Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1910-09-16
.sIAUNTON STARTED
IN A HOLLOW
SO Says the Venerable Mr..
Joseph A. Waddell, Posi-
bly, the Oldest Resident o1
Staunton, Born Here. He
Tells How the Troublesome
Stream Flowed

The present interest in everything
relating to the site of Staunton induc
es me to relate some facts which have
come to my knowledge concerning the
early days Of the town.
Before the year 1872 no people, saw
age or civilized, lived in this part OF
Virginia In that year, however, Col.
John Lewis came with his family and
settled first on Middle River. near
the present macadamized turnpike.
but soon removed to position about
two miles east of the site of Staunton
and there made his permanent home.
He was followed by many other white
people, and by the year 1736 many
settlers occupied the country here
about They came to obtain farms
and had no idea of gathering IN towns
or villages. They settled down wher-
ever they pleased convenient to wood
and water and were quite Indifferent
as to who owned the lands, if anybody.
& In the year last mentioned William
Beverley, a prominent man in lower
Virginia, obtained from the Colonial
Government patent for 118, 49f acres
of land lying in the county OF Or
ange, between the great mountains on
the river Sherando. - This large do
main was in the heart of the present
county of Augusta and embraced
nearly all the territory occupied by
settlers, leaving however many acres
outside of the farms already taken up.
By the terms of the grant, Beverley
was required to introduce a specified
number of settlers in limited time;
ana no doubt, he gladly counted the
settlers here as if brought in by HIM
self, and ms d deeds to them for NOM
inal consideration John Lewis OBJ
tained his first legal title to land in
173S, when Beverley conveyed to him 2, :
OIL acres in the ssManor of Beverley. I"
This deed and many OTHERS were rec
orded at Orange Courthouse.
In the year 1913 the Colonial Assem-
| bly,, called the, House of Burgeeses,
passed an act setting apart vast
domain west of the Blue Ridge as the
county Of Augusta, to continue for
the present till the population increas-
ed as part of Orange county. By the
year 1745 Governor Gooch concluded
that the population Of the new county
| had increased sufficiently to justify
| his appointments of justices of the
peace to hold court and organize
the county. Accordingly on October
3, 1745, he issued a Commission o1
| the Peace" I" naming the first magis
trates of the county. Neither the
| Governor nor the House of Burgesse'
i fixed the site of the county seat, no
were the Inhabitants consulted. Mr.
Beverley looking apparently to hi
own interest appointed the place il
the center of his domain, in the hol
low surrounded by high hills, CON
yenient to water. This place is sait
to have been on tail made b.
buffaloes travelling between Rockfisl
Gan and Buffalo Gap The site wa
name eless.. bat~in anticipation of th
a organization Of the county Mr. Bever
ley had erected a log building for
courthouse on a spot he called hi
.sMill Pla,e Various circumstance
show that there were no inhabitant
at OF near the spot. Where the mil
seat was, am at a loss to know. TIL
name Staunton does not appear til
the year 174S when Mr.. Beverley 4ai
off the beginning of the town on tn
west side of Augusta street. He di
videa twenty-five acres into forty-fou
lots, whi,h he sold Immediately. Th
new town was named by Mr.. Beverle
in honor of the wife of Governo
Gooch. who was member of the Ell
glish family of Staunton.
The first County Court was held d.
cember 9, 1745, and a few people bui
cabins and settled near the cour
house. at the February term, TIA
license was granted to two citizel
to keep ordinaries.
AS all Staunton people know, Lew
Creek has two branches which uni
within the town. The north brant
is the most mischievous little strea
that ever vexed community. II
~ various rivers, also called = N ort
Middle and South, and even Jam
River and the Shenandoah - ha'
= never worried the regions throui
which they flow as has this little te
- magant Adjacent to the creek on t
lee west side was spacious meadow
k. marsh. now converted into gardens,
which in former times the water of
Is. creek was turned in winter to fl
S0 So nish ice for the people of the town,
which the boys skated until the j
was cut up to be hauled away. A
w cess to the ice pond was throu
O0 O0 Lewis street, which terminated j,
90 where Baldwin street afterwards cal
90 along. Besides draining the sprir
w w which bubbled up through the mes
M M ow, the channel of the creek was d
90 is the only outlet for flood OF wa
90 whenever cloud burst occurred
~ ~, the wide basin at the head OF
,ds stream.
tie This branch of Lewis Creek did
originally pursue a straight cou
20 -, to the south, crossing Fledsrlck
@ @es Main streets as now, In the year Il
snit.was pending in staanton, st
ed: Peter Hiskell v. Corporation
Staunton, il which the water rig
: Of the town were involved. An q
man named James Hill. not Ja'
c, Berry Hill, testified in the case
when he came TO Staunton IN l76l,