Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1912-03-15
WOODSTOCK, FIFTY WARS AGO

| As | step from the train, Woodstock
as it was fifty years ago, is photo
graphed upon my brain. The frs
object that now impresses me is thu
beautiful, unique station on my RICH
instead of the old freight depot on m,
| left as it was fifty years ago.
| After a nights rest and a goot
breakfast at the hotel, | started t.
look for the old landmarks. Tn
large modern three story brick hote
on the opposite side of the street
where the little candy shop had been
first attracts my attention. The ston'
Court House with its cupola of re
marka5le beauty is, as it was fiftl
years ago. The old Jail, with it:
windows enclosed by heavy iron bar.
has disappeared and new building
which is really an ornament to the
town has taken its place. The grave
yard with its ragged fence has yielded
its place to business houses. The
town hall remodeled from the ole
market house no longer stands in
Court House alley. The old Mullen
berg home has given place to neat
| store rooms and an opera house. |
start down the street looking for the
old landmarks. Nearly every house
with the exception of Welsh's Hotel
and George Fra vel's residepce-and
these have not improved with age
have given place to new and better
dwellings or have been greatly improv-
ed. In those days, pavements were in
front of only few houses, while
muddy sidewalks was the general rule.
As turned and walked towards the
Southern end of the town | found
number of old landmarks that have
bravely withstood the storms of over
a half century, and also a consider
able number of beautiful residences
which add much to, the appear ance of
the town. From Bushong's Hill, |
noticed that large number of new
residences West of the Railroad have
been erected on the fields formerly de-
voted to wheat and corn. he large
brick engine house and machine shop
aud the long car sheds were destroy
ed during the war and the remnant
moved away.
| next attempted to find the churches
which I occasionly attended fifty
years ago. The old Reformed church
where Rev. Feet preached was gone
AMI only the old half round stone
step remains.
The Lutheran church, once called
the brick church, where Rev. -
Cline so earnestly preached at the
beginning of the war, and which the
Lutherans from along the North
mountain and intervening territory
had been in the habit of attending was
not there, and as I gazed at the spot,
thought ''surely the vandals hav
been at work 8 The present congra-
CATION has a new modern church on
another part of the lot. The Presby-
terrain church | found still at the same
place, but not the same church. The
old church had fallen a victim to the
fires that Sheridan had kindled and
had been replaced by>a new one. The
al, I Fl, ,,,od -.
ed under the supervision of Rev.
]. NJ. Clymer, who preached to the
congregation before and during the
war and who, | am informed, was re-
Gently gathered to his fathers at a
ripe old age. | then weLded my way
to the Methodist CHI ,rch. When I was
b ire, it was a new church, not yet
finished and the lover part was used
as hospital. The little sex,on's
house by its side in which lived the
Gerz family and from which poor,
idiotic Davy Getz was taken
and cruelty murder ed by Older
of General Custer, has also been
removed. To my chagrin, that
church had been torn down. a more
costly and in some respects more
beautiful building had taken its place
but the old associ ations which were
so wildly recalled seemed to have
been torn away with the church.
[ had expected to meet with man
friends, but on every turn l met
face; the men and the women
that l knew fifty years ago are not
here now.
AS look at some of the old houses.
the incidents of fifty years ago are
wildly recalled. | re Der the group
tn at met on Sunday afternoons in front
of Welsh's Hotel and related to each
other the latest news from the front
Among them were Charles Welsh,
Peter Hoshour, Sr, Peter E. Hoshour.
DR.. Krebs, Mm Donaldson, Jacob
Jas. G. Fravel, Michael
Bair and others.
Jackson was still at Win chester,
and as the news came that Banks
with large army was advancing. the
proba bility of Jackson falling back
up the Valley was freely discussed.
They could still receive the Richmond
papers and the Rockipg ham Register.
The Woodstock paper had suspended
publication and its Editor and COM
positors had gone to the army.
In front CT the corner store, Mark
Bird, DR.. w. w. Magruder, G. q.
OFT, Isaac Haas and others calmly dis
cussed the events of the day, while
boys not yet old en- ough to enter the
army listened with breathless atten-
ton.
AS | passed up and down the streets
7 Of no l.