Front Royal VA
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Located in the northwestern corner of Virginia, 70 miles west of Washington, D.C., Front Royal is one of many towns included in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. The Shenandoah River and the Entrance to the Shenandoah National Park and Skyline Drive are located in this historical town, as well as a welcoming Downtown Area where the Front Royal-Warren County Visitors Center is located.
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Originally called LeHewtown (after Peter LeHew, a French Huguenot who purchased 200 acres here in 1754), the Town was later purchased by a group of real estate speculators who arranged to have it incorporated as Front Royal November 15, 1788. Rail service was established in 1854 with the construction of the Alexandria, Orange and Manassas Gap Railroad between Manassas and Riverton. This line was soon extended to Strasburg in time to become a factor in the Battle of Front Royal on May 23, 1862 and throughout the Civil War. Lumber, agriculture, manufacturing and grain mills provided employment in the region for decades after the Civil War.
