History and Heritage

Preserving historic resources is vital to maintaining the extensive cultural heritage of the Shenandoah Valley Region. The most obvious historic structures and sites are in the many towns and cities. However, many of the cultural resources of the region are in rural settings, such as the farms that define the Valley landscape, the archaeological sites that hide beneath fields and forests, and the battelfields that that have meaning for the nation as a whole.

What's Good or Getting Better

• The Valley has 296 historic sites on the National Register of Historic Places and 11 National Historic Landmarks.
• The region's 45 National Register Historic Districts focus on concentrations of historic buildings or themes
• 24 properties are protected by historic easements
• A number of localities, particularly in the northern part of the region, have excellent architectural surveys.

New Market Battlefield. Photo by Pat and Chuck Blackley

The Shenandoah Valley Battlefields National Historic District recognizes the importance of the Valley's Civil War heritage and is working cooperatively with private landowners and local governments to find compatible ways to protect these resources.

Valley communities have recognized the unique opportunities and community benefits cultural heritage offers. Yet while many are trading on heritage tourism few localities have strong protection for most of their cultural resources.

Causes for Concern

• So little is known about the location of cultural resources that we are undoubtedly losing heritage to new development every day.
• Many sites that are eligible for historic designations have not been nominated
• Some localities do not have high quality surveys of their architectural sites
• Most of the localities in the region have inferior surveys of archaelogical resources
• Local historic preservation ordinances remain rare and of varying breadth
• There are relatively few properties permanently protected through historic easements