The Shenandoah Valley Radio Program

The latest book by Valley historian Jonathan Noyalas features walking tours that bring Winchester, Virginia's complex Civil War story to life. Also: A look at the early days of radio broadcasting in the Shenandoah Valley.

• The Interview: Johnathan A. Noyalas' new book, Winchester and the Civil War: A Walk through History is a guide for exploring a city where Civil War history still reverberates throughout its many historic s...

Description: Brocks Gap is tucked away in the mountains of northwest Rockingham County. It had been a “Gateway to the West” and has been the home of families living there for generations. Also: From Native American trails to today’s interstate highways: Valley transportation history.

• The Interview: Rockingham County historian Pat Turner Ritchie’s Brocks Gap family roots go back several generations. She&rs...

Description: There were two waves of German Immigration in the Valley during the 1700s and 1800s. Germans brought a way of life to the Valley that is still evident today. Also: The French and Indian War was a global conflict but early Valley settlers endured its terrible effect. But it also helped form George Washington as a military and national leader

• The Interview: The Frontier Culture Museum's Dorette Sobolewski discusses ea...

Description: The Great Awakening movements of the 1700s and 1800s transformed religious life in the Shenandoah Valley and in America. They are being still felt today. Also: Iron Furnaces in the Shenandoah Valley once boomed, but not before devastating vast areas of Valley forest land.

• The Interview: Nathan Stalvey gives insights into the two Great Awakening religious movements that occurred in the 18th and 19th centuries. The im...

Description: The Battle of New Market was one of the most unique engagements of the Civil War: In 1864, 257 young Virginia Military Institute cadets were forced into a pivotal role on the front lines of the battlefield. We also explore the broader context of Shenandoah Valley Civil War History.

• The Interview: Sarah M. Hebert, assistance site manager and educator at the Virginia Museum of the Civil War shares her insights about a...

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Andrea Weeks, Professor of Botany at George Mason University and Director of the Ted R. Bradley Herbarium. Dr. Weeks shares how her own research led her to the story of a remarkable Valley native.

Highlights of this episode:

• The Trailblazing Lena Artz: Originally a Valley school teacher in the 1930s, Lena Artz followed her passion to become a professional botanist. We explore her life as an i...

Description: Can you dig it? Explore the Valley’s hidden history with Mike Kehoe, from Native American artifacts to Civil War archaeology. Plus, the story of Claudius Crozet’s 19th century, “crazy” engineering feat: boring a mile-long rail tunnel through solid Blue Ridge rock.Explore the Valley’s hidden history with Mike Kehoe, from Native American artifacts to Civil War archaeology. Plus, the story of...

Historical assumptions have long existed about how enslaved people in the Shenandoah Valley actually had lived. But do they tell the real story? After Emancipation, the Readjuster Party was a brief, but major force in Virginia politics during the 1800s and an early champion of civil rights.

• The Interview: Shenandoah University history professor and author Jonathan Noyalas talks about his book, Slavery in the Shenandoah Valley Du...

Description: Meet “Dunmore’s Nemesis” and the “Last Men Standing” as we dive deep into the history of soldiers who secured Virginia’s soil during the American Revolution.

• The Interview: Historian and author Gabe Neville discusses his work The Last Men Standing, providing a definitive look at the 8th Virginia Regiment in the American Revolution.
• The Narrative: A profile of Andrew Lewis, the fron...

Description: From the tough frontiersmen of the Revolution to the “Underground Railroad” of the Civil War, we examine the courage that defines the Shenandoah Valley.

• The Interview: Author Karl Rhodes discusses his book Peggy’s War, the true story of his great-great-grandmother Margaret “Peggy” Rhodes and her secret farm “depot” during the Civil War.
• The Narrative: During this America 250 ...

Description:There is more to explore about the life of Woodstock, Virginia’s own Revolutionary hero than “To everything, there is a season...” And a modern-day effort to preserve the history of a small Shenandoah Valley town.

• The Interview: Ann Wallinger of the Mount Jackson Museum joins us to discuss a major new book project documenting the generations of history in Mount Jackson, Virginia.
• The Narrative: ...