Belle Boyd 
Virginia’s 140-miles long Shenandoah Valley lies
between the Allegheny and the Blue Ridge Mountain. This incredibly beautiful
region has been a staging ground for history since the 1600s and for Native
Americans for approximately 11,000 years prior to that. The Chester and
Manassas Gaps afforded natural access for people and goods into the valley
where they could transport goods via the Shenandoah River.
In 1788 Front Royal was formally founded as a river
town. During the Revolution the area had supplied much needed goods to the
colonists and they continued to supply both America and Europe in the 19th-century.
discoverfrontroyal.com
Front Royal was originally named LeHewtown, in honor
of the French Huguenot landowner who held 200-acres in 1754. The origin of the
city’s name is unclear but some believe that early French inhabitants referred
to it as the royal frontier or, "le front royal," The second most
popular version is that the colonial militia had difficulty following
directional commands so they were told to “front the Royal Oak,” a giant oak
tree on the parade ground. The city was made Warren County’s seat in 1840. In
1861 Virginia was the most densely populated of the slave states and held the
largest number of slaves. However the state was divided on secession and did
not leave the Union with the initial group of states.
The Alexandria, Orange and Manassas Gap Railroad began
service in the 1850s and that, other transportation routes, the Valley’s
geography and its food production, made the city of enormous strategic
importance to both sides in the Civil War. The Valley provided food for the Confederates
throughout the war and it was not until Sheridan’s 1864 Valley Campaign that
the back door to DC was shut after 4-years of continuous fighting, Grant had
visited and mandated Sheridan to do everything necessary to stop the supply
line. Sheridan cut a 100-mile path through the Valley burning and destroying
crops. His campaign continues to be referred to as “The Burning.” The war ended
in 1865.
Stonewall Jackson’s Valley Campaign consisted of
several battles, one of which, The Battle of Front Royal, took place on May 23,
1862.The battle routed 1,000 Union soldiers and resulted in a surprise attack
that halted the Union in their drive to Richmond.
The
Battle of Front Royal Driving Tour consists of ten stops that interpret antebellum
and Civil War history. Each stop is designated with a marker and brochures with
driving directions, maps and site information are available at the Visitor’s
Center, the point of departure. The 16-mile trail winds throughout the town and
along the banks of the Shenandoah River. Much of the landscape has undergone
very little change.
The
Warren Heritage Society, established in 1971, is located in the 1819 Ivy Lodge.
Museum exhibits relate the history of Front Royal and visitors can obtain
information and brochures on area sites and attractions. The building is
located on Chester Street, the oldest street in the city, and is actually a
complex consisting of several structures and a gift shop. A 33-site walking
tour brochure is available. The 170-acre Front Royal Historic District was
added to the National
Register of Historic Places in 2002. warrenheritagesociety.org
Because
of the number of troops in Front Royal it was also a hotbed of spies the most
famous of which was the notorious Confederate spy Belle Boyd. The 19-year old
Belle and her mother relocated from Winchester after her father joined the
Confederate army. In 1862 a Union soldier insulted her mother and Belle shot
him. They then joined relatives who owned a hotel in the city and the family
moved to a cottage in the rear while the Union was headquartered in the hotel.
At the time of the Battle of Fort Royal she managed to pass through enemy lines
and pass information to Stonewall Jackson and facilitated his decision to
attack the Union. Belle was denounced as a spy many times and sent to prison
three times. She survived the war, wed three times and became an actress. Some
people believe she was the model for Scarlett O’Hara.
The
Belle Boyd Cottage is a typical 2 over 2 with a central hall. There are no
original furnishings but the flooring is original. Highlights of the tour are
the many photographs of Belle and an outstanding portrait that symbolically
captures her life and spirit.
The
Balthis House is a Federal-style townhouse built as a 2-story, timber-framed
house with dependencies. The original section of the house is dated from 1788
and was owned by two town trustees. This is the oldest extant house in the
city.
Mrs. Milton Fristoe held Mary Fristoe as a
slave and she continued as a worker after Emancipation. In 1908, upon the death
of her employer she received an inheritance that allowed her to purchase a
rental property at 46 Chester St. Mary died in 1911 at the age of 55 and was
interred in the Fristoe family plot.
Rose
Hill is a private dwelling but it is possible to view the exterior of the
building. The 2-story Greek Revival home with Federal elements was constructed
in 1830. South of the house sits what was once a 2-story wooden slave
quarters/kitchen.
In
1958 it was federally mandated that the schools integrate. In an effort known
as “Massive Resistance” Virginia’s Gov.
James Lindsay Almond Jr. ordered schools closed in Sept. 1958 and Warren
County’s High School was the first school in the state to be closed. The
strategy was ruled unconstitutional and the school reopened in February of
1959. A marker memorializes the events. 240 Luray Avenue.
Front Royal is the northern
entrance to the spectacular, 105-mile, Skyline Drive that runs through
Shenandoah National Park. Here you can hike the Appalachian Trail and take in
scenic vistas that include more than 800 wildflower species. This is the centennial
of the National Park system and it is a great time to make the trip.
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