Editing Winchester, Virginia (section)

==History==
===Native Americans===
[[Indigenous peoples]] lived along the waterways of present-day Virginia for thousands of years before European contact. [[Archeological]], [[linguistics|linguistic]] and [[anthropological]] studies have provided insights into their cultures. Though little is known of specific tribal movements before European contact, the [[Shenandoah Valley]] area, considered a sacred common hunting ground, appears by the 17th century to have been controlled mostly by the local [[Iroquoian]]-speaking groups, including the [[Senedo]] and [[Sherando]].{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}

The [[Algonquian languages|Algonquian]]-speaking [[Shawnee]] began to challenge the Iroquoians for the hunting grounds later in that century. The [[explorers]] Batts and Fallam in 1671 reported the Shawnee were contesting with the Iroquoians for control of the valley and were losing. During the later [[Beaver Wars]], the powerful [[Iroquois Confederacy]] from New York (particularly [[Seneca nation|Seneca]] from the western part of the territory) subjugated all tribes in the frontier region west of the [[Atlantic Seaboard fall line|Fall Line]].

By the time Anglo-European settlers arrived in the Shenandoah Valley around 1729, the Shawnee were the principal occupants in the area of the Shenandoah Valley that developed into Winchester. During the first decade of white settlement, the valley was also a conduit and battleground in a bloody intertribal war between the Seneca and allied Algonquian-speaking [[Lenape]] from the north, and their distant traditional enemies, the [[Siouan]] [[Catawba (tribe)|Catawba]] based in the Carolinas.

The Iroquois Six Nations (the [[Tuscarora people]] had joined them by 1722 after losing battles in the Carolinas in the early 18th century) finally ceded their nominal claim to the Shenandoah Valley at the [[Treaty of Lancaster]] (1744), arranged by British officials. The treaty also established the right of [[colonists]] to use the [[Indian Road]] through the valley, later known as the [[Great Wagon Road]].

The father of Shawnee chief [[Cornstalk (Shawnee leader)|Cornstalk]] had his own court at [[Cross Junction, Virginia|Shawnee Springs]], near today's [[Cross Junction, Virginia]], until 1754. In 1753, on the eve of the [[French and Indian War]] ([[Seven Years' War]]), messengers came to the Shawnee from tribes further west, inviting them to leave the Valley and cross the [[Alleghenies]], which they did the following year.<ref>Carrie Hunter Willis and Etta Belle Walker, 1937, ''Legends of the Skyline Drive and the Great Valley of Virginia'', p. 16-17.</ref><ref>Joseph Doddridge, ''A History of the Valley of Virginia'', 1850, p. 44</ref> <!-- Updated references should be found -->The Shawnee settled for some years in the [[Ohio Country]] before being forced by the US government under [[Indian Removal]] in the 1830s to remove to [[Indian Territory]].

===European exploration and settlement===
French Jesuit expeditions may have first entered the valley as early as 1606, as the explorer [[Samuel de Champlain]] made a crude map of the area in 1632. The first confirmed exploration of the northern valley was by the explorer [[John Lederer]], who viewed the region from the current Fauquier and Warren County line on August 26, 1670. In 1705 the Swiss explorer Louise Michel and in 1716 Governor [[Alexander Spotswood]] did more extensive mapping and surveying. In the late 1720s, Governor [[Sir William Gooch, 1st Baronet|William Gooch]] promoted settlement by issuing large land grants. [[Robert Carter I|Robert "King" Carter]], manager of the [[Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron|Lord Fairfax]] proprietorship, acquired {{convert|200000|acre|km2}}. This combination of events directly precipitated an inrush of settlers from Pennsylvania and New York, made up of a blend of [[Religious Society of Friends|Quakers]] and [[Germans|German]] and [[Scotch-Irish American|Scots-Irish]] homesteaders, many of them new immigrants. The Scots-Irish comprised the most numerous group of immigrants from the British Isles before the [[American Revolutionary War]].<ref>[[David Hackett Fischer]], ''[[Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America]]'', New York: Oxford University Press, 1989</ref>

The settlement of Winchester began as early as 1729, when Quakers such as Abraham Hollingsworth migrated up (south) the Great Valley along the long-traveled Indian Path (later called the [[Great Wagon Road]] by the colonists) from Pennsylvania.  He and others began to homestead on old Shawnee campgrounds. Tradition holds that the Quakers purchased several tracts on Apple-pie Ridge from the natives, who did not disturb those settlements.<ref>Joseph Doddridge, ''A History of the Valley of Virginia'', 1850, p. 40.</ref> The first German settler appears to have been Jost Hite in 1732, who brought ten other families, including some Scots-Irish. Though Virginia was an [[Anglican]] colony, Governor [[Sir William Gooch, 1st Baronet|William Gooch]] had a tolerant policy on religion. The availability of land grants brought in many religious families, who were often given {{convert|50|acre|m2|adj=on}} plots through the sponsorship of fellow-religious grant purchasers and speculators. As a result, the Winchester area became home to some of the oldest [[Presbyterian]], [[Quaker]], [[Lutheran]] and [[Anglican]] churches in the valley. The first Lutheran worship was established by Rev. [[John Casper Stoever Jr.]], and Alexander Ross established Hopewell Meeting for the Quakers. By 1736, Scots-Irish built the [[Opequon, Virginia|Opequon]] Presbyterian Church in [[Kernstown, Virginia|Kernstown]].

A [[Hite v. Fairfax|legal fight]] erupted in 1735 when [[Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron|Thomas Fairfax, Sixth Lord Fairfax]] came to Virginia to claim his land grant. It included "all the land in Virginia between the Rappahannock and the Potomac rivers", an old grant from [[Charles II of England|King Charles II]] which overlapped and included Frederick County. It took some time for land titles to be cleared among early settlers.

===Founding===
By 1738 these settlements became known as '''Frederick Town'''. The county of [[Frederick County, Virginia|Frederick]] was carved out of Orange County. The first government was created, consisting of a County Court as well as the Anglican Frederick Parish (for purposes of tax collection). [[James Wood (governor)|Colonel James Wood]], an immigrant from [[Winchester]], England, was the first court clerk and had been a surveyor for [[Orange County, Virginia]]. He contracted for his own home [[Museum of the Shenandoah Valley|Glen Burnie homstead]] around 1737, and it may have been used for early government business.<ref name="The Gardens of Glen Burnie">{{cite book|last1=Lee|first1=Marge|title=The Gardens of Glen Burnie|date=2003|publisher=The Glass-Glen Burnie Museum Inc., Winchester, VA|isbn=978-0-9743109-0-9}}</ref> Wood laid out 26 half-acre (2,000 m<sup>2</sup>) lots in 1744.<ref name="The Gardens of Glen Burnie"/> The County Court held its first session on November 11, 1743, where James Wood served until 1760. Lord Fairfax, understanding that [[possession is 9/10ths of the law]], built a home here (in present-day Clarke County) in 1748.

In February 1752,<ref>Historical Statement Relative to the Town of Winchester</ref> the Virginia [[House of Burgesses]] granted the fourth city charter in Virginia to 'Winchester' as Frederick Town was renamed after Colonel Wood's birthplace in England. In 1754, Abraham Hollingsworth built the local residence called Abram's Delight, which served as the first local Quaker meeting house. [[George Washington]] spent a good portion of his young life in Winchester helping survey the Fairfax land grant for Thomas Fairfax, Sixth Lord Fairfax, as well as performing surveying work for Colonel Wood. In 1758 Wood added 158 lots to the west side of town. In 1759 Thomas Lord Fairfax contributed 173 more lots to the south and east.<ref name="beginnings">{{cite book|last=Greene |first=Katherine Glass|title=Winchester, Virginia And Its Beginnings, 1743-1814|year=1926|publisher=Shenandoah Publishing House|pages=32 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NyqePxwLkVoC|isbn=9780788420627}}</ref>

===French and Indian War===
[[File:419 North Loudoun Street.jpg|thumb|House at the site of [[Fort Loudoun (Virginia)|Fort Loudoun]]. The fort was built between 1756 and 1758 under the supervision of [[George Washington]].]]
[[General Edward Braddock]]'s [[Braddock's March|expeditionary march]] to [[Fort Duquesne]] crossed through this area in 1755 on the way to [[Fort Cumberland (Maryland)|Fort Cumberland]]. Knowing the area well from work as a surveyor, [[George Washington]] accompanied General Braddock as his aide-de-camp. Resident [[Daniel Morgan]] joined Braddock's Army as a wagoner on its march to Pennsylvania. In 1756, on land granted by James Wood, Colonel George Washington designed and began constructing [[Fort Loudoun (Virginia)|Fort Loudoun]], which ultimately covered {{convert|0.955|acre|m2}} in present-day downtown Winchester on North Loudoun Street. Fort Loudoun was occupied and manned with guns until the start of the [[American Revolutionary War]].

During this era, a jail was built in Winchester. It occasionally held Quakers from many parts of Virginia who protested the [[French and Indian War]] and refused to pay taxes to the Anglican parish. While their cousins in Pennsylvania dominated politics there, Virginia was an Anglican colony and did not tolerate pacifism well. The strong Quaker tradition of pacifism against strong Virginia support for this war and the next, led to long-term stifling of the Quaker population. Winchester became a gateway to Quaker settlements further west; by the mid-19th century, the Quaker population was a small minority here.

During the war in 1758, at the age of 26, Colonel George Washington was elected to represent Frederick County to the [[House of Burgesses]]. Daniel Morgan later served as a ranger protecting the borderlands of Virginia against Indian raids, returning to Winchester in 1759. Following the war, from 1763 to 1774 Daniel Morgan served in Captain Ashby's company and defended Virginia against [[Pontiac's Conspiracy|Pontiac's Rebellion]] and Shawnee Indians in the Ohio valley (that part now in [[West Virginia]]).

===Revolutionary War===
[[Image:DanielMorgan.jpeg|thumb|upright|Colonel Daniel Morgan]]
During the Revolutionary War, the Virginia House of Burgesses chose local resident and [[French and Indian War]] veteran [[Daniel Morgan]] to raise a company of militia to support General George Washington's efforts during the Siege of Boston. He led the 96 men of "Morgan's Sharpshooters" from Winchester on July 14, 1775, and marched to Boston in 21 days. Morgan, Wood, and others also performed duties in holding captured [[prisoners of war]], particularly [[Hessian (soldiers)|Hessian soldiers]]. Hessian soldiers were known to walk to the high ridge north and west of town, where they could purchase and eat apple pies made by the Quakers. The ridge became affectionately known as Apple Pie Ridge. The Ridge Road built before 1751 leading north from town was renamed [[White Hall, Frederick County, Virginia|Apple Pie Ridge Road]]. The local farmers found booming business in feeding the Virginia Militia and fledgling volunteer American army.

Following the war, the town's first newspapers, ''The Gazette'' and ''The Centinel'', were established. Daniel Morgan continued his public service, being elected to one term in the [[U.S. House of Representatives]] (1797–1799).

===Civil War===
[[File:Circa 1875 in Winchester, VA.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.25|Winchester {{Circa|1875}}]]
{{Main|Winchester in the American Civil War}}
Winchester and the surrounding area were the site of numerous battles during the [[American Civil War]], as the Confederate and Union armies strove to control that portion of the [[Shenandoah Valley]]. Seven major battlefields are in the original Frederick County:

Within the city of Winchester:
* The [[Battle of Kernstown I|First Battle of Kernstown]], March 23, 1862
* The [[First Battle of Winchester]], May 25, 1862
* The [[Battle of Winchester II|Second Battle of Winchester]], June 13–15, 1863
* The [[Battle of Kernstown II|Second Battle of Kernstown]], July 24, 1864
* The [[Battle of Opequon|Third Battle of Winchester]], September 19, 1864

Near the city of Winchester:
* The [[Battle of Cool Spring]] at [[Snicker's Gap]], July 17–18, 1864
* The [[Battle of Berryville]], September 3–4, 1864
* The [[Battle of Cedar Creek|Battle of Belle Grove (or Cedar Creek)]], October 19, 1864
[[File:Jackson headquarters.png|thumb|[[Stonewall Jackson's Headquarters Museum]]]]
Winchester was a key strategic position for the [[Confederate States Army]] during the war. It was an important operational objective in [[General (CSA)|Gen]] [[Joseph E. Johnston]]'s and Col [[Stonewall Jackson|Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's]] defense of the Shenandoah Valley in 1861, Jackson's [[Valley Campaign]] of 1862, the [[Gettysburg Campaign]] of 1863, and the [[Valley Campaigns of 1864]]. Including minor cavalry raids and patrols, and occasional reconnaissances, historians claim that Winchester changed hands as many as 72 times and 13 times in one day. Battles raged along Main Street at points in the war. Union General [[Philip Sheridan|Sheridan]] and Stonewall Jackson located their headquarters just one block apart at times.

At the north end of the lower Shenandoah Valley, Winchester was a base of operations for major Confederate invasions into the Northern United States. At times the attacks threatened the capital of Washington, D.C. The town served as a central point for troops conducting major raids against the [[Baltimore and Ohio Railroad]], [[Chesapeake and Ohio Canal]], and turnpike and telegraph paths along those routes and the Potomac River Valley. For instance, in 1861, Stonewall Jackson removed 56 locomotives and over 300 railroad cars, along with miles of track, from the B&O Railroad. His attack closed down the B&O's main line for ten months. Much of the effort to transport this equipment by horse and carriage centered in Winchester.
[[File:Sheridan's final charge at Winchester (retouched).png|thumb|Final charge at the [[Third Battle of Winchester]], depicted by [[Thure de Thulstrup]] ''c.'' 1886]]
During the war, Winchester was occupied by the Union Army for four major periods: by Major General [[Nathaniel Banks]] (March ? May 12 to 25, 1862, and June 4 to September 2, 1862), Major General [[Robert Milroy]] (December 24, 1862, to June 15, 1863), Major General [[Philip Sheridan]] (September 19, 1864,  to February 27, 1865), and Major General [[Winfield Scott Hancock]] (February 27, 1865, to June 27, 1865). Major General Sheridan raided up the valley from Winchester, where his forces destroyed "2,000 barns filled with grain and implements, not to mention other outbuildings, 70 mills filled with wheat and flour" and "numerous head of livestock," to lessen the area's ability to supply the Confederates.<ref>[[Official Records]]</ref>

Numerous local men served with the Confederate Army, mostly as troops. [[Hunter McGuire]] was Chief Surgeon of the Second "Jackson's" Corps of the [[Army of Northern Virginia]]. He laid the foundations for the future [[Geneva convention]]s regarding the treatment of medical doctors during warfare. Winchester served as a major center for Confederate medical operations, particularly after the [[Battle of Antietam|Battle of Sharpsburg]] in 1862 and the [[Battle of Gettysburg]] in 1863. Among those who took part in battles at Winchester were future U.S. presidents [[William McKinley|McKinley]] and [[Rutherford B. Hayes|Hayes]], both as officers in the Union [[IX Corps (ACW)|IX Corps]].

The United States assigned military presence to Winchester and other parts of the South during [[Reconstruction era (United States)|Reconstruction]] after the war. Winchester was part of the [[First Military District]], commanded by Major General [[John Schofield]]. This period lasted until January 26, 1870.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/First_Military_District#start_entry|title=First Military District|website=www.encyclopediavirginia.org|language=en|access-date=2017-01-24}}</ref>

===20th century===
Winchester was the first city south of the [[Potomac River]] to install [[electric light]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Forbes |title=Winchester, VA |url=https://www.forbes.com/places/va/winchester/ |website=Forbes |access-date=21 February 2019}}</ref>{{when|date=October 2020}} In 1917 the [[Winchester and Western Railroad]] connected Winchester with [[Rock Enon Springs, Virginia|Rock Enon Springs]], moving both vacationers and supplies to the resort that is now [[Camp Rock Enon]] with far greater speed.<ref>Report of the Secretary of the Commonwealth to the Governor and General Assembly of Virginia. (1918).</ref>{{rp|366}} Winchester is the location of the bi-annual [[N-SSA]] national competition, keeping the tradition of Civil War era firearms alive. A three-block section of downtown Loudoun Street was closed to vehicular traffic in the 1970s and is a popular pedestrian area featuring many boutiques and cafés. The street was repaved with brick and landscaped in 2013. [[Apple Blossom Mall]] opened in 1982.

In 1983, a tire dump in the area containing over seven million tires burned for nine months, polluting nearby areas with [[lead]] and [[arsenic]]. The location was cleaned up as a [[Superfund]] project between 1983 and 2002.<ref name="rhinehart">{{cite web|title=Rhinehart Tire Fire Dump|url=http://cfpub1.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0302772|work=Superfund Information Systems|publisher=[[United States Environmental Protection Agency|Environmental Protection Agency]]|access-date=2006-03-20|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061008231849/http://cfpub1.epa.gov/supercpad/cursites/csitinfo.cfm?id=0302772|archive-date=2006-10-08}}</ref><ref name="TimesFire">{{cite news |title=Experts Learning on the Job Fighting Fire in Pile of Tires |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1983/12/04/086296.html?pageNumber=92 |access-date=10 March 2019 |work=timesmachine.nytimes.com |date=3 December 1983 |language=en}}</ref>

Winchester is known as a "City of Trees" and has been awarded the City of Trees USA award from the [[Arbor Day Foundation]] for over three decades.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Winchester’s Tree City USA award|title=Trees—City of Winchester|url= https://www.winchesterva.gov/Services-Payments/Streets-Traffic/Trees/ |website=Winchesterva.gov |access-date=17 January 2025}}</ref>