Shenandoah County, Virginia: History
For thousands of years, the Shenandoah Valley was used as a hunting ground by American Indians. By the early 18th century, the Six Nations of the Iroquois claimed the valley by right of conquest, although Shawnee and other tribes also used the region.
Colonial Governor Gooch formally purchased the Shenandoah Valley from the Six Nations under the Treaty of Lancaster in 1744. European settlement had already begun, and during Pontiac's War (1763–1766), Shawnee warriors carried out raids into the valley in an effort to halt colonial expansion.
George Washington represented Frederick County in the House of Burgesses from 1758 to 1765, when the area that became Woodstock was still part of the county. He sponsored legislation incorporating the town, which was established by charter in March 1761. The town originated as Muellerstadt, founded by Jacob Miller in 1752 on land granted by Lord Fairfax.
The county was established in 1772 as Dunmore County in honor of John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore, the last royal governor of Virginia, with Woodstock designated as the county seat. During the American Revolutionary War, Dunmore was forced from office, and the county was renamed Shenandoah County in 1778.
According to local tradition, Washington named the Shenandoah River, Shenandoah Valley, and the county in honor of the Christian Oneida chief Skenandoa, who helped secure Oneida and Tuscarora support for the American cause during the Revolutionary War, including assistance to the Continental Army at Valley Forge.
During the American Civil War, the Battle of New Market was fought in the county on May 15, 1864.