charter members.

This order is the oldest fraternal order founded in the United States and does not extend beyond the boundaries of its native land.  It had its beginnings at the time of the American Revolution.  Before the "shot heard round the World" began the great struggle for freedom, before Bunker Hill had become famous it was dangerous for the outraged colonists to meet and discuss their wrongs.  Because of these dangerous conditions, the patriots conceived the idea of disguising themselves as Indians and meeting in the glades of the forest to discuss their grievances and formulate their plans for bettering existing conditions.  The famous Boston Tea Part was an outcome of these meetings.  a regular organization was perfected and at one time George Washington was at its head.  The order was first known as The Sons of Liberty, later The Order of Cincinnatus, and it finally became the Improved Order of Red Men.

The objects of the order are, the fostering of patriotism, the promotion of fraternalism, and the exercise of charity.  The first two of these are more or less abstract, but the last named assumes concrete forms.  Nor is the exercises of their charity confined to Red Men and their families alone.  To prove this statement, each year at Christmas, the local tribe sends out many baskets of supplies to those less fortunately situated then themselves.  A special feature that is worthy of note is the Christmas tree and dinner, in 1915, for the children of the community in homes that Santa Claus, in his hurry, had passed by.  Those who witnessed it, both Red Men and Pale Faces, will never forget this occasion.

Several years ago, Tonawanda Tribe was honored by a visit from the Honorable George B. Griggs, of Texas, at that time Great Incohonne, the highest official of the order, and his party, composed of other notables.

The present officers of the tribe are;  S. E. Saum, Sachem;  Dr. Carl B. Maphis, Prophet;  W. T. Glaize, Senior Sagamore;  J. H. Richard, Junior Sagamore;  S. L. Burgess, Chief of Records;  F. D. Maphis, Keeper of the Wampum.  The order shows a healthy growth, and new members are being initiated weekly.  The meetings are held in the Wigwam on the third floor of the Shenando build every Friday steep at the seventh run and thirtieth breath.

The charter of Shenando Council, Jr. O. U. A. M., is dated January 9, 1904.  The order was instituted by the officers and Degree Team of Massanutten Council of Toms Brook, Va., on the night of January 20, 1904, and immediately began to teach the tenets of their fraternity under the following officers:

J. P. Peffer, Councilor; C. B. Linn, vice Councilor; A. D. Kendall, Financial Secretary; F. H. Chandler, Treasurer; T. B. Fleet, Recording Secretary; R. L. Grant, Conductor; Harry Kenner, warden; Harry Keister, Inside Sentinel; E. C. Lemley, Outside Sentinel; O. R. Edmondson, Chaplain; C. E. Crabill, Jr., Past councilor; E. M. Funk, E. F. Mitchell, and O. R. Edmonson, Trustees.  The representative appointed to attend the State Council was C. W. Bushong.

The first candidates were initiated on February 29, 1094, in the persons of W. O. Grant and W. O. Hefflin.  Since that time through summer's heat and winter's cold, the council chamber has been open each Monday night.  The bonds of the brotherhood have been cemented closer and closer, until today they can look back on a history of no small benevolence.  A total of 240 persons have been initiated.  Ten members were lost by death; namely, E. F. Mitchell, G. P. Grant, Giles Grant, C. W. Williams, W. M. Fishel, John R. Grubbs, R. L. Grant, Robert Blanchfield, William Burner, and C. A. Cornwall.  The council has paid out $2,812.50 in death benefits, and its sick benefits to the present time amount to $1,100.  Frank S. Cooley was the first member to draw a sick benefit, and James a Lake and Luther Kremer were the last.  Bud Edmonson was the last member to be initiated, his initiation having taken place in April or this year.

F. H. Chandler has been treasurer of the council ever since its institution, and has kept a careful watch over the financial end of its affairs.  E. C. Lemley has been recording secretary for eight years and has been in office continuously since the organization of the order.

The council has not only met every claim of benevolence presented, but owns seventy one shares of stock of  the Shenando Building Company.  The lot upon which the Shenando Building stands was formerly the property of the council and was traded for stock in the company.  The initiates and members are scattered over several nearby states and some are even in foreign lands, but the council hears from its members periodically and when occasion demands it, goes to their assistance.  Today the membership is 93, and the officers are: T. A. Lake, Councilor; J. P. Peffer, Vice Councilor; O. R. Edmonson, Jr., Past Councilor; H. N. McGhee, Chaplain; E. C. Lemley, Recording Secretary; James B. Finch, Financial Secretary; Arthur Strosnider, Warden; Harry Taylor, Inside Sentinel; John S. Lake, Conductor; O. R. Edmonson, E. C. Lemley, and J. B. Finch, Trustees.

Spurmont Lodge, No. 98, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, was instituted in Strasburg in 1866.  The moving spirits in its organization were some local members of Cassia Lodge in Woodstock.  In those days of sparser population, lodges were not so plentiful and it was necessary to go to Richmond to receive the Royal Arch Chapter and the Knights Templar degrees.

The lodge has had a continuous existence since its institution and the original charter still hangs in its lodge room.  this timeworn, stained document bears the names of W. H. LeHew, Worshipful Master; J. J. Crawford, Senior Warden; and R. H. Lee, Junior Warden.  These were the first stationed officers, and all have passed on to the celestial lodge above where the Great Architect of the Universe presides.

Other charter members were D. M. Spengler, A. J. Kelly, Dr. G. A. Brown, E. F. Bell, and Jeremiah Keister.  These also have all been raised to sublimer degrees in the celestial lodge.  Of the original charter members there still live, L. Hurn and C. M. Borum.

In the last few years, many venerable members have died.  Including Rev. J. S. Hopkins, E. F. Bell, H. K. Jennings, H. C. Burgess, A. A. Davis, R. H. Lee, and Isiah Funkhouser.  Younger members who have died are J. Crawford Bell, W. G. LeHew, Dr. R. W. Crawford and Harry Balthis.  Most of these were buried with Masonic honors.

Two cornerstones have been laid in recent years, one for a public hall at Wheatfield, and one for the new High School building in Strasburg.  In these cornerstones certain records were placed which will be of interest when these buildings are finally torn down.

Spurmont has many Royal Arch Masons and Knights Templar, including Roger Kline, Wm. M. Stickley, J. H. Haley, H. L. Woolf, C. L. Fletcher, Darius F. Finley and O. M. Wilson.  There are three thirty - second degree Masons, Scottish Rite; O. F. Pirkey, Henry Ellis and M. R. Bruin.  Mr. R. Bruin, O. F. Pirkey and O. M. Wilson are "Shriners".  The late W. G. LeHew had reached the high pinnacle of Masonic honors, and we venture to say he was one of the few thirty - third degree Masons who held his membership in a country lodge; for, though he lived for many years in Alexandria, he continued always a member of Spurmont.

The present officers of the lodge are; James Beeler, Worshipful Master; W. E. Coffman, Senior Warden; A. C. Machir, Junior Warden; C. M. Chiles, Secretary; O. F. Pirkey, Treasurer; W. H. Ellis, Senior Deacon; R. A. Kaplan, Junior Deacon; J. D. Hamaker, Chaplain; S. M. Funk, Tiler.

Living Past Masters are C. D. Brown, C. W. Spengler, G. G. Crawford, W. F. Lichliter and L. Hurn.  The present membership is about eight and the lodge is in a healthy condition.

Masonry is unique in several respects.  It is the most ancient of fraternal orders; recorded history carries it back several hundred years.  Traditional history more or less authentic, carries it still further back to the time of Solomon.  It was certainly in existence, as operative masonry, in the guilds of craftsmen of the middle ages, who left many wonderful monuments of their skills in the great cathedrals and public buildings of Europe.

It is the most widespread order, for it covers the earth.  There is hardly a land where one may not meet a native mason and know him to be such.  It never solicits members, yet is constantly growing in membership

Masonic charity is spontaneous.  There are no sick benefits, no death benefits; yet a worthy mason or his family, is always assisted, so far as his brother masons can assist him without material injury to themselves or their families, as countless widows and orphans of Masons can testify.

This month is of special interest to local Pythians, since May 2 was the twenty-fifth anniversary of the institution of Walter Scott Lodge, No. 78.  In 1892 the following men organized this lodge as charter members; H. C. Burgess, N. W. Russell, N. H. Funk, A. Redfern, E. F. Calvin, C. D. Brown, C. W. Spengler, John L. Brady, Jr., H. H. Ramey, Harry Burner, D. W. Gilliam and R. A. Hipkins.

The object of this order are inculcation and practice of great virtues, Friendship, Charity, Benevolence.  These very practical application of their principles find expression in the following practices, as expressed to the writer by a prominent member of the order; "We bury our dead, care for their widows, and educate their orphans."

There is an insurance department connected with the order, known as the Endowment Rank.  It is fifty-two years of service, this insurance department has paid out to the beneficiaries of members of the subordinate lodges $30,675,685.30.  This insurance feature is on the same solid basis as the old line insurance companies and is so rated by the insurance commissioners of the several states.  The present reserve fund is more than $8,000,000.  During the year 1986 there was paid out $1,620,284.39.  Several Strasburg families have reaped the benefits from policies in this Endowment Rank.

There is also a Uniform Rank, which trains its members for military service, the services of which rank have been tendered to the Government of the United States by the Supreme Lodge, Knight of Pythias, for use in our present national emergency.

The present officers of the lodge are; C. M. Chiles, Chancellor Commander; Arthur L. Funk, Vice Chancellor; John Fisher, Prelate; H. H. Ramey, Keeper of the Records and Seal; H. L. Borden, Master of Exchequer; W. H. Ellis, Master of Finance; N. H. Funk, Master of arms; J. E. Rogers, Master of Work; G. W. Armentrout, Inner Guard; Ezra Stickley, Outer Guard; C. M. Chiles, District Deputy Grand Chancellor.

Farmers residing in Shenandoah County occasionally find it necessary to go outside of their county for certain goods needed on the farm.  While practically every manufactured farm article is found among the stock of the Shenandoah County merchants, yet there are many times when dealing with a specialty house will relieve the anxiety of waiting to hear whether or not certain goods are dependable.

These statements can scarcely be applied to any line of business with greater weight than to the Field and Garden Seeds business.  There are few who would contest the statement that when a farmer deals with a firm that specializes in seeds he is sure to get absolutely the best that can be produced.  There are probably no other articles purchased by the average farmer which will necessitate his placing so much confidence and faith in the man with who he deals as the seeds which he will use on a large acreage.  To a large extent, all of a farmers labor, all of his investment in a crop, will come to little or nothing, if he does not have good germinating seed.  The seed business requires study, and not only study, but trained in their line of profession.  Too often farmers buy seed from cheap mail order houses with the hope of saving a few pennies or dollars, and at harvest time lose many times their saving on that deal by a poor crop as a consequence.  All of these truths have a tendency to make plain the fact that the farmer of necessity much have confidence in his seed dealer.

The farmers of the Shenandoah Valley are unlike many of other section of the State in having better accommodations in this important line. While there is only one seed house in the valley, it is one that is conducted by a life resident of the Valley and one who has the confidence of every farmer with whom he has had dealings.  This house is known as the Wetsel Seed Company, Incorporated of Harrisonburg and whether orders are placed by mail or in person, the same dependable and satisfactory service are rendered in every instance.

The Wetsel Seed Company, Incorporated, which came into existence in the year 1916, is an outgrowth of the D. M. Wetsel & Son, which firm was established in Harrisonburg in 1912.  However, this business really had its beginning in the year 1900, when D. M. Wetsel, the senior member in the firm, bought a fifteen acre farm near Port Republic.  Five years afterwards a larger tract of 160 acres was purchased and the Green Island Seed Farm was established on the Shenandoah River in Rockingham County.  The endeavors of Mr. Wetsel were so successful that a larger foundation was laid and the present business of the Wetsel Seed Company, Incorporated, now rest upon it.

A. W. Wetsel, who is a man of the younger generation, but who fully understands and appreciates the position of the farmers -- having been "there" himself  -- realizes the need for a modern seed house in the Valley; and it is he who is putting forth every effort to meet every need and requirement of his patrons.  He is now the manager of the business, and under his wise and energetic supervision the business has been continually growing.  While no "leaps and bounds" progress is claimed, yet the growth has been sufficient to warrant the statement that no other business of a similar magnitude in the Valley has met with larger success.

The officers of the company are as follows:  W. W. Wetsel, President and General Manager;  K. P. Cline, Vice - President; and A. J. Crum, Secretary and Treasurer.  In its present prosperous condition and under its energetic administration, the business has every indication of continuing in its growth, which will mean that the farmers of the Valley will have better and larger accommodation from which to select their field and garden seeds from year to year.

Naturally enough the average Strasburger does not have occasion to know Hotel Machir as out-of-town folks and the traveling men do; never the less, we should be proud of the fact that this hospitable hostelry is so well known for its excellent service.  Hotel Machir spreads as good a table as man could wish for, and the building has recently been enlarged and equipped throughout with modern devices affording both convenience and comfort.

This hostelry was formerly known as the Chalybeate House or the Chalybeate Springs Hotel.  Its doors were opened to the public thirty-six years ago, in the summer of 1881, by the late A. P. McInturff.  For years this house not only accommodated the traveling men but in summer time quite a few city folks sought its spacious porches, shaded by the surrounding trees, for rest and comfort.  Many others came out for the sports afforded them here in the Valley, mainly fishing in the Shenandoah and in the Fall hunting for quail and hare.

Six years ago, Mr. McInturff wishing to retire from business, sold the hotel to his son-in-law, Lewis Machir.  Mr. Machir is a jolly good fellow, jut the kind to be popular with the traveling public and therefore to make a grand success of his business.  Shortly after the purchase, the name of the house was changed to Hotel Machir.  A few years before selling Mr. McInturff hand enlarged the capacity of his house by nineteen rooms.  However, Mr. Machir has found it necessary to add five more beds rooms and a more spacious and modern lobby.  He has also equipped every room in the house with electric lights and hot and cold water.  The entire place is kept immaculately clean and Mr. Machir is ever mindful of the three "Cs", cleanliness, comfort and convenience.  Meals are served in the Old Virginia style, and many traveling men make it a point to spend Sundays in Strasburg to get the advantage of the best of service afforded them.  Hotel Machir today is standing on a record which has pleased many patrons in the past, and at the same time is keeping in mind that every progressive idea of the day must be met in order to hold the praise of the public.

Limestone, 98% Pure, Used in the Manufacture of Building, Agricultural, and Chemical Lime, Which is Shipped North, East, South, and West.

In the business world, "Lime" is well - nigh inseparably linked with the name Strasburg.  This is not due to the fact that our lime plants produce a few barrels of line daily, but because our output will average 22 car loads or about 4,000 barrels daily.  This means that our annual production will reach the mark of 8,030 car loads, or 1,460,000 barrels.  Some lime isn't it!  It is estimated that Strasburg alone produces approximately one half of the entire output of line of the state of Virginia, and ours is one of the largest, if not the largest, lime manufacturing centers in the United States.  These may be startling statement to some but they are nevertheless true.  The fact of it is the average Strasburger's conception of our lime industry has not kept pace with the actual growth of the business.  Only a few years ago, our line - burning capacity was very small, but since 1902 it has grown by leaps and bounds.

Picture of Powhatan Lime Company's Plant Showing Six of Ten Kilns was inserted at this point.

(To explain this figure, we may add that each new plant has represented a leap, and each new Kiln a bound.)  An the beauty of this situation is the fact that the industry is in its infancy; our resources of first grade limestone are unlimited; and our transportation facilities for marketing the product are unsurpassed.  Strasburg is certain to hold a huge portion of the lime trade, and the demands for lime are continually growing.

Five Lime Plants With Total of 31 Kilns.

In this immediate vicinity there are now five lime plants, with a total of 31 kilns.  The companies or individuals owning plants here are as follows: Shenandoah  Lime Company, owned by local capital; M. M. Orndorff, a local citizen; Powhatan Lime Company, owned by Warner Moore of Richmond; Strasburg Lime Company, owned by Wm. N. Hoag, formerly of New York, now of Strasburg; and Standard Lime and Stone Company owned by the Bakers of Baltimore.  With these plants producing a total of 22 cars of line which running at normal speed, on can get a faint ideal of the amount of labor involved; of the amount of wood, coal, and coke required to keep the furnaces roaring; of the amount of staves and heading for the manufacture of shipping barrels; and the many other articles which are required to keep the plants in operation.  They will indeed keep one train employed hauling coal, coke, wood, dynamite, fire clay and brick, machinery and empty box cars (for Lime) to the plants; and lime, crushed stone, and empty coal and coke cars away from the plants.  Enough stone is being taken from our hill - sides to build a Egyptian pyramid; and most any time during the day, when the rumbling of a series of blasts from the quarries is heard, one is reminded that war has been declared.

Shenandoah Lime Company

The present site of the Shenandoah Lime Company plant at Strasburg Junction was the location upon which was built Strasburg's first lime kiln.  this was in the year 1892, and to Cammick & Deckert, a Washington firm, must go the honor for "shooting" the first blast in this vicinity in search of lime - burning stone.  This firm put up this kiln to supply lime for their own trade in the Capital City.  In 1892, Cammick & Deckert sold their kiln to a company of local men afterward known as the Shenandoah Lime Company.  Edward Mitchell was the first manager of the plant, and soon after the purchase was made two more kilns were built.  R. S. Wright is now the nominal head of the firm, though he is relieved of much of his work by Charles J. Borum, his assistant, and by J. M. Mitchell, his foreman.  The plant has always proven a profitable investment, and with its three kilns is producing its share of the total of our output.

M. M. Orndorff Plant

Next in age comes the plant owned by M. M. Orndorff, which is located on the Baltimore & Ohio tracks at the point known as Stickley's Quarry.  In fact, the quarry now operated in conjunction with this plant was first opened as a stone quarry by the Baltimore & Ohio Railway Company when they built the roadway for the Shenandoah Valley Division, this end of which was known as the Winchester & Strasburg Railway.  Stone from the quarry was first used in the construction of the bridges along the line, and was later hauled to distant points.  The Camden Station tunnel under the city of Baltimore is lined with this stone, and Grace Methodist Episcopal Church of Middletown, one of the handsomest church structures in the Valley is also built of it.  Later the quarry was operated by Ryan & McDonald, New York contractors, and the stone was shipped to various distant points.  In 1897 M. M. Orndorff and the late W. D. Stickley built one lime kiln near the site of the quarry.  In about three years, two more kilns were added, and still later two more.  About nine years ago, when Mr. Stickley became too much enfeebled for active work, Mr. Orndorff leased his portion of the plant and began operations under his own name.  Since then he has added another kiln, making six in all which he now operates.  For about nine years, between 1899 and 1908, another stone quarry was operated on the opposite side of the Baltimore & Ohio tracks from the lime plant.  This quarry has always been known as Bellview, and was operated by the Bevelry Granite company of Winchester.  However, none of the stone was ever quarried for lime making purposes.

Lane Brothers Quarry

Our stone quarries, whether they have been operated in connection with a line plant or not, have always been associated with the lime industry.  The largest limestone quarry independent of a line plant was that operated by Lane Brothers on the Chiles farm, which is located on the Valley Pike near Fishers Hill.  this quarry was opened in 1900 and for several years huge building stones, some of them weighing tons, were quarried and dressed there.  They were hauled to the Southern freight yards here and loaded into gondolas and flat cars by means of a derrick.  they were shipped to distant points and used mainly in the construction of heavy bridges.  When cement came into general use for such purposes, then the heavy stone was no longer used and Lane Brothers began the manufacturing of crushed stone.  The southern Railway company ran a side track from a point on their main track between Strasburg Junction and Fishers Hill a portion of the way into the quarry and  a heavy stone crusher was installed and the crushed stone was used by the Southern Railway Company for track ballast and also for used in building concrete abutments, walls, etc..  From the location of the crusher to the old quarry on the Pike a distance of about a quarter of a mile, a narrow gauge railroad was built, upon which "dinkey" steam engines were to be used.  However, before the plant was ever put into full operation, the Southern Railway special train which was hauling this stone (The plant was to have capacity of a train load per day ) had several wrecks, caused by the cars of stone breaking loose and running down the steep decline upon which the siding was built.  It was stated that the civil engineer, who surveyed the course for the track, lost his job, for so many cars ran away and were dumped over the steep embankment into the creek below (Tumbling Run) that more money was thus lost in demolished cars and lost stone than could be earned by the plant.  Consequently the plant was closed in 1904.

Powhatan Lime Company

In the year 1902, Warner Moore of Richmond, a capitalist interested in several lime plants, Flour mills, paper mills, as well as other lines of business at different points in the United States, purchased a tract of land from Major C. M. Borum, lying between the Baltimore & Ohio and Southern tracks at Strasburg Junction, and there built a plant which is operated under the name of the Powhatan Lime Company.  first, three kilns, then the largest in this section, were put up.  Very shortly afterward three more kilns were erected, as was also a stone crusher.  Then, in 1907 an additional five kilns were added and a lime grinding plant installed.  This plant is used for the grinding of both commercial and agricultural lime, which is reduced to a powder form and is packed in paper sacks very much the same as flour.  Besides their heavy production of lime, the Powhatan company crushes on an average of two cars of stone per day, which is sold to the Southern Railway Company.  At the beginning of operations here, Richard McCoy was made manager of the plant, and to him mainly is due the credit for building up the business to where the additional kilns and equipment were needed.   On account of old age he has since been relieved of his minor duties and now holds the title of Vice President and Sales Manager.  H. H. Waterman has recently been made plant manager and A. C. Machir, cashier and clerk.

Strasburg Lime Company

Next in order comes the Strasburg Lime Company, which for several years was known as the Hoag Lime Company.  The plant is located just above Strasburg Junction on the Southern tracks and is owned by Wm. N. Hoag, formerly of New York.  Two kilns were built in 1909 by R. S. Funk, who was made manager, and who first owned the property upon which the plant was located.  Mr. funk was also the promoter of the Standard Lime & Stone Company plant, for it was he who solicited the Baker people of Baltimore, who won some twenty or thirty plants scattered over several states, to make an investment here.  In April 1910, When Mr. Funk went over with the Baker people, Mr. Hoag came here and took active charge of his plant.  One year ago, W. H. Hoagland was made manager and secretary of the Strasburg Lime Company, and Mr. Hoag now divides his time between Strasburg and New York.

Standard Lime & Stone Co.

As stated above, the Standard Lime & Stone Company began operations here in 1910.  Their's is the youngest of our lime plants, and yet their output is the largest.  Four kilns were first erected and six more have since been added in groups of two each. Most of the other plants owned by the Baker interest are located in West Virginia and Maryland, and on that account they needed a plant with a more direct Southern outlet.  Due to the fact that our limestone deposits are well nigh inexhaustible, Strasburg was the logical point for that plant.  Immediately after this plant was put in operation, W. J. Flanagan was made manager, and has been so efficient in that capacity that the Strasburg plant is one of the Bakers best paying investments.  The Bakers also own another large tract of land near Strasburg, which was purchased several years ago from the Hupp estate, and which is located in what is known as Barbaque Hollow, between Strasburg and Capon Road.  Limestone is in abundance on this tract and it is thought that the Bakers are holding it in reserve for future development.  It is almost certain that some day a huge plant will be built there.

Markets for Strasburg Lime

The Strasburg line is used for building, chemical, and agricultural purposes.  It was used in the construction of such structures as the new Baltimore & Ohio Building of Baltimore and the Singer Building of New York.  When the industry here first began, practically all of the output was sold for building purposes.  However, in recent years the great advantages of lime as a land restorer and fertilizer have been discovered, and much of the development of the lime industry is due to that fact.  Most of the agricultural lime is shipped south;  the great bulk of the building lime to the eastern cities; namely Baltimore, Washington, Philadelphia, New York, Pittsburgh, Detroit, and Cincinnati.  Most of the lime sold for chemical purposes is also shipped to eastern points and since the war large qualities have been used for explosives.  Indeed, the war has been the cause of the discovery of many chemical uses for lime.  In fact, the markets give promise to make greater demands in the future for chemical and agricultural lime than for building lime.  With the world crying for more food, with the "back to the far" movement urged on all sides, with the call for more scientific and intensive farming, the demand for agricultural lime is sure to grow.  Strasburg limestone has been tested and some of it found 98% pure.  With the growth of the demand for lime, Strasburg will also grow; for she has an abundance of the necessary raw material, and has the advantage of two of America's greatest railroad systems which afford western, and northern markets.  "Lime" will continue to be linked with the name Strasburg.

One of the old landmarks of Strasburg, southeast corner of Main (King) and Holliday Streets is now being razed by a large crew of workmen for Daniel F. Burner, Woodstock antique dealer, who bought the buildings, and has to remove them from the grounds.

The Massanutten Bank of Strasburg acquired the real estate from R. S. Wright, special commissioner for the Zea heirs, November 17, 1952.  They have stated that they plan to build a modern bank building on the site.

Mr. Burner for the past then days has had a large number of men razing this historic old building, which was erected almost a century ago.  The front part was built of logs, later covered with siding, and the real, built in two sections is of brick.

From R. S. Wright, Jr., Woodstock attorney, who handled all the legal work in the settling of the estate and sale of the property, and who is a grandson of the late Edward Zea, the following, information was secured;

This piece of real estate was conveyed to Edward Zea and John Pirkey, partners, trading as Zea and Pirkey, on March 19, 1856 -- two years short of a century.  They conducted a general mercantile business on the site for a number of years, and Mr. Zea and family lived in the second floor apartment over the store.

By another deed, Mr. Pirkey sold his interest in the store to Mr. Zea on February 15, 1867.

By tow later deeds, in May 1873 and December 23, 1893, Mr. Zea acquired land directly across the street, where the Zea and Writght store was long in operation.  It is assumed that he moved his store to that location within a year or two after the 1873 date and then converted the entire property on the east side of the street into a residence.  The brick additions followed.

It is interesting to note that the town well and pump were on the grounds adjoining the Zea and Pirkey Store.  In those days there was a "Town Square," which included the town pump on that corner, as well as small plots of land owned by the town on the other three corners of the street intersection there.

It was on June 13, 1885, that the Town council of Strasburg deeded the southeast corner of the Town Square with its pump and town well to Mr. Zea.  It is assumed that the well and pump were used by the town for years after that, even through Mr. Zea owned that corner from that time on.

Members of the Town Council, who joined in signing the deed were G. A. Brown, James A. Sonner, Obed F. Chandler, Jacob Everly, Robert Balthis, Thomas J. Fitzsimmons and Edward Zea.  It required a special act of the General Assembly of Virginia before the town council  such town property.

Dan. Burner, who bought the house a few weeks ago, says he will be able to salvage about two thirds of the lumber in the building.

He will dress it all down and saw off the rotten ends of the huge hewed logs.

He is moving the large boxwoods also.  F. Stacey Tavenner, III, who is a great great grandson of the first Edward Zea, is getting several of the boxwoods for his home in Woodstock.  His mother, Mrs. F. S. Tavenner, Jr., is getting some of the interior lumber pieces and some of the logs.

The large two story frame stable building in the real lot, fronting on Holliday street and the alley also is being torn down.