Augusta County (Images of America)

When Augusta County was formed in 1738, it was America’s “Wild West”―stretching from the Mississippi River to the Great Lakes. Today’s more moderately sized county lies nestled between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny Mountains in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley. Virginia’s second-largest county has witnessed history ranging from frontier clashes to Civil War battles. Daniel Boone, Thomas Jefferson, and Robert E. Lee slept here, Pres. Dwight Eisenhower’s mother was born here, and folk artist Grandma Moses farmed here. The main road through the county, once known as the Warrior’s Path, the Great Wagon Road, and the Valley Pike, has been trod by Native Americans, settlers, travelers, and warring armies. The influx of Scotch-Irish, German, English, and African American settlers who put down roots here turned the lush limestone valley into the grain-producing capital of the nation and created the county’s two leading industries: milling and distilling.