The Historic Page Valley - Bentonville, Virginia - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

Laying within the larger Shenandoah Valley, the Page Valley is bounded on the east by the Blue Ridge and on the west by the Massanutten Mountain. The Page Valley's early European settlers were Pennsylvania Germans who brought their farming practices and architecture with them. Their sturdy log or stone houses with exposed vaulted cellar rooms were often called "forts," although there is no evidence of defensive use, and the settlers also built large bank barns into hillsides. The valley's rich bottomlands supported crops of wheat, corn, oats, rye, and barley. Livestock included poultry, sheep, hogs, and cattle.

The millstone to your left is one of Overall's industrial artifacts. Gristmills, sawmills, and ironworks were among the Page Valley's earliest industries. The valley's first iron furnace was built in 1760. Flatboats on the South Fork of the Shenandoah River transported both agricultural and industrial goods to market. Until the mid-twentieth century, a ferry at Overall provided access across the river.

In 1851, several local roads on the eastern side of the river were widened, graded, and chartered as the Luray and Front Royal Turnpike. Early in the 1880s, the Shenandoah Valley Railroad, a precursor of today's Norfolk Southern Railroad, was constructed parallel to the turnpike. It soon replaced both river and road as the primary transportation mode for freight. In the 1930s, to accommodate the growth of automobile traffic, the turnpike was redesigned and rebuilt with earth-moving equipment powered by both mules and engines. Today U.S. Route 340 follows the turnpike's corridor.

Group that erected the marker: Virginia Department of Transportation Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: Overall Road Bentonville, Virginia United States of America 22610 URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Take a picture of the marker, preferably including yourself or your GPSr in the photo. A very detailed description of your visit may be substituted for a photo. In any case please provide a description of your visit. A description of only "Visited" or "Saw it while on vacation" by anyone other than the person creating the waymark may be deleted by the waymark owner or the category officers.

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.