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== History == Settlement of this portion of the [[Colony of Virginia]] by [[Europe]]ans began around 1745. Located west of the [[Tidewater region of Virginia|Tidewater]] and [[Piedmont region of Virginia|Piedmont]] regions in Virginia and also west of the [[Shenandoah Valley]], this area is beyond (known in old Virginia as the "Transmountaine") the [[Blue Ridge Mountains]]. Rather than cross such a formidable physical barrier, most early settlers came southerly up the Valley across the Potomac River from [[Maryland]] and [[Pennsylvania]]. Many followed the [[Great Wagon Road]], also known as the [[Valley Pike]] ([[U.S. Route 11 in Virginia|U.S. Route 11]] in modern times). As German immigrants began to push over the mountains to the northern area of the present county, those of Scots-Irish descent settled in the southern part. Even after Virginia and the other 12 colonies won their independence from [[Great Britain]] after the [[American Revolutionary War]], the area remained sparsely populated. In the 1840s, the historic [[Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike]] was built through the area. Engineered by [[Claudius Crozet]] through the mountainous terrain, it was a [[toll road]] partially funded by the [[Virginia Board of Public Works]]. The turnpike formed an important link between the upper [[Shenandoah Valley]] with the [[Ohio River]].<ref name="spturnpike.org">[http://www.spturnpike.org/alliance.htm SPT: Beginnings of an Alliance<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509105118/http://www.spturnpike.org/alliance.htm |date=May 9, 2008 }}</ref> Highland County was formed in 1847 from [[Bath County, Virginia|Bath County]] and [[Pendleton County, West Virginia|Pendleton County]] after a bill was passed by the [[Virginia General Assembly]] on March 19 of that year.<ref name="act1847">{{cite book|title=Acts of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia|author=Virginia|year=1847|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=arlOAQAAIAAJ|page=52}}</ref> The desire for the new county's formation arose due to multiple reasons, including the distances from the areas in present-day Highland to the county seats of Bath and Pendleton and the advantageous position of the new turnpike.<ref name="history114">[[#OrenHistory|Oren]], 1911, p. 114.</ref> Highland was named for its lofty elevation.<ref name="origin">{{cite book|last=Gannett|first=Henry|title=The origin of certain place names in the United States|publisher=Government Printing Office|year=1905|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ|page=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ/page/n155 156]}}</ref> Control of the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike became crucial during the [[American Civil War]] (1861–1865). By all accounts, documented in many letters home from young troops, a miserable winter in 1861 was spent by [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] and [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] troops holding opposing high elevation positions along the road. The [[Battle of McDowell]], the first Confederate victory of [[Thomas J. Jackson|Stonewall Jackson]]'s [[Shenandoah Valley]] campaign, took place at [[McDowell, Virginia|McDowell]] on May 8, 1862.<ref name="spturnpike.org"/> In the 20th century, the Turnpike was re-designated as [[U.S. Route 250]]. In the 21st century, it remains Highland County's major east–west roadway, and crossing into West Virginia, becomes a [[National Scenic Byway]].<ref name="spturnpike.org"/>
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