Front Royal Virginia A Progressive Southern Town
Front Royal sits at the heart of Warren County with about 8 000 residents and easy access to I 66 I 81 and major routes. The town hosts 18 motels 30 churches and a growing hospital system planning to expand to 160 beds by 1990 plus a 60 bed nursing home facility. Local industries include synthetic fibers chemicals and furniture while nearby Skyline Drive and Caverns offer recreation. The town government features a mayor and four council members with a county administrator and five district supervisors overseeing regional planning and services.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Jim Ackley
Shenandoah River
Front Royal
Warren County
Washington, D.C
U.S
Warren Memorial Hospital
Confederate Museum
National Forests
Bing Crosby
Lord Fairfax Planning District Commission
Selective Service Boards
American Legion Post
Virginia
Front Royal Roots Shape by Trails and Early Settlers
Front Royal grew where trails from Chester Gap and Manassas met near Happy Creek. Early explorer John Lederer, Cadwallader Jones, Louis Michelle, and land speculators helped mold the town, with the Van Meter and Hite claims shaping settlement. By 1778 Front Royal was incorporated, with Market and Chester serving as core streets and a local militia link to Buck's Minute Men noted.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Pat Robinson
Shenandoah Valley
Front Royal
Chester Gap
Manassas
Blue Ridge
Happy Creek
Warren County
John Lederer
Berkeley
Louis Michelle
Harper’s Ferry
W.va
Berryville
White Post
Larkin Chew
Joseph Smith
William Russell
John Chew
Larkin Chew Jr
Isaac
John van Meter
Opequon
van Meters
Joist Hite
Robert McKay Jr
Peter Lehew
France
America
David
Francis Lehew
Peter
Solomon Vanmeter
James Moore
Robert Haines
William Cunningham
Peter Halley
John Smith
Allen Wiley
Wroe
George Click
William Morris
Henry Trout
Market
Main
Chester
Thomas Buck
Buck
Bel Air
Front Royal Name Origins Tied to Colonial Military Commands
Town historian recounts two traditions for Front Royal’s name. One attributes it to a drill sergeant’s shout “Front the Royal Oak” during Muster Days at a Royal Oak in the square. The other ties the name to an outpost with sentry commands where “Front” and the password “Royal” defined entry to Camp Front Royal.
MENTIONED IN THIS ARTICLE
Pat Robinson
Front Royal
Laura Virginia Hale
England
Chester and
Main Sts
Miss Hale
Also Mentioned on This Page
Randolph-Macon Academy
Lord Fairfax Community College
Shenandoah College
Conservatory of Music
Madison College
Front Royal Today
Star
J. Wiles Cory
Winchester Evening Star
Front Royal A Profle
Cadwallader Jones
Crooked Run
Cedarville
FMC
Gene Rhodes
This is just the beginning! Our collection holds over 300 years of history, including rare newspapers, obituaries, marriage records, birth records, and so much more—most of which you won’t find anywhere else!