Waynesboro, Virginia: History
Still in the area of the Colony of Virginia after the American Revolution, independence and statehood for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the areas west of the Appalachian and Blue Ridge Mountains were known as the frontier. Travel by wagon over the mountains was considered nearly impossible except where nature afforded some gap between them. Until after the Civil War, Jarmans Gap, some six miles northeast of Waynesboro, was a major crossing of the Blue Ridge Mountains, making Waynesboro a convenient stop for many who sought to travel west.
In the mid-18th century, Waynesboro was commonly referred to as Teasville (or Teesville). Shortly after U.S. Army General Anthony Wayne's victory at the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794 during the Northwest Indian War, the area began to be called Waynesborough. Many settlers to the area originated from Pennsylvania. General Wayne's popularity with Pennsylvanians is suspected to have helped contribute to its name.
As early as 1798, the downtown area was platted and sold. On January 8, 1801, the town of Waynesborough was officially recognized by the state of Virginia and was incorporated by 1834.
Some of the remaining buildings from this period of its history include the Plumb House (a museum open for tours seasonally) and the Coiner-Quesenbury House, built in 1806, believed to be the first brick house built in the town, which is still standing on Main Street.
Population growth in the town was slow at first. In 1810, the town had a population of 250, and by 1860 it had grown to 457. The town experienced a steady stream of visitors primarily due to its position on Three Notch'd Road, which connected Staunton to the west with Charlottesville and Richmond to the east. This path crossed the Blue Ridge Mountains through Jarman's Gap. A railroad tunnel was constructed through Rockfish Gap a short time before the Civil War. This established Rockfish Gap as the major crossing through the mountains between Waynesboro and Charlottesville.
On March 2, 1865, Waynesboro was the site of the last battle of the Civil War for the Confederate Lt. General Jubal A. Early. The Battle of Waynesboro lasted twenty minutes, was a complete victory for George Armstrong Custer, and was a final blow to the Confederate Army in the Shenandoah Valley. Sometime afterwards, General Early relinquished the town and the valley to General Philip Sheridan. Many of the buildings from this period still show damage from the battle. During and after the war, casualties from the nearby Valley Campaign and other battles were buried in Ridgeview Cemetery where the Waynesboro Confederate Monument lists and commemorates their names and states.
After the war, the Waynesboro area became the junction of two important railroad lines: an east-to-west track (operated by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway) and a north–south trunk line (of the Shenandoah Valley Railroad, which soon became the Norfolk and Western Railway). The tracks intersected near Waynesboro, giving the site the nickname of the "Iron Cross." The transportation advantages coming from the Iron Cross fueled hopes for economic development.
In a flurry of land speculation, land lots to the east of Waynesboro, mostly on the east side of South River, were platted and sold in 1890. That year the area was incorporated as the Town of Basic City. An opera house, a wide boulevard named Commerce Avenue, and the upscale Hotel Brunswick were built there. …