Middletown

The Virginia General Assembly established Middletown in 1794. Dr. Peter Senseney laid out the original lots for the village. Surrounded by farms and plantations, including historic Belle Grove, the community grew along the Great Wagon Road, which stretched from Philadelphia to Georgia. Early merchants and businesses included Jacob Danner, clock and instrument maker, James Ridings, a threshing machine designer, and the tavern now known as the Wayside Inn. Shenandoah Valley historian Samuel Kercheval resided here for a number of years and in 1833 published A History of the Valley of Virginia. Military activity occurred here throughout the Civil War culminating in the 19 Oct. 1864 Battle of Cedar Creek. Middletown became an incorporated town in 1880.