Staunton, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)
Meat House
Preserving Meats
This meat house is similar to structures built for smoking and curing meat in eastern Virginia, but the one here at the museum is used for salt curing meat. Circular saw marks on the structural timbers and weatherboards suggest that it was built after the Civil War.
Meat House or Smokehouse?
Even though a building like this is usually called a smokehouse, there is no evidence to indicate that meat was smoked in this structure. It is more likely that meat stored here was cured with salt and pepper instead.
[Sidebar:]
(1860)To Dry Beef for Summer Use About the middle of February, select your beef form an animal well fatted with corn. Salt the pieces as directed, let them lie one fortnight, then put them in brine, where they must remain three weeks: take them out at the end of the time, wipe them quite dry, rub them over with bran, and hang them in a cool, dry, and if possible, dark place, that the flies may not get to them: they must be suspended, and not allowed to touch any thing.
The Virginia Housewife
[Caption:]
The meat house being remvoed from the original site in 1987.
Erected by Frontier Culture
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Animals • Anthropology & Archaeology • Architecture. A significant historical year for this entry is 1987.
Location. 38° 7.613′ N, 79° 2.65′ W. Marker is in Staunton, Virginia. It can be reached from Frontier Drive north of Barterbrook Road, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1274 Richmond Rd, Staunton VA 24401, 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: Root Cellar (here, next to this marker); Main House (a few steps from this marker); Garden (within shouting distance of this marker); Springhouse (within shouting distance of this marker); Tobacco Barn (within shouting distance of this marker); Valley of Virginia, 1850s (within shouting distance of this marker); Appalachian Virginia, 1850s (within shouting distance of this marker); Schoolhouse, 1840s (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Staunton.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 1, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 1, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 6 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on May 1, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
