Near Stephens City in Frederick County, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

House of First Settler

Photographed by Craig Swain, August 25, 2007

1. House of First Settler Marker

Note the "old style" Virginia marker number plaque under the main marker.

Inscription. Springdale, home of Colonel John Hite, son of Joist Hite, leader of the first settlers in this section, was built in 1753. Just to the South are ruins of Hite’s Fort, built about 1734.

Erected 1927 by Conservation & Development Commission. (Marker Number A-12.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Colonial Era • Forts and Castles • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1753.

Location. 39° 6.569′ N, 78° 12.232′ W. Marker is near Stephens City, Virginia, in Frederick County. It is at the intersection of Valley Pike (U.S. 11) and Springdale Road (County Route 649), on the right when traveling north on Valley Pike. Just to the north of the bridge over Opequon Creek. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Stephens City VA 22655, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Upper South,

and in the Mid-Atlantic.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Second Battle of Winchester (approx. 0.8 miles away); First Battle of Winchester (approx. 0.8 miles away); Stephens City (approx. 1.4 miles away); A Chapel of Their Own (approx. 1.9 miles away); Stephens City Rosenwald School

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(approx. 1.9 miles away); Free Black Men and Women Build a Community (approx. 1.9 miles away); The Battle of Second Kernstown (approx. 1.9 miles away); The Battle of First Kernstown (approx. 1.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Stephens City.

Also see . . . Genealogy of the Hite Family. (Submitted on September 2, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)

Additional commentary.
1. Stones from Hite’s Fort
Some of the stones from Hite’s Fort were used to build a marker in downtown Winchester denoting the actions in the locality related to the French and Indian Wars.

— Submitted September 2, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.

Photographed by Craig Swain, August 25, 2007

2. Springdale

The two story stone house is on the National Register of Historic Places. The ruins of the fort mentioned on the marker are between the house and Opequon Creek to the south.

Credits. This page was last revised on December 25, 2019. It was originally submitted on September 2, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 3,466 times since then and 83 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 2, 2007, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page.