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| Add Photo — Add Link — Add Commentary — Correct this page — Print | | Strasburg in Shenandoah County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic) |
Civil War Strasburg
Strategic Intersection
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By Craig Swain, September 29, 2007 | |
| | | 1. Civil War Strasburg Marker | | |
Inscription. The railroad tracks before you follow the route of the Manassas Gap Railroad, which reached Strasburg from Washington, D.C., in 1854. The line was a vital link between the Shenandoah Valley and eastern markets. Strasburg became strategically important because of the intersection of the railroad with the Valley Turnpike (now U.S. Route 11).
In the summer of 1861, Confederate Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson’s forces captured large quantities of Baltimore and Ohio Railroad rolling stock near Harper’s Ferry, 40 miles north. To reach the Manassas Gap Railroad line in Strasburg, the equipment had to be pulled by horses and mules up the Valley Turnpike from Martinsburg. Fourteen locomotives and almost a hundred cars were brought here and then used throughout the Confederacy.
Signal Knob, the northern end of Massanutten Mountain, can be seen in the distance from here. During the war, it served as an observation and signaling station from which the Confederates observed Union positions and directed the opening attack of the Battle of Cedar Creek on October 19, 1864.
(sidebar) Pot Town.
Pottery making was an important industry in Strasburg throughout the 1800s, when local clay was used to make food-storage crocks and decorative pieces. After the war, five small potteries were located | | | | 
By Roger Dean Meyer, July 15, 2007 | |
| | | 2. One of the locomotives captured and transported to Strasburg. | | |
here, and Strasburg was nicknamed Pot Town. The brick building on your right, the Strasburg Museum, was built as a steam pottery factory in 1891. The business eventually failed because of competition from large mid-western factories and the use of glass jars. The railroad bought the building in 1913 for a depot. In 1970, it became the Strasburg Museum and today displays an excellent collection of pottery.
Marker series. This marker is included in the Manassas Gap Railroad, and the Virginia Civil War Trails marker series.
Location. 38° 59.249′ N, 78° 21.355′ W. Marker is in Strasburg, Virginia, in Shenandoah County. Marker is on East King Street (Virginia Route 55) 0.1 miles east of Acton Place, on the right when traveling east. Click for map. Marker is in this post office area: Strasburg VA 22657, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Great Train Raid of 1861 (here, next to this marker); Historic Strasburg (approx. 0.3 miles away); Banks’ Fort (approx. 0.3 miles away); Stonewall’s Surprise (approx. 0.3 miles away); Signal Knob (approx. 0.4 miles away); Saint Paul’s Lutheran Church (approx. 0.4 miles away); Frontier Fort (approx. 0.5 miles away); a different marker also named Frontier Fort (approx. 0.5 miles away). Click for a list of all markers in Strasburg. | | | | 
By Roger Dean Meyer, July 15, 2007 | |
| | | 3. Civil War Strasburg Marker with Signal Knob in the Background | | |
More about this marker. Marker is back from the road and barely visible. Civil War Trails sign does point to it.
Also see . . . Shenandoah at War. (Submitted on September 5, 2007, by Roger Dean Meyer of Alexandria, Virginia.)
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By Roger Dean Meyer, July 15, 2007 | |
| | | 4. Map of the city of Strasburg | | |
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By Roger Dean Meyer, July 15, 2007 | |
| | | 5. The Strasburg Museum formerly a pottery factory and depot. | | |
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By Roger Dean Meyer, July 15, 2007 | |
| | | 6. Sign on the Strasburg Museum relaying story of the railroad equipment movement. | | The Great Train Raid of 1861. Jackson captured engines from Martinsburg, W.Va. and had them pulled by horse teams across the rads to Strasburg. Near here, they were set on rails and sent south for the Confederate cause. | | |
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By Roger Dean Meyer, July 15, 2007 | |
| | | 7. Signal Knob from the Strasburg Museum | | |
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| Credits. This page originally submitted on September 5, 2007, by Roger Dean Meyer of Alexandria, Virginia. This page has been viewed 922 times since then. Photos: 1. Submitted on October 10, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Submitted on September 5, 2007, by Roger Dean Meyer of Alexandria, Virginia. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page. | | Add Photo — Add Link — Add Commentary — Correct this page — Print |
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