Qualla: Augusta County, Virginia

Augusta County, Virginia: Introduction

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Hamiltonl at English Wikipedia, Public domain. On paper, the original Augusta County reached the Pacific Ocean. When the Virginia colonial government carved it out of Orange County in 1738, the new county's western boundary was undefined - in colonial terms, it extended indefinitely westward, theoretically all the way to the South Sea. Most of present-day West Virginia, all of Kentucky, and the territory north and west of those areas were nominally within Augusta County. The settlers actually living in the county at the time would have been astonished by the claim. They were trying to survive in the Shenandoah Valley. The Pacific was a rumor. Over the next century and a half, Augusta County's enormous notional territory was carved up into other counties and entire states. What remains today is 971 square miles in the central Shenandoah Valley, with a population of 77,487.

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Image: Hamiltonl at English Wikipedia | Public domain

Augusta County, Virginia: Named for a Princess

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Crazytales, CC BY-SA 4.0. The county was named for Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha, the German princess who became Princess of Wales by marrying Frederick, son of King George II. Frederick died before he could become king, but Augusta lived on to be the mother of King George III - the same George III who w...

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Image: Crazytales | CC BY-SA 4.0

Augusta County, Virginia: The Civil War Catastrophe

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit The original uploader was Idius at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 2.5. The Virginia Central Railroad ran through Augusta County, connecting the Shenandoah Valley to the Confederate capital at Richmond. The valley's farms supplied food to Lee's army. The county therefore became a major target of Union military operations. On June 5, 1864, the Battle ...

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Image: The original uploader was Idius at English Wikipedia. | CC BY-SA 2.5

Augusta County, Virginia: The Doughnut County

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Weatherdude at English Wikipedia, Public domain. Augusta County today completely surrounds the independent cities of Staunton and Waynesboro, but neither city is part of the county. Staunton, originally the county seat, incorporated as a city in 1871 and separated from Augusta County in 1902. Waynesboro followed in 1948. Both r...

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Image: Weatherdude at English Wikipedia | Public domain

Augusta County, Virginia: The President Born in Staunton

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Nyttend, Public domain. Thomas Woodrow Wilson - the 28th President of the United States, the 34th Governor of New Jersey, and the 13th President of Princeton University - was born in Staunton on December 28, 1856. His birthplace is now a National Historic Landmark museum. Other notable Augusta County na...

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Image: Nyttend | Public domain

Augusta County, Virginia: Three Protected Areas

Sun, 31 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit US National Park Service, Public domain. Augusta County is rich in federally protected land. Part of the Blue Ridge Parkway runs along the eastern edge of the county on the spine of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Part of Shenandoah National Park lies within the county. Part of the George Washington National Forest covers the...

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Image: US National Park Service | Public domain