Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1886-02-26
CHAPTER XIV.

that he has not Deen aDle uO dSOol
tain the names Of the first settlers
in tins town. Tradition, however,
relates that they were German
families.
I'm the year 1852 the Legislature
passed "An Act for the establish
ing of the town Of Winchester"
In the preamble are the following
words;
"Whereas, 1t has been represent
ed TO this General Assembly that
James Wood, gentleman, did sur
vey and lay out a parcel of land at
the courthouse (b) in Frederick
county, in twenty.six lots, Of half
an acre each, with streets, for a
town by the name Of Winchester,
and made sale of the said lots to
divers persons who have since set
fled and built and continue build
ing and settling thereon; but, be-
cause the same was not laid of and
erected into town by act of AS
sembly, the freeholders and inhab.
itants thereof will not be entitled
to the like privileges enjoyed by
the freeholders and inhabitants Of
other towns IN this colony:
abe it enacted, &c, That the said
parcel of land lately claimed by the
said James Wood, lying and being
in the county of Frederick afOre-
said, together with fifty-four other
lots of half an acre each, twenty
four thereof in one or ;wo streets
on the east side of the former lots,
the street or streets to run parallel
with the street already laid of, and
the remaining thirty lots to be laid
of at the north end Of the aforesaid
twenty.six with commodious
street or streets in such manner as
the proprietor thereof, the Right
Honorable Thomas Lord FairfaX,
shall see fit, be and is hereby con-
stitutcd, enacted, and established a
town, in the manner already laid
out, to be called by and retain the
name Of Winchester, and that the
frccholders Of the said town shall
forever hereafter enjoy the same
privileges which the freeholders OF
other towns erected by act of AS
scmbly enjoy
This act further provides that
fairs may be held in the town twice
in each year.
Thus it appears that the late Col.
James Wood was the founder OF
Winchester, aud not Lord Fairfax
as has generally been believed
The latter made an addition to the
town. Tradition relates that Fair
fax was much more partial tC
Stephensburg than he was to Win
chester, and used all his influence
to make Stcphensburg the seat Of
Justice, but that Wood out.gen-
eraled his lordship, and 10y treating
one Of the Justices with bowl o
toddy secured his vote in favor o
Winchester, which settled the ques
ton, and that Fairfax was so of
Tended at the magistrate who thus
sold his vote that he never aitel
spoke 10 MN. ic)
The late Robert Rutherford, Esq.
opened the first store ever cStab
/ liShed in Winchester. There wal
soon mixed population Of Ger
mans, Irish, aud a few English anC
Scotch. The national prcjudicel
which existed between the Du,cl
and Irish produced much disorde
and many riots. 1t was CUSTOMARY
for the Dutch, on St. Patrlck's Day
to exhibit the eiligy of the sain
with a string Of Irish potatoc
around his neck, and his wifi,
(Sheeley) with her apron loade'
also with potatoes. This was al
ways followed by a riot. The lrisl
resented the indignily offered t.
their saint and his holy spouse, anC
battle followed. On st. Michael
Day the Irish would retort, and ex
hibit the saint with rope OF "sou
krOut" about his neck. Then th,
Dutch, like the Yankee, "felt chocl
full of fghl," and at it they went
pell nell, and many black eye
bloody nose and broken head wa
the result. .(d) Theauthor recollect
one of these riots since the war o
the Revolution. The practice wa
at last put down by the rigor will
which our courts of justice punish
ed the rioters.
In the month of September, l5S
the town of Stephensburg, IN th,
county of Frederick, was establish
ed. This town was first founded
by Peter Stephens, who came t
Virginia with JOist lite in the yea
1882. The ruins Of Stephens frs
cabin are yet to be seen. Levi
Stephens, the late proprietor Of th'
town, was the son of Peter Ste
phens. He laid out the town il
form, and applied to the Genera
(a) A very aged woman by the name O
Spcrry informed the author that whe
she first saw the place where Wincheste
now stands she was % years Of age, an
from her age at the time the author cor
vsrsed with her (Which was in 1900 h
fonnd the year in which she first say
Winchester to be in 1879. at which tim'
she stated, there were but two small 10
cabins. and those near the run.