Virginia Strasburg
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Strasburg is a town in Shenandoah County, Virginia, United States, that was founded in 1761 by Peter Stover. It is the largest community, population-wise, in the county and known for its pottery, antiques, and civil war history.
HistoryEarly settlersGerman-speaking Pennsylvanians were among the first non-native settlers to arrive in the northern Shenandoah Valley and Strasburg area. The luscious greenery and fertile land were prime targets for immigrant farmers. On August 21, 1734 speculator Henry Willis was granted 2,030 total acres of this land by William Gooch, Virginia’s Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief.[3] Gooch wished to settle the valley to create a buffer between Native American tribes and the rest of the Virginia colony. During the summer of 1735, Willis sold his entire property to Jacob Funk. Jacob in return, partitioned his new purchase, reselling a part of it to his brother John.[4][5] FounderPeter Stover (Petrus Stauffer) is considered the founder of the town of Strasburg. Stover was born in 1715 to a German-Swiss father, Christian Stauffer I., in Mannheim, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Stauffer took his family to America in 1718, to gain religious freedom, and settled in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania where he would live out his entire life. His son Peter migrated south to Virginia by 1730 and to the Shenandoah Valley as early as 1739. On May 2, 1749 Stover purchased 483 acres of land from Jacob Funk, his future father-in-law.[6] The purchase was divided into smaller plots for sale to other settlers[7] and a village was informally established. Stover applied for a town charter in November of 1761 giving the town the official name of Strasburg.[8] The name was taken from Strasbourg, the capital of Alsace, a German-speaking French province. Some called the area Staufferstadt, the German name for Stoverstown. Ten trustees were named; William Miller, Matthew Harrison, Jacob Bowman, Valentine Smith, Charles Buck, Peter Stover, Isaac Hite, Leonard Batice, John Funk, and Philip Huffman (Hoffman).[9] Peter eventually married Frainey Funk, before he died August 13, 1799 at the age of 84.[10] He was survived by eight children.[6] Being a philanthropist for most of his life, Stover’s will left land and $10,000 to the community to establish schools.[11] He was buried and still lies in Strasburg's Riverview Cemetery. GeographyStrasburg is located at (38.990550, -78.358615)[12] in the northern end of the Shenandoah Valley. The area is surrounded by the natural boundaries of the Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains, as well as the Shenandoah River. Cedar Creek and Belle Grove National Historical Park is located in and around Strasburg. According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.2 square miles (8.2 km²), of which, 3.2 square miles (8.2 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.63%) is water. The elevation of the area is 578 ft. MuseumsThe most heralded museum in Strasburg is the Strasburg Museum. The building was once home to the Strasburg Stone and Earthenware Manufacturing Company and later was converted to a Southern Railway depot. It operated in this manner until the early 1960's. In 1970 it opened as a museum.[13] Other attractions include the Jeane Dixon Museum and Library, the Museum of American Presidents, and the Stonewall Jackson Museum at Hupp's Hill. DemographicsAs of the census[1] of 2000, there were 4,017 people, 1,773 households, and 1,086 families residing in the town, making it the largest population center in Shenandoah County. The population density was 1,275.5 people per square mile (492.4/km²). There were 1,877 housing units at an average density of 596.0/sq mi (230.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 93.63% White, 4.48% African American, 0.05% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.45% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.42% of the population. There were 1,773 households out of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.9% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.7% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.87. In the town the population was spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 15.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 87.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males. The median income for a household in the town was $32,724, and the median income for a family was $40,978. Males had a median income of $29,750 versus $21,755 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,697. About 5.3% of families and 9.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.7% of those under age 18 and 13.6% of those age 65 or over. EducationStudents living in the northern third of Shenandoah County attend one of three public schools located near Strasburg. Kindergarten through fifth grade students attend Sandy Hook Elementary School, while sixth through eighth graders attend Signal Knob Middle School. Located within the town limits, Strasburg High School serves ninth through twelfth graders. The schools are administrated by the Shenandoah County Public School system, which is located in Woodstock and the Virginia Department of Education, which is located in Richmond. References
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