Downtown Waynesboro showing Main Street, as well as the scar on the mountain prior to being seeded. The Wayne Theater is visible
at the extreme left of the photo.
Waynesboro, deriving its name from General Anthony Wayne or possibly Wayne's
family home, is an independent city located within the confines of Augusta County in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 19,520 at the 2000 census, and
estimated at 21,454 for 2006.[1] It is
located in the Shenandoah Valley, near many important historical markers of the Civil
War and Shenandoah National Park. A portion of Interstate 64 falls within the city limits of Waynesboro, and the Blue Ridge Parkway, Skyline Drive, and the Appalachian Trail are less than five miles away. The town is perhaps best known for being the home of
P. Buckley Moss and the P. Buckley Moss Museum, which attracts 45,000 visitors annually.
A large DuPont plant (now Invista and owned by Koch Industries) and the associated Benger Laboratory where Lycra
(spandex) was invented, as well as a large textile mill called
Wayn-Tex (now owned by Mohawk Industries), were significant employers for residents through much of the 20th century. Waynesboro
is home to the corporate headquarters of Ntelos (a regional wireless and telecommunications
company serving Virginia, West Virginia, North
Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio). Tourism, industrial production, and retail remain vital to the Waynesboro economy. The
Generals of the Valley Baseball
League play there.
History
Located in the British Colony of Virginia, before the American Revolution and shortly thereafter independence and statehood for the Commonwealth of Virginia, the areas west of the Appalachian and
Blue Ridge Mountains were known as the frontier. Travel over the mountains in a
wagon was near impossible, except where nature afforded some gap between them. One such wind
gap, Rockfish Gap, is located near Waynesboro, making the area a convenient location
for a stop for many who wished to venture west.
The area was commonly referred to as Teasville (or Teesville) early on. There are a couple of theories of why it was called
that. First, it was named after the tavern owned by Jacob Teas and his wife. It is believed that many stayed the night at the
Teas’ tavern, including George Washington, Thomas
Jefferson, and the Marquee de Chastellux. (It is only fair to point out that there are few
taverns of this period in which Washington and Jefferson are not claimed to have visited). In a letter from the Marquee de
Chastellux, the Marquee describes the tavern as one of the worst in America and affirms that Jefferson had stayed there and told
him of the place. Second, it was names after the Tees brothers.
Shortly after U.S. Army General Anthony Wayne's important victory at Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794 during the Northwest
Indian War, the area began to be called Waynesborough. Since many settlers to the area were from Pennsylvania, it is no small wonder that they would want their new land named after a hero from their home.
Sometime after, it was called Waynesboro.
As early as 1798, the current downtown area was plotted and sold. On January 8, 1801, the town 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 (now 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 to the town was slow at first. In 1810, the town had a population of 250. By
1860, that number grew to 457. The town maintained a steady stream of visitors, however, due to its
position on the Valley Turnpike, which took advantage of connections through
Rockfish Gap.
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 only
20 minutes, and was a final blow for the Confederate Army in the Shenandoah Valley.
After losing this battle, Early relinquished the town and the valley to General Philip
Sheridan. Some of the buildings from this period still show their scars from this battle.
After the war, the Waynesboro area became the junction of two railroad lines. The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway (running east to west) and the Shenandoah Valley Railroad, which soon became the Norfolk and Western Railway (running north to south). The lines met near Waynesboro, giving
the town the nickname as the "Iron Cross".
In 1890, land to the east of Waynesboro was plotted and sold. Within that year, the
Town of Basic City was incorporated. A rivalry soon developed between the two
towns, each attempting to best the other as the more developed area. One important difference between the two was that Waynesboro
had been a "dry" area since before the Civil War. This meant that no alcohol could be sold within the town’s borders. Such was not the case in Basic City, where bars were
opened for the benefit of Basic’s citizens (as well as any others).
The two towns voted for and approved of consolidation into a single town to be called Waynesboro-Basic in 1923. Due to the duplicitous actions of some of Waynesboro’s town leaders, namely Guy
Branamen, the petition given to the state referred to the new town as merely Waynesboro. This became official in
1924, to the great outrage of the people of Basic City, which became one of the "Lost Towns" of Virginia.
Since 1924, Waynesboro has made numerous territorial acquisitions from areas of Augusta County through annexation and officially became an independent city in 1948. In 2005,
Waynesboro established a new charter, repealing one in place since 1948.
Geography
Waynesboro is located at 38°4′11″N, 78°53′40″W (38.069874,
-78.894517)1. It is 1,305 feet above sea
level.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area
of 39.8 km² (15.4 mi²). 39.8 km² (15.4 mi²) of it
is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.13%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 19,520 people, 8,332 households, and 5,432 families residing
in the city. The population density was 490.7/km² (1,270.8/mi²). There were 8,863
housing units at an average density of 222.8/km² (577.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.46% White, 9.96% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.57% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.09% from other races, and 1.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.29% of the population.
There were 8,332 households out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couples living together, 14.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were
non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or
older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.85.
In the city the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 27.4% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from
45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 88.1 males.
For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $32,686, and the median income for a family was $40,772. Males had a median
income of $30,943 versus $22,185 for females. The per capita income for the city was
$17,932. About 11.0% of families and 12.8% of the population were below the poverty
line, including 21.5% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.
Notes and trivia
- The movie Evan Almighty filmed several scenes in Waynesboro's downtown
area.
See also
References
- Hawke, George, A History of Waynesboro to 1900, Waynesboro Historical Commission, 1997
- Bowman, Curtis, Waynesboro Days of Yore: Volumes I and II, McClung Companies, Inc, Waynesboro, 1992
Notes
External links
Coordinates:
38.069874° N 78.894517°
W
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