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Wharf Area Historic District

Photo courtesy of Virginia Main Street Program

Staunton's Wharf Area survives as an unusually picturesque and excellently preserved example of a turn-of-the-century warehouse and commercial district. The area most likely gained its name from its use primarily as a warehousing and trade district. Replacing less substantial wooden stores, which were destroyed by fires and increased prosperity, the current buildings of the Wharf are a visual manifestation of the remarkable growth of Staunton in the second half of the 19th century, as a result of the growth and success brought by the railroad. This new wave of prosperity helped to initiate the building of the American Hotel in the heart of A.H.H. Stuart's "Meadow," which became the Wharf Area.

During the Civil War, the Wharf Area came to play an essential part in the operation of Staunton as a military post, supply depot, training and hospital center. Along South Augusta Street, arsenals were established and quartermaster and commissary warehouses were set up in close proximity to the railroad. The economic and commercial growth of Staunton continued despite the war, and the population actually increased. Although the Panic of 1873 was a blow to the business community of the Wharf Area, there was enough capital to erect the elaborate masonry Burns Building in 1874 on the site of three earlier wooden buildings.

[photo] Storefront in the Wharf Area Historic District
Photo courtesy of Virginia Main Street Program

In the last quarter of the 19th century, the Wharf developed a colorful character built around the commercial ventures of commission merchants, wholesale grocers, saloons, distilleries and liveries. During the 1880s, Augusta County had a renowned wild game supply and the Wharf, with its wealth of commission merchants, was undoubtedly the point from which game was shipped to the hotels of Washington and Baltimore. Staunton also by this time had become a major railway break between Washington and Cincinnati, putting the American Hotel in a convenient location for passengers seeking food and rest on this long trip. In 1890 it is said that more passengers embarked and disembarked at Staunton's Chesapeake & Ohio station than at any other point on the line except Richmond.

In 1890, streetcars drawn by mustang mules supplied an added method of transportation, running from the railway station up Augusta Street. The Staunton Development Company was established with the intent of linking the coal and iron of the areas to the west of Staunton with the local limestone. Their company office was located in the western side of the old American Hotel with the remainder of the building being transformed into a shoe factory. That same year, the Staunton Vindicator reported the destruction of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway station by on oncoming train.

The Wharf Area Historic District is located at the intersections of U.S. Rte., 460, VA Rte. 43 and VA Rte. 122, including Middlebrook Ave. between S. Lewis St. and Lewis Creek, and S. Augusta St. to Johnson St., in Staunton. The Staunton Downtown Development Association is located in City Hall at 116 W. Beverly St. and is open from 9:00am to 5:00pm, Monday-Friday. For more information about shopping, dining and events in downtown Staunton, call Staunton Downtown Development Association at 540-332-3867. A Self-Guided Tour of Staunton's Historic Districts, a brochure produced by the Historic Staunton Foundation, is available from many downtown merchants, and the Staunton Visitor Center on New St., open 9:00am to 5:00pm daily.


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