About the Town/History
The Town of Strasburg is located in north-central Shenandoah County at the northern end of the Shenandoah Valley. It is the largest of the six communities in Shenandoah County and is part of the Davis Magisterial District. The town lies on the North Fork of the Shenandoah River in a small basin formed by the river as it loops through the Valley with one of its major loops creating a peninsula just south of town known as Sandy Hook. Geographically the town is generally surrounded by natural barriers with the Shenandoah River and Three Top Mountain lying to the south and east, and historic Cedar Creek and Little North Mountain lying to the north and west.
The town's early growth and settlement was primarily due to its location at the crossroads of major routes of travel and this is still true today. U.S. Route 11 and State Route 55 intersect in the center of town and Interstate 81 is located approximately one and one-half (1 1/2) miles to the west and north of the downtown with two interchanges serving the town. Interstate 66 joins Interstate 81 about four miles north of town and provides direct access to the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area. The town is located ten miles west of Front Royal, 81 miles west of Washington, D.C., 18 miles south of Winchester, and 15 miles east of the West Virginia State Line.
The Town of Strasburg, founded in 1761 and incorporated in February 1922 is known for pottery, antiques, civil war history and breathtaking views. The pottery industry began in 1761 and lasted until 1908 with at least seventeen potters producing earthen and stoneware commercially. The pottery tradition is carried on today by teaching the craft of the potter's wheel and kiln at the famous Strasburg Museum. The Strasburg Museum originally built as a pottery factory in 1891 later became the depot for both the B & O and Southern Railroads. Today it displays the wares of the potters and historic farming, railroad, Indian, Civil War collections and memorabilia of the Valley town's daily life.
Strasburg was an important part of the Valley Campaign in the early part of the Civil War and Stonewall Jackson knew its streets and often used its hostelry. It was he who made Strasburg "the fountainhead of Rail Traffic for the South", when he captured enemy engines in Martinsburg, West Virginia and pulled them by horsepower across roads to return them to the rails in Strasburg. From there they were sent south for the Confederate cause. During the closing phases of the war Strasburg was again in the midst of the action. It is between Cedar Creek Battlefield on the north and Fisher's Hill Battlefield of the south, both accessible to the public with interpretive material. It is in the heart of the counties burned by Sheridan to eliminate the productivity of this "breadbasket of the Confederacy".
Strasburg is nestled in the valley of the Shenandoah River with vistas of Massanutten Mountain and the Allegheny foothills.