Stuarts Draft, Virginia

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox settlement Stuarts Draft is a census-designated place (CDP) in Augusta County, Virginia, United States.<ref name=":1" /> It is part of the Staunton–Waynesboro Micropolitan Statistical Area and adjacent to the South River. Its population was 12,142 as of the 2020 census.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite web</ref>

Stuarts Draft has a history as an agricultural community, dating back to the 1730s.<ref name=":13">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":12" /> Today, the community also includes a processing and manufacturing cluster that includes Hershey, Hollister Incorporated, McKee Foods, NIBCO, Regal Rexnord, Ply Gem - Cornerstone, and a Target Corporation Distribution Center.<ref name=":6">Template:Cite web</ref> As one writer notes, "A visitor to Stuarts Draft can see these imposing plants with cattle grazing in a nearby field..."<ref name=":13" />

History

Before the arrival of European settlers, the area was the territory of the Shawanee; none of their settlements are known to have existed in Stuarts Draft.<ref name=":10">Template:Cite book</ref> Two non-residents tribes were frequent visitors to the area: the Delaware from the north and the Catawba from the south.<ref name=":10" /> When European settlers first moved into Augusta County in 1732, these three tribes were in the midst of a war.<ref name=":10" /> As a result, armed war parties were a common sight in the white settlements.<ref name=":10" />

In 1736, William Beverly received a patent from Virginia's Governor William Gooch for Template:Convert in what became Augusta County.<ref name=":11">Template:Cite book</ref> At the time, this was the "outermost limits of Virginia".<ref name=":10" /> Beverly sold parcels of land to settlers, including property that is now in Stuarts Draft. One settler was Archibald Stuart, a Scotch Presbyterian, who arrived in the area in 1738.<ref name=":10" /><ref name=":12">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":14">Template:Cite news</ref> Stuart settled about three miles east of Tinkling Spring Presbyterian Church which he helped found in 1744.<ref name=":11" /><ref name=":14" /> This property became known as the Pratt Farm and is located on what is now U.S. 340 near Northgate Avenue.<ref name=":14" /> Other early settlers who purchased land from Beverly in what is now Stuarts Draft include Robert Alexander, James Bell, John Black, John Christian, John Colter, Samuel Davidson, William Long, Finley McClure, Joseph Mills, Robert Moffet, and James Patton.<ref name=":10" /><ref name=":14" /><ref name=":13" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

These early settlers built houses and cleared the land for farming.<ref name=":12" /> The most successful crops were hemp, corn, wheat, and flax which was mixed with wool to make linsey-woolsey clothes.<ref name=":14" /> Farmers experimented with tobacco and cotton but found hemp the most successful cash crop, supplying raw material for naval rope.<ref name=":12" /><ref name=":14" /> Robert Stuart operated a chopping mill in Stuarts Draft.<ref name=":13" />

In 1749, Archibald Stuart's son Thomas purchased a patent Template:Convert near the South River.<ref name=":11" /><ref name=":14" /> The tract was bound by Robert Stuart's patent to the north, Samuel Davidson's patent to the south, John Black's patent to the west, and James Patton's patent to the east.<ref name=":12" /> There, Thomas lived with his wife Elizabeth (née Moore) and their nine children.<ref name=":10" /> The property had a small valley or cove, regionally called a draft.<ref name=":9" />Template:Efn

There was fighting in Augusta County during the French and Indian War (1754–1763), smaller conflicts with Native Americans in 1764 and 1774, and minor skirmishes through 1794.<ref name=":10" /> When Thomas Stuart died, his sons were not living nearby, and his widow left the patent or land grant, making it available for resale.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The Stuart property was purchased by John Harper in 1800, with some parts being owned by Joseph McComb and Jacob Farror at a later date.<ref name=":9" />Template:Efn

Before 1800, the roads to Stuarts Draft were poor, limiting travel to horseback or sleds rather than wheeled wagons.<ref name=":14" /> The settlement did not have a post office until 1837.<ref name=":11" /> The first post office was in the former Thomas Stuart cabin, a hewed-pine log structure then on the Harper property.<ref name=":11" />Template:Efn As a result, the name Stuarts Draft was chosen for the post office and the community. Later, the post office moved three miles west of town and was operated by postmaster James M. Hall.<ref name=":9" />

In the 1850s, the Howardsville Turnpike was built through Stuarts Draft.<ref name=":13" /> Funded by stock as a commercial venture, the turnpike allowed Stuarts Drafts' farmers to take their wheat and other goods by horse-drawn wagons to the trading post in Howardsville, Virginia.<ref name=":14" /><ref name=":13" /> The trip took a week but yielded trade goods such as flour, sugar, and other staples.<ref name=":14" /> Howardsville was located in Albemarle County on the James River; from there, trade goods went to Richmond by barge.<ref name=":13" />

In 1856, Stuarts Draft's first doctor arrived; James M. Watson was a graduate of the University of Virginia's medical school in nearby Charlottesville.<ref name=":12" /> Watson traveled on horseback to visit patients.<ref name=":12" /> Other families moving to Stuarts Draft include Caldwell, Churchman, Forrer, Grass, Harnsberger, Hicks, Johnson, Kindig, Patterson, Prior, Van Lear, and Wilson.<ref name=":13" /><ref name=":15">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":14" />

During the Civil War, Stuarts Draft's residents provided supplies and men to the Confederate Army.<ref name=":12" /> The community's first school was established before the Civil War in Barterbrook, four miles from Stuarts Draft.<ref name=":14" /> This one-room schoolhouse was replaced by another schoolhouse behind today's Finley Memorial Presbyterian Church in Stuarts Draft.<ref name=":14" /> The new school started with one room but later was expanded to five rooms as the number of students grew.<ref name=":14" />

The post office moved back to town in 1881 when the Shenandoah Valley Railroad was under construction.<ref name=":9" /> The railroad began stopping in Stuarts Draft in 1882 and connected the town with Roanoke and Hagerstown.<ref name=":11" /><ref name=":14" /> The railroad brought growth and prosperity to the farming community, making it one of the wealthiest sections of August County.<ref name=":11" /><ref name=":10" /> A village or commercial area formed along the railroad track, expanding to about a mile south of the tracks.<ref name=":14" /> A train depot was constructed in 1891 (and demolished in 1975).<ref name=":13" /> By 1885, Charles H. Cohron opened C. H. Cohron's Store alongside the tracks, while Fox's Store was located on Howardsville Turnpike.<ref name=":15" /><ref name=":13" /> In 1886, the J. B. McChesney Store opened beside the railroad.<ref name=":14" /> Cohron built the Stuarts Draft Mill along the railroad tracks in 1893, followed by a warehouse.<ref name=":13" /> In 1891, the Shenandoah Valley Railroad was purchased by the Norfolk and Western Railway, further expanding Stuart Draft's reach.<ref name=":11" />

George Samuel Etter opened his Etter Funeral Home in Stuarts Draft in 1895.<ref name=":14" />Template:Efn Other businesses that opened in Stuarts Draft in 1895 include a barrel factory and a chair factory.<ref name=":13" /> Also in 1895, the Fishersville, Barterbrook, and Stuarts Draft Telephone Company was established.<ref name=":13" /> Its first telephones were operational in May 1897.<ref name=":13" /> In 1904, the Stuarts Draft post office included two delivery routes, serving 1,200 people.<ref name=":13" /> Stuarts Draft School was the first school in Augusta County to operate for a nine-month term in 1906.<ref name=":13" /> The Citizens Educational League raised funds to expand the school building and add a playground, library, and organ.<ref name=":13" />

In 1907, the People's Bank opened in Stuarts Draft and was operated by cashier S. H. Moore.<ref name=":12" /> In 1913, B. B. Kube opened a blacksmith shop in the Stuart Draft village area; he rebuilt his shop after the original structure burned in 1928.<ref name=":14" /> Dr. William Baldwin Dodge, a physician for railroad employees, became Stuart Draft's doctor and a businessman.<ref name=":13" /> He opened the Dodge Inn on Main Street (now Draft Avenue), providing accommodations and packed lunches for travelers.<ref name=":13" />Template:Efn Dodge also developed Mountain Lake, now called Shenandoah Acres, in the 1939s.<ref name=":13" />

In the early 20th century, Stuarts Draft was a farming community specialized in livestock and fruit.<ref name=":9" /> In the 1920s, fruit production included apples, peaches, and pears.<ref name=":9" /> At that time, the average apple production from Stuarts Draft was 200 to 400 railroad car loads.<ref name=":9" /> Stuart Drafts' main apple producers were Alta Vista, Robert Black, Cisco Orchards, William Baldwin Dodge, George Harper, Samuel B. Harper, Charles I. Keyt, Linda Vista, and Virginia Valley—with each growing 1,000 to 6,000 barrels each annually.<ref name=":9" /> Dodge was the only large-scale grower of cranberries south of New Jersey, yielding 500 to 1,000 bushels a year.<ref name=":9" /> Cattle was the most common commercial livestock, although farmers in Stuarts Draft also raised hogs, sheep, and poultry. Most of the community's households produced eggs.<ref name=":9" /> There was also a large incubator in Stuarts Draft that produced 50,000 to 75,000 eggs annually.<ref name=":9" />

In the 1940s, a number ofGerman–speaking members of Old Order Amish moved to Stuart’s Draft from Pennsylvania.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In the 1960s, Stuarts Draft entered the modern industrial era with the opening of Draftco and the J. K. Porter plant (now NIBCO).<ref name=":13" /><ref name=":16" /> In the 1970s, other manufacturers moved to Stuarts Draft, including Hollister, Mastic Corporation/Alcoa (now PlyGem Industries), and P. T. Components (now Rexnord).<ref name=":13" /><ref name=":17" /><ref name=":18">"Alcoa Completes Sale of Home Exteriors Business to Ply Gem Industries." Business Wire, 31 Oct. 2006. Gale General OneFile, . Accessed 29 Nov. 2022.</ref> This was followed by a Hershey Company plant and McKee Foods in the 1980s and 1990s, respectively.<ref name=":13" />

Manufacturing significantly increased the population and development of Stuarts Draft. In 2017 and 2018, the community held a series of public meetings to create a Stuart Draft Small Area Plan.<ref name=":2" /> The process included elected officials and consultants.<ref name=":2" /> Spanning 2019 through 2039, the resulting plan addresses land use, development, and transportation needs.<ref name=":2" /> It also defines areas for urban development (business, industrial, public use, and residential) and agricultural and rural conservation.<ref name=":2" />

Geography

The Stuarts Draft CDP is located in southeast Augusta County on the northwest side of the Blue Ridge Mountains.<ref name=":9">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name=":10" /> It is located in the Shenandoah Valley, part of the valley belt of Silurian limestone.<ref name=":10" /> The area features a flat valley or cove, regionally called a draft.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":13" /> The soil is rich and fertile, well suited for agricultural purposes.<ref name=":10" /><ref name=":9" />

Stuarts Draft is eight miles south of Staunton and seven miles southwest of Waynesboro.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":10" /> According to the 2020 United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 29.31 square miles (75.9 km²).<ref name=":1" /> This is an increase from 2010 when the area was listed as being 19.82 acres.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":1" /> The CDP includes the Christians Creek and the South River watersheds and parts of the Beverley Manor, Riverheads, and the South River magisterial districts.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite web</ref> The South River is a tributary of the South Fork of the Shenandoah River. Major streams in Stuarts Draft include Barterbrook Branch, Cole's Run, Deep Pond Run, Falling Rock Creek, Folly Mills Creek, Goose Creek, Johns Runs, Loves Run, Pine Run, and Stony Run.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The George Washington National Forest is at the southern border of Stuarts Draft.<ref name=":2" /> The forests consist primarily of oaks, including white, black, red, post, and chestnut oaks.<ref name=":10" /> Other trees include ash, balsam fir, beech, birch, black maple, black spruce, black walnut, cucumber tree, dogwood, elm, fir, gum, hemlock, hickory, hornbeam, locust, mulberry, persimmon, red cedar, red maple, sugar maple, sumac, sycamore, tulip poplar, umbrella tree (magnolia tripetala), white cherry, while maple, white pine, and yellow pine.<ref name=":10" /> Some areas include rhododendron and laurel.<ref name=":10" /> Wildlife native to the area include black bear, deer, red fox, porcupine, beaver, hare, rabbit, and weasel.<ref name=":10" /> Perennial streams in the area include native brook trout.<ref name=":20">Template:Cite book</ref> Mineral deposits in the national forest include clay, gravel, iron, manganese, and sand.<ref name=":20" />

Stuarts Draft includes several natural and man-made ponds. Lake Wilda is Green Pond is a naturally occurring high-elevation pond on the Big Levels Ridge.<ref name=":20" /> It is five acres in size during the wet season.<ref name=":20" /> The Virginia Commission of Game and Inland Fisheries constructed the Maple Flats Ponds in the late 1950s to serve migrating waterfowl.<ref name=":20" /> However, this project failed because water levels were too low seasonally.<ref name=":20" /> These ponds are now stocked with bass, bluegill, and catfish for recreational use,<ref name=":20" /> There are naturally occurring sinkhole ponds near the Maple Flats Ponds, including Spring Pond and Twin Ponds that are home to a botanically significant range of plants.<ref name=":20" />

Adjacent to the national forest, Shenandoah Acres includes a small spring-fed lake. Historically, the property included a cranberry bog, one of the sinkhole ponds in the Maple Flats area. The cranberry bog was well known by botanists as a site for several rare plants and orchids, including the rose pogonia and grass pink orchids. In the journal Claytonia, the botanist Lloyd Carr described the pond as a sea of pink when the orchids were in bloom. However, the bog was destroyed to create Shenandoah Acres, and many of the rare species became locally extinct.<ref>Blacka, Aaron; Couture, Pierre; Coale, Charles et al. (November 2001). "Agri-Tourism". Virginia Cooperative Extension.</ref>

The Stuarts Draft CDP includes agricultural conservation areas and rural conservation areas.<ref name=":2" /> The Cowbane Natural Area Preserve includes Template:Convert1 with calcareous spring marshes, mesic prairies, and wet prairies.<ref name=":2" /> These three landscapes were historically common in the area but were reduced over time by agriculture and development.<ref name=":2" />

Climate

The summers in Stuarts Draft are warm and humid. Winters in Stuarts Draft are cold and snowy.<ref name=":22">Template:Cite web</ref> The temperature ranges are from 26 °F to 86 °F; it is rarely below 11 °F or above 93 °F.<ref name=":22" />

Demographics

Template:US Census populationAs of the 2020 U.S. Census, 12,142 people live in the Stuarts Draft CDP.<ref name=":1" /> The population is 93% white, 4.3% black, 2% two or more races, 0.4% Asian, and 0.3% Native American. The white population is 1.6% Hispanic or Latino, and 1.3% of its total population is foreign-born.

Stuarts Draft's population is 51.7% female and 48.3% male. The population's age range is 18.7% over the age of 65 years, 58.4% between 19 and 64 years, 22.9% under eighteen years of age, and 5.2% under the age of five years. 9.4% of its residents under the age of 65 have a disability. 94% of its population over the age of 24 years are high school graduates or higher; 20.5% have a bachelor's degree or higher.<ref name=":1" />

There are 4,992 households in Stuarts Draft, with an average household size of 2.47.<ref name=":23">Template:Cite web</ref>

Economy

According to the 2020 U.S. Census, the median household income in the Stuarts Draft CDP is $63,679, the average household income is $$75,788, and the per capita income is $27,975.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":23" /> Of those over sixteen years of age, 63.6% are employed in the civilian workforce.<ref name=":1" />

As of July 2022, there are 5,260 housing units in Stuarts Draft, with an average value of $251,669 and a median value of $251,669.<ref name=":23" /> 57% of the residents are owner-occupied.<ref name=":23" /> In Stuarts Draft, 10.8% of the residents live in poverty, while 5.9% of the people under 65 years do not have health insurance.<ref name=":1" />

Employers

Agriculture continues to play a role in the economy of the area.<ref name=":2" /> However, Stuarts Draft's largest employers are its manufacturing and distribution facilities. These industries were attracted to Stuarts Draft by its proximity to major interstates and metropolitan areas, a relatively flat landscape, and a "high-quality workforce with a strong work ethic."<ref name=":13" />

Draftco Inc. is a machine and fabrication shop founded in Stuarts Draft in 1965.<ref name=":16">Template:Cite web</ref> In 1969, NIBCO (formerly J. K. Porter), a manufacturer of wrought copper fittings for the flow control industry, opened its manufacturing plant in Stuarts Draft.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Hollister Incorporated, which develops and manufactures medical devices and products, opened its facility in Stuarts Draft in 1979.<ref name=":17">Template:Cite web</ref> Other manufacturers moving to Stuarts Draft in the 1970s include Ply-Gem Siding Group (formerly Alcoa) and Rexnord (formerly P. T. Components).<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":18" />

The Hershey Company opened its second-largest United States manufacturing plant in Stuarts Draft in 1980.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":19">Template:Cite news</ref> It employees more than 1,300 people.<ref name=":4">Template:Cite web</ref> In February 2022, some Hershey employees started a campaign to join the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers’ union (BCTGM) to gain better working conditions.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":4" /> Hershey was against unionization and responded by hiring union-busting consultants, Labor Relations Institute.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In March 2022, Hershey's workers voted against unionization at the Stuarts Draft plant.<ref name=":19" />

McKee Foods moved to the area in 1990 and has around 1,000 employees.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref> It manufactures Little Debbie snack cakes. The Target Mid-Atlantic Distribution Center in Stuarts Draft has a footprint of Template:Convert.<ref name=":5">Template:Cite web</ref> It was listed as the eighth largest tilt-up building in the world by the American Tilt-Up Association.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":5" /> The Plant Company opened in Stuarts Draft in 2019 with a Template:Convert commercial greenhouse.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It grows houseplants exclusively for the consumer brand Proven Winners.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Top Employers in Stuarts Draft, Virginia

Rank	Business	Number of employees	Reference
1	Hershey Chocolate of Virginia	1,300 and over	<ref name=":7">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":4" />
2	Target Distribution Center	1,000 and over	<ref name=":7" />
3	McKee Foods Corporation	500 to 999	<ref name=":7" />
4	Hollister	500 to 999	<ref name=":7" />
5	NIBCO of Virginia	250 to 499	<ref name=":7" />
6	McKee Foods Transportation	100 to 249	<ref name=":7" />
7	Rexford Industries	50 to 99	<ref name=":7" />

File:Bare's Mill, 4x6, 300ppi.jpg

Ruins of Bare's Mill

File:BARE HOUSE AND GRIST, AUGUSTA COUNTY, VA.jpg

Bare House

File:HARPER HSE, STUARTS DRAFT, AUGUSTA COUNTY, VA.jpg

Harper House

Arts and culture

Events and festivals

Sweet Dreams is a family-friendly, day-long festival held in Stuarts Draft Park each summer since around 2004.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Architecture

Stuarts Draft has a historic commercial district located along Draft Avenue, formerly Main Street.<ref name=":2" /> Surviving structures from the railroad era include the Kube Blacksmith Shop (1928) and the Etter Funeral Home (1895), on the corner of Flory Avenue.<ref name=":14" /> Also on Draft Avenue, the Shenvalee Farmhouse (1890) is a Victorian-style house.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Two properties in Stuarts Draft are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Dating to Template:Circa, the Bare House is a Greek Revival and Italianate style brick house, located off Wilda Road.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":24">Template:Cite web</ref> Its related two-story stone mill, now in ruins, operated from 1795 through 1850.<ref name=":24" /> Other historic structures on the property include a brick well house and meat house, a small frame barn, and a cistern.<ref name=":24" />

Located on U.S. Route 340 (Stuarts Draft Highway), the Harper House is a two-story brick Italianate-style house from the mid-19th century.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /> Other historic structures on the property that are included in the National Register listing include a large meat house and a two-story frame structure that likely was as a summer kitchen, laundry, and dwelling.<ref name=":25">Template:Cite web</ref> There is also a large mortise-and-tenon frame granary.<ref name=":25" />

Another historic property in Stuarts Draft, the Colter House is a two-story brick house located off of Locust Grove Lane.<ref name=":2" /> Parts of the Colter House may date to Template:Circa.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> There is also a Craftsman style farmhouse (1901) at 239 Stuart Avenue.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Churches

File:US 340 US Route 340 - Virginia (8600381454).jpg

Calvary United Methodist Church

Churches located in Stuarts Draft include: Bible Truth Church, Calvary United Methodist Church, Destiny Family Center (Assemblies of God), Finley Memorial Presbyterian Church, Good Shepard Church of the Nazarene, Greenmonte Mennonite Church, Pilgrim Christian Fellowship (Beachy Amish Mennonite Fellowship), Rankin United Methodist Church, Rejoicing Life Church (International Church of the Foursquare Gospel), Ridgeview Baptist Church (Baptist Bible Fellowship International), Sherando United Methodist Church, Steadfast Church of God in Christ (Pentecostal), Stuarts Draft Baptist Church (Southern Baptist Convention), Stuarts Draft Christian Fellowship, Stuarts Draft Good Shepherd (Nazarene), Stuarts Draft Mennonite Church, Valley Baptist Church (Independent), and White Hill Church of the Brethren.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Sports

Stuarts Draft has a summer baseball league team, the Stuarts Draft Diamondbacks.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The team plays at The Diamond Club, leased to it by Augusta County.<ref name=":2" /> The Diamondbacks are a member of the Rockingham County Baseball League and were champions in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2016.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Parks and recreation

Kate Schneider Park is operated by the Stuarts Draft Ruritans and provides three lit baseball fields, one unlit baseball field, a pavilion, and a large horseshoes court. Friendship Park provides a single-lit baseball field.<ref name=":2" />

Stuarts Draft Park is a Template:Convert county-administered facility that opened in 2004.<ref name=":2" /> It has a junior Olympic-sized swimming pool, a pool house, the John W. Swett Amphitheater, two baseball fields, two picnic shelters, a playground, two soccer/multi-purpose fields, and a walking trail.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":2" />

Shenandoah Acres was a popular resort operated and owned by the Blacka family from 1935 to 2004.<ref name=":21">Template:Cite web</ref> Billed as "America's Finest Inland Beach", it featured 250 campsites, cabins, horseback riding, tennis courts, a volleyball and softball field, shuffleboard, a fishing pond, a beach area, and a sand-bottom swimming lake.<ref name=":21" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Shenandoah Acres reopened in 2015 as Sun Retreats Shenandoah Valley; the new owners expanded the facilities to 315 campsites and added an arcade.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Covering Template:Convert, it is the largest recreation development in the George Washington National Forest area.<ref name=":20" /><ref name=":21" />

The Stuarts Draft Library opened in October 2017; it is part of the Augusta County Library system.<ref name=":2" />

Government

The Augusta County Board of Supervisors governs Stuarts Draft as part of Augusta County. The community's representative is elected from the South River Magisterial District.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

File:SDHS.jpg

Stuarts Draft High School

Education

Stuarts Draft includes four Augusta County Schools: Guy K. Stump Elementary School, Stuarts Draft Elementary School, Stuarts Draft Middle School, and Stuarts Draft High School.<ref name=":2" /> The expanded CDP is also served by Beverley Manor Middle School, Riverheads Elementary School, and Riverheads High School.<ref name=":2" />

Private schools in Stuarts Draft include Pilgrim Christian School, which offers grades one through twelve, and Ridgeview Christian School which teaches grades pre-kindergarten through twelve.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Infrastructure

Transportation

Public transit

Brite Bus provides public transportation through its Stuarts Draft Link.<ref name=":2" /> The link connects Stuarts Draft to Fishersville, Waynesboro, and employment and healthcare locations.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Primary routes

Major highways in Stuarts Draft include U.S. Route 340 (Stuarts Draft Highway).<ref name=":2" /> It is also close to intersections with Interstate 81 and Interstate 64.<ref name=":6" /> Stuarts Draft's primary roads include SR 608 (Cold Springs Road/Tinkling Spring Road/Draft Avenue), SR 610 (Howardsville Turnpike), SR 624 (Lyndhurst Road), SR 633 (Patton Farm Road), SR 634 (Patton Farm Road), SR 635 (Mount Vernon Road/Augusta Farms Road), SR 639 (Wayne Avenue), SR 660 (Lake Road), and SR 664 (Lyndhurst Road).<ref name=":2" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Health care

Stuarts Draft has a variety of primary and specialty care medical practices, including offices affiliated with the University of Virginia Health System and Augusta Health.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=":2" /> Its closest hospital in Augusta Health, a 255-bed facility in Fishersville.<ref name=":8">Template:Cite web</ref> Augusta Health is a research affiliate of the Duke Cancer Institute.<ref name=":8" />

Utilities

The Augusta County Service Authority provides public water through the South River Water System and sewer service through the Stuarts Draft Waste Water Treatment Plant.<ref name=":2" /> Dominion Energy and Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative provide electricity to the area.<ref name=":2" />

Public safety

The Stuarts Draft Volunteer Fire Company and Stuarts Draft Rescue Squad provide public safety services to Stuarts Draft.<ref name=":2" />

Notable people

• Shonn Bell, professional football player
• John Colter, a member of the Lewis and Clark Expedition<ref>Scaliger, Charles. 2010. “The First Mountain Man.” New American (08856540) 26 (2): 35. via EBSCO. Accessed November 29, 2022.</ref>
• George Harris, professional wrestler
• James Patton, merchant, pioneer frontiersman, and soldier<ref name="Johnson">Template:Cite book</ref>
• Susan Swecker, chair of the Democratic Party of Virginia<ref name=":110">Template:Cite news</ref>
• Brian Whitesell, NASCAR team manager
• Kenneth R. Whitesell, vice admiral in the United States Navy