Welcome to the Winchester-Frederick County Civil War Trail sponsored by the Winchester-Frederick County Convention and Visitors Bureau (WFCCVB)
What better way to commemorate our area’s Sesquicentennial Anniversary of the Civil War than with a Civil War geo-trail! Come learn about our area’s involvement in the Civil War and explore all that the Winchester-Frederick County area has to offer.
This trail is comprised of 20 cache sites that are part of the Virginia Civil War Trails Program. Learn more about Civil War Trails by visiting www.CivilWarTrails.org. The Winchester-Frederick County Visitors Center is located at 1400 S. Pleasant Valley Road, Winchester, VA 22601. The Visitors Center is open daily from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., closed on major holidays..
Update 2017: This trail is now comprised of 28 caches. :)
The cache you are searching for is a daylight hours only cache.
This cache has been placed with permission from Newtown History Center
When searching for this cache please be respectful of the Memorial bench. If you are unable to show respect and have the urge to disassemble the bench you need to find another hobby other than geo-caching.!
Thanks to Pangle5 for hiding this cache.
Newtown
When the American Civil War broke out in 1861, the majority of Newtown's young men joined Confederate forces. During the war, the town was "between the lines," nominally controlled by the Union but with much Confederate partisan activity. On May 24, 1862, Stonewall Jackson's Confederate forces advanced northward on the Valley Pike and attacked Union troops. At Newtown, General George Henry Gordon of the Second Massachusetts Infantry ordered his Federal troops to make a stand. The skirmishing involved heavy artillery fire, but Gordon's men retreated without loss of the important supply wagons. When Gordon left the town to Jackson's forces, both sides claimed a victory.
In June 1864, Major Joseph K. Stearns of the 1st New York Cavalry arrived under orders to burn the town down to help stop Confederate ambushes on the wagon road. Because the remaining population mostly consisted of women, children and the elderly, Stearns allowed the town to stand. He required the adult residents to take the "Ironclad Oath," in which they swore that they had not voluntarily provided aid to the Confederacy.
The Newtown History Center hours are:.
June through August: Tuesday - Saturday 10am - 4pm Sunday 1pm - 5pm
September through the 3rd Sunday in November: Wednesday - Saturday 10am - 4pm Sunday 1pm - 5pm
December through May: Open by Appointment, Please Call 540-869-1700