Our Community
Our Town
The town of Mount Jackson was planned and developed in 1812 and was originally named Mt. Pleasant. The name was changed in honor of President Andrew Jackson, (not Stonewall, though he and his troops did sleep here) who was a frequent visitor on his travels from Washington, D.C. to his home in Tennessee.
Mount Jackson is a wonderful small town, located in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley, and more specifically in Shenandoah County, only a short distance from Harrisonburg and Winchester, Virginia and Washington DC. Though the town is not exempt from development, the last wave of development that hit surrounding small towns during the 1990's failed to make a dent in Mount Jackson, thanks to a wise Town Planning Commission and Town Council. As such, we have managed to maintain our rural and historic small town character. Shenandoah is an old Indian name believed to mean "Daughter Of The Stars". Mount Jackson is very easily accessed from Interstate 81, and straddles Route 11, also known as the Old Valley Pike. The North Fork of the Shenandoah River, much narrower here than the South Fork, runs parallel to Route 11, and is a wonderful river for canoeing and fishing. |
Mount Jackson Water Tower
Mount Jackson Water Tower Town of Mount Jackson Website (Click to be taken to photo) |
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The historic buildings of the Town feature a wide variety of architecture spanning the 18th and 19th centuries. Several buildings in town served as Confederate and Union Army's field hospitals during the Civil War. The Confederate cemetery on the north end of town is the only cemetery in Virginia with only Confederate Soldiers buried there. The Mount Jackson Historic District was listed in The National Register of Historic Places in June of 1993. The National register is administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior.
A historic covered bridge, Shenandoah Caverns and many other attractions are in and about our colorful little town. Tourist attractions include the National Forest and Parks, hunting, fishing, golf, caverns and winter skiing. Lodging is available in the valley lowlands and in the mountain foothills presenting a wide choice of the surrounding scenic beauty. The Mount Jackson area economy has grown into a mixture of agriculture, small industry and outdoor recreational facilities. Apples and cattle are the prime agricultural products, and the town is home to several regional and international companies, such as Bowman-Andros Apple, the Holtzman Oil Corporation, and Route 11 Potato Chips. Today, Mount Jackson, with a population of 1870, is a vibrant community working to establish its place in modern history through the preservation of its historic fabric. |
Union Church
Union Church And Cemetery (Copyright 2010, Gerald Forsburg) |
Our Covered Bridge
Just south of Mount Jackson (Meems Bottom), the longest remaining covered bridge in Virginia stretches 191 feet in a single span carried by the famous wooden Burr Arch. Meems Bottom Bridge was constructed in 1892-93 by Franklin H. Wissler to provide a more convenient access to his apple orchards and Strathmore Farm. He built it with strict attention to proper drainage of rain and surface water, and topped it with a roof. Mr. Wissler deeded the bridge to the Highway Department in the 1930's in return for assuming its maintenance. It was placed on the Virginia Landmark Register, and the National Historic Register in April 1975.
Our History
Mount Jackson was originally known as Mount Pleasant. On January 28, 1826, an act of the General Assembly of Virginia changed the name of the village in honor of General Andrew ("Old Hickory") Jackson. Jackson had friends in the village of Mount Pleasant with whom he visited to and from Washington, D.C., and was also the townspeople's kind of man even before he was elected President in 1828.
The first inhabitants of the Mount Jackson area were the Shendo Indians, who were massacred by the Catawbas around the latter part of the seventeenth century. The rich bottom lands of the North Fork of the Shenandoah were the main habitation of the Shendos (another form of Shenandoah). It is particularly appropriate that the Valley and the River where the Shendos had their residence bear their name. In the early eighteenth century, land grants brought the first permanent Anglo-Saxon settlers. Among the earliest of these was Burr Harrison, Francis Slaughter, Taverner Beale, Benjamin Allen, the Moores, Michael Sigler and William White. Benjamin Allen acquired land near Mount Jackson and there he built a mill which was in operation prior to 1746. This is documented by an entry by Thomas Lewis' diary when he was surveying the Fairfax Line. Today the Benjamin Allen Mill Creek has been shortened to Mill Creek. In addition to Mill Creek, Smith Creek and the North Fork (of the Shenandoah River) flow through the area. These streams fostered the construction of numerous waterwheel gristmills, a hemp mill, a carding mill, a sawmill and a cabinet shop powered by Smith and Mill Creeks. As industry and population increased, the resultant village was called Mount Pleasant. |
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A noteworthy landmark in the center of town is the old Union Church of red brick. It is believed that Mrs. Steenbergen was instrumental in establishing the church around 1825. Within the old cemetery surrounding Union Church is the grave of Daniel Gray, a Revolutionary soldier.
In 1835, "Martin's Gazetteer" reported that Mount Jackson contained eight dwelling houses, a Presbyterian church, a school, a mercantile store, a tavern, a tanyard, a smith shop and a boot factory.
Roads played an important role in the growth of the town. The Valley Turnpike (Route 11) was built between 1830 and 1840 on the bed of the old stage road which was over an earlier wagon road of the pioneers who had traveled on Indian trails.
State Road 263, running west out of Mount Jackson, was originally named Howard's Lick Turnpike. It ran along Mill Creek past Rinkerton and Mt. Clifton and so on northwest across the Allegheny's to Howard Lick in West Virginia. However, the twelve miles between Mount Jackson and Orkney Springs have long been known as Orkney Grade.
As the turnpike reaches Supin Lick Ridge, the road dips down in the settlement of Basye, the primary recreational center around Mount Jackson. Bryce Resort offers winter skiing, excellent golf, water sports, hunting, and a 2400-foot hard-surfaced airport.
Orkney Springs (circa 1774), a historic resort, is a few miles west of Basye, nestled at the base of the Great North Mountain. For many years it was the popular resort, noted for its medicinal waters. City residents, escaping the heat of summer, came from miles for its treatment. Also, grand tournaments were frequently held there.
The Manassas Gap Railroad was completed as far as Mount Jackson by 1858. During the Civil War, armies of both the North and the South used the railroad to transport troops and supplies.
General Thomas J. (Stonewall) Jackson's Valley Campaign in the spring of 1862 took place largely in Shenandoah County. He established headquarters in the Rude House on Rude's Hill south of Mount Jackson and Camp Buchanan at Red Banks. One wonders if he knew Andrew Jackson had been a guest there a few years earlier.
With the establishment of Confederate hospitals early in the war in Mount Jackson, as well as in the Old Union Church and private homes, Mount Jackson became an important hospital center throughout the war. Another prominent landmark at the north end of town if the Confederate Monument and Cemetery where many of the casualties were buried.
References from The Town of Mount Jackson Website
In 1835, "Martin's Gazetteer" reported that Mount Jackson contained eight dwelling houses, a Presbyterian church, a school, a mercantile store, a tavern, a tanyard, a smith shop and a boot factory.
Roads played an important role in the growth of the town. The Valley Turnpike (Route 11) was built between 1830 and 1840 on the bed of the old stage road which was over an earlier wagon road of the pioneers who had traveled on Indian trails.
State Road 263, running west out of Mount Jackson, was originally named Howard's Lick Turnpike. It ran along Mill Creek past Rinkerton and Mt. Clifton and so on northwest across the Allegheny's to Howard Lick in West Virginia. However, the twelve miles between Mount Jackson and Orkney Springs have long been known as Orkney Grade.
As the turnpike reaches Supin Lick Ridge, the road dips down in the settlement of Basye, the primary recreational center around Mount Jackson. Bryce Resort offers winter skiing, excellent golf, water sports, hunting, and a 2400-foot hard-surfaced airport.
Orkney Springs (circa 1774), a historic resort, is a few miles west of Basye, nestled at the base of the Great North Mountain. For many years it was the popular resort, noted for its medicinal waters. City residents, escaping the heat of summer, came from miles for its treatment. Also, grand tournaments were frequently held there.
The Manassas Gap Railroad was completed as far as Mount Jackson by 1858. During the Civil War, armies of both the North and the South used the railroad to transport troops and supplies.
General Thomas J. (Stonewall) Jackson's Valley Campaign in the spring of 1862 took place largely in Shenandoah County. He established headquarters in the Rude House on Rude's Hill south of Mount Jackson and Camp Buchanan at Red Banks. One wonders if he knew Andrew Jackson had been a guest there a few years earlier.
With the establishment of Confederate hospitals early in the war in Mount Jackson, as well as in the Old Union Church and private homes, Mount Jackson became an important hospital center throughout the war. Another prominent landmark at the north end of town if the Confederate Monument and Cemetery where many of the casualties were buried.
References from The Town of Mount Jackson Website