Harrisonburg, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Hardesty-Higgins House
Banks's Headquarters
This was the home of Harrisonburg’s first mayor, Isaac Hardesty, an apothecary. Elected in 1849, Hardesty served until 1860. His Unionist sympathies compelled him to leave for Maryland after the Civil War began. Early in the first week of May 1862, Union Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks established his headquarters here while attempting to locate Confederate forces under Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson and Gen. Richard S. Ewell. Banks telegraphed Washington several times during his stay here, speculating on Jackson’s and Ewell’s whereabouts. Banks and his army departed Harrisonburg for New Market on May 5, hoping to engage Jackson’s Valley Army and destroy the rail and supply centers at Staunton and Charlottesville. Jackson stymied him, however, by destroying the bridges over the North River at Mount Crawford and Bridgewater, and obstructing the fords with farm harrows. Before the month ended, Jackson drove Banks from the Shenandoah Valley; in June, Jackson defeated two other Union armies to crown his Valley Campaign.
Later in the war, the Strayer sisters, whose dwelling in eastern Rockingham County had been ransacked after the Battle of Port Republic, were renting the Hardesty house when Union Gen. Philip H. Sheridan’s army occupied the town in 1864. A young slave woman named Fanny, who had grown up with the sisters, cooked the
this page online
Erected by Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation & Virginia Civil War Trails.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • War, US Civil. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1862.
Location. 38° 26.826′ N, 78° 52.143′ W. Marker is in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It is on South Main Street (Business U.S. 11) south of East Bruce Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 212 S Main St, Harrisonburg VA 22801, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Upper South. 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 walking distance of this marker: The Harrisonburg Downtown Historic District (a few steps from this marker); From Home to Hospital (within shouting distance of this marker); Bishop Francis Asbury (within shouting distance of this marker); McNeill’s Rangers (within shouting distance of this marker); Confederate General Hospital (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); The International Mural Project
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 17, 2020
2. Hardesty-Higgins House Marker
This is a prior iteration of the marker. Note the logo present on the top left of this marker that is not on the current version.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Warren-Sipe House (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
More about this marker. In the lower center is a portrait of General Banks, captioned: Nathaniel P. Banks, a man of humble beginnings who worked as a child in the Massachusetts cotton mills, was known as the “Bobbin Boy of Massachusetts.” This self-made man became governor of Massachusetts, a high-ranking “political general” during the war, and Speaker of the U.S. House of Representative afterward. To the right is a map of downtown Harrisonburg indicating other Civil War related sites.
Photographed by Robert H. Moore, II, February 26, 2009
3. Hardesty-Higgins House Marker
This is a previous iteration of the marker. The information is identical, although it does not include the credit for the Library of Congress for the photo of Nathaniel P. Banks.
Photographed by Robert H. Moore, II, February 26, 2009
5. Hardesty-Higgins House & Marker
Photographed by Robert H. Moore, II, February 26, 2009
6. Hardesty-Higgins House
Photographed by Guy White, September 22, 2023
7. Hardesty-Higgins House Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on May 1, 2026. It was originally submitted on February 26, 2009, by Robert H. Moore, II of Winchester, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,711 times since then and 31 times this year. Last updated on September 9, 2024, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland. Photos: 1. submitted on May 1, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 2. submitted on October 17, 2020, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 3. submitted on February 26, 2009, by Robert H. Moore, II of Winchester, Virginia. 4. submitted on May 1, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. 5, 6. submitted on February 26, 2009, by Robert H. Moore, II of Winchester, Virginia. 7. submitted on September 23, 2023, by Guy White of Annandale, Virginia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
