Since the dawning of time When Virginia's colonial Governor Alexander Spotswood led his famed Knights of the Golden Horseshoe through the western wilderness and up the Blue Ridge Mountains at Swift Run Gap, he gazed down on a borad valley that stretched into the distance. He could see the virgin forests and meadows, framed by yet another range of mountains far to the west. His awe was such that he wrote... "We have discovered paradise." Yet it was not Spotswood who first was awed by the splendor and beauty of this place. Early native hunting parties that roamed the valley felt its devine presence and called it "Shenandoah" -- which means "Daughter of the Stars." A place that has endeared itself to all who have come... The Birthplace of Presidents Ranks of the Continental Army Patrick Henry and The Marquis Harrison's Race to Richmond Our Religous Heritage The Lap of the Civil War back to the index "Harrisonburg and Rockingham County is America's Heartland -- mother of history, birthplace of Presidents, lap of the Civil War, heart of rural Shenandoah Valley. The Harrisonburg lifestyle is a wonderfully wholesome environment for family, business and industry." First posted to the web in September of 1995 Copyright 1995 - 2002, Harrisonburg dot org is a public service web site for Harrisonburg and Rockingham County sponsored by Showker Graphic Arts & Design Part of the Graphic Design Network.