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AHistory
History · Woodstock

Woodstock dates to 1761, and 13% of its homes were built before 1940

More historic than 93% of U.S. towns · #12 of 253 in Virginia. What drives it

3 places in town are on the National Register, among them a historic district with 283 buildings. Below: 2 old photos and papers, maps from 1899 on, and the census since 1860.

1761founded
3on the National Register
13%homes built before 1940
2old photos & papers
13famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Woodstock’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Woodstock began

When was Woodstock founded?

1761

Woodstock dates its founding to 1761 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1860.

First census: 998 in 18602020 census: 5,807265 years

How historic is Woodstock?

A

More historic than 93% of U.S. towns, on its age, its old homes and the National Register.

What drives the grade ↓
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1793.The full story ↓
History grade

What drives Woodstock’s History grade

On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Woodstock is more historic than 93% of U.S. towns, #12 of 253 in Virginia. All 3 inputs are above most U.S. towns; its age ranks highest and its share of homes from before 1940 lowest.

A
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Woodstock’s overall grade.
Founding era1761, from Wikidata: founded before 1776, an older era than 96% of U.S. townsA+Homes built before 194012.9% of homes (±4.7) · typical VA town 1.9% · U.S. 8.4%B−National Register3 listings, 285 historic buildings, 485 per 10,000 residents · typical VA town 3.6 · U.S. 2.4A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,289)Ahead of 93%
NewerOlder
Virginia towns of 2,500+ (253)Ahead of 96%

Virginia towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Virginia town has 3.6 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Woodstock’s 485 sits above most of its state (89% of Virginia towns have fewer) while its 285 historic buildings outnumber those of 95% of U.S. towns.

NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1761.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from A− to A+. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±4.7 points).

Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →

What stands out about Woodstock’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A historic districtThe Woodstock Historic District takes in 283 historic buildings.A history waiting to be writtenOnly 2 old photos are in the public archives. The rest are in attics and albums.Mapped building by building4 fire insurance maps, 1899 to 1924, drew every building in Woodstock.Older than the countryEstablished in 1761, 15 years before the Declaration of Independence.
★ What stands out · On the National Register

3 listings protect 285 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
285
each building in a district counts
first listed
1973
Shenandoah County Courthouse
Shenandoah County CourthouseLantz HallWoodstock Historic District
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Greek Revival2
Early Republican1
Vernacular1
German Baroque1
Tuscan Revival1
Victorian1
Shenandoah County CourthouseEarly Republican
Lantz HallLate Gothic Revival
Woodstock Historic DistrictFederal

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Help out

Start Woodstock’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Woodstock’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewPrisoners captured at Woodstock, Va. - …: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
Every building

Woodstock, building by building, 1899–1924

Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.

Woodstock fire insurance map, 1899, sheet 11899Sheet 1 of 3
Edition
BrickWoodStone

Sanborn Map Company, via the Library of Congress. Editions published in 1930 or earlier, which are in the public domain.

The story

How Woodstock came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Woodstock.

Read it all →

The Town of Woodstock was established by charter in March 1761 as a part of what was then Frederick County. It was originally formed from a land grant from Lord Fairfax, and founded as Muellerstadt (Miller Town) in 1752 by founder Jacob Muller (or "Mueller"). The town's charter was sponsored by George Washington in Virginia's House of Burgesses. Woodstock has been the County Seat of Shenandoah County since Shenandoah County's formation in 1772.

ChaptersColonial eraEstablishmentRevolutionary EraRailroadsCivil War EraHistoric Structures

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Woodstock, 1761 to 1947

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 18th century
  2. 1761
    FoundingWoodstock is established
  3. 1793Post officeThe Woodstock post office opens
  4. 1794Born hereRobert Allen is born here
  5. 1797Born hereJohn James Allen is born here
  6. 19th century
  7. 1853Born hereCharles B. Gatewood is born here
  8. 1862In the archivePrisoners captured at Woodstock, Va. - E. Forbes
  9. 1889Born hereWade H. Haislip is born here
  10. 20th century
  11. 1947On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
By decade

Woodstock, decade by decade

One decade in the archive so far: the 1860s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1860s2 items
Prisoners captured at Woodstock, Va. - E. Forbes1862Prisoners captured at Woodstock, Va. - E. ForbesFrank Buchser Zirkuszelt in Woodstock VA 18671867Frank Buchser Zirkuszelt in Woodstock VA 1867
Today10 recent
Muhlenberg2019Muhlenberg2019-07-19 13 09 19 View north across the town of Woodstock and northern Shenandoah County, Virginia from an airplane w…20192019-07-19 13 09 19 View north across the town of Woo…Picciuto BlueSox2017Picciuto BlueSoxRemnants of the past at Seven Bends 22015Remnants of the past at Seven Bends 2Remnants of the past at Seven Bends2015Remnants of the past at Seven BendsI 81 Interstate 81 - Virginia2013I 81 Interstate 81 - VirginiaWoodstock, Virginia2011Woodstock, Virginia2010 Census Urban Cluster Reference Map for20102010 Census Urban Cluster Reference Map forBookWalmart store remodel in Woodstock, Virginia, tile replacement2005Walmart store remodel in Woodstock, Virginia, tile re…VAMap-doton-Woodstock2005VAMap-doton-Woodstock
On the map

Woodstock on the map, 1947 to 1994

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Woodstock. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Woodstock on the 1947 USGS mapWoodstock on the 1951 USGS mapWoodstock on the 1966 USGS mapWoodstock on the 1994 USGS map1947Edinburg sheet · 1:62,500

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Woodstock.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Prisoners captured at Woodstock, Va. - E. Forbes
Retake this viewPrisoners captured at Woodstock, Va. - E. Forbes, 1862

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Woodstock’s page.

Retake this view · +15
People over time

Woodstock, census by census

05001,0001,5002,0002,5003,0003,5004,0004,5005,0005,5006,0006,5001900195020005,807

Grew from 998 people in 1860 to 5,807 in 2020, 5 times over.

17 censuses, 1860–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Woodstock’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

13 famous people were born in Woodstock

Writers, athletes, leaders and more, ranked by how widely they’re known.

See all →
Wade H. HaislipUnited States Army general · b. 1889
John James AllenAmerican lawyer and judge · b. 1797
R
Robert AllenAmerican politician · b. 1794
Charles B. GatewoodAmerican soldier · b. 1853
B
Barnett McFee ClinedinstAmerican photographer, served as White House ph… · b. 1862
B
Barnett Michael ClinedinstAmerican photographer and inventor · b. 1835
Places that used to be

Places now gone

Woodstock’s post office has been open since 1793.

Gone or out of use
Mount Zion Methodist Episcopal Churchchurch

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Questions about Woodstock’s history

What year was Woodstock founded?

In 1761, according to Wikidata. Woodstock’s post office opened in 1793, and the census of 1860 counted 998 people here.

How does Woodstock rank for history?

Woodstock is more historic than 93% of U.S. towns, #12 of 253 in Virginia. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.

What is on the National Register in Woodstock?

Three places: the Shenandoah County Courthouse (listed 1973), the Lantz Hall (1992) and the Woodstock Historic District (1995).

How old are the homes in Woodstock?

13% of Woodstock’s homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±4.7 points), against a typical 1.9% for a Virginia town; the median home was built in 1989.

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

From Wikimedia Commons (12), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.