Downtown Waynesboro Photo courtesy of Virginia Main Street Program

Waynesboro's downtown owes its physical existence to a subdivision of the lands of Samuel Estill and James Flack, completed in 1798. According to historian George R. Hawke, the nucleus of a community already existed in the vicinity of the downtown, consisting of a mill, an inn, one or two churches and presumably several dwellings. In 1800, the General Assembly officially recognized the town of Flack. From its inauspicious beginning, Waynesboro's commercial district began to take shape in the early 19th century. Waynesboro's economic life was bolstered by the town's location on an important regional route linking Piedmont Virginia with the Shenandoah Valley through Rockfish Gap. Nevertheless, population growth was slow during the antebellum period, the number of inhabitants increasing from 250 in 1810 to only 457 by 1860.

In 1854, passenger rail service on the Virginia Central Railroad commenced between Richmond and Staunton via Waynesboro, and in 1858, with the completion of the Crozet Tunnel, freight traffic was accommodated. A depot was erected just north of the district on First Street. During the Civil War, the iron truss bridge that carried the Virginia Central over the South River at Waynesboro was the target of a Federal raid in September 1864, and the community was directly affected by the fighting again during the Battle of Waynesboro on March 2, 1865, the last battle to be fought in the Shenandoah Valley. Prosperity returned after the war, but Waynesboro grew slowly.

Storefront in Waynesboro Photo courtesy of Virginia Main Street Program

In 1881, the Shenandoah Valley Railroad completed its line to Waynesboro and linked the town to the vast markets of the Northeast and to Roanoke and the coalfields of Southwest Virginia. The Shenandoah Valley line--soon to be absorbed into the Norfolk & Western system--actually passed east of town on the other side of the South River; nevertheless its importance and its proximity stimulated the local economy and set the stage for Waynesboro's real estate boom of the c. 1890 period.

Waynesboro participated in the nationwide building boom of the 1920s and construction remained strong through 1929. The importance of banking during the period found expression in sumptuously appointed bank buildings. Modest taverns of the antebellum period were soon joined by larger hotels, while movie theaters made their debut downtown as well. On January 2, 1930, a News-Virginian headline proclaimed of Waynesboro "City Enjoys Greatest Building Year" with over $600,000 spent on construction, $176,000 of it for commercial work. The flagship project of the year was the Lambert, Barger & Branaman (LB&B) Building on the southwest corner of Main and Wayne.

Blue Ridge Valley Soap Box Derby--just one of the events held in downtown Waynesboro Photo courtesy of Virginia Main Street Program

By the early 1970s, improvements to storefronts typically involved solid walls with domestically scaled door and window treatments. Some buildings received coverings, fortunately often reversible, of metal or plywood paneling. The downtown also endured a rash of demolitions during the late 1970s and early 1980s. By 1986, new efforts to enhance the downtown's character, using community-posed suggestions, were being implemented, including the burial of overhead power lines on Main Street. In mid-2000, Waynesboro was named a designated community in the Virginia Main Street Program, with the Waynesboro Downtown Development, Inc. leading revitalization efforts. In 2001, the Downtown Waynesboro Historic District was listed in the National Register.

The Waynesboro Downtown Historic District is bounded by Federal and Main sts., and Wayne Ave. Waynesboro Downtown Development, Inc. is located at 301 West Main St. and is open from 9:00am to 5:00pm, Monday-Friday. For more information about shopping, dining and events in downtown, contact Waynesboro Downtown Development, Inc. at 540-942-6705.

Main Street Home | List of Sites | Map| Learn More | Itineraries | NR Home | Next Site
Essays: Virginia Main Street | Agriculture and Industry| Commercial Architecture in Virginia| Transportation

Comments or Questions

JPJ/RQ/SB