Courthouse monument honors ‘Colonial Patriots’
By Randy Arrington
LURAY, Oct. 10 — Less than 50 feet away sits a stone monument honoring fallen soldiers from Page County. The memorial by the steps of the Page County Courthouse, dedicated in 1994, lists more than 80 local men who died in 20th-century conflicts such as World War I, World War II, the Korean Conflict, the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm. The Page County Veterans Memorial serves as a site for annual Memorial Day programs hosted by the Comer-Jones VFW Post 621 and American Legion Post 22.
On Saturday morning, on the other side of those wide courthouse steps, another stone “war memorial” was unveiled. This one going back some 250 years — before there was a Page County — honoring “Colonial Patriots” like Isaac Strickler and Andrew Keyser.
“This area, known in colonial times as the South Branch Valley and today as Page County, was the location of two attacks by Native Americans upon colonial settlers during the French and Indian War. These attacks greatly influenced Virginia and started the chain of events that would lead to American Independence,” reads a bronze plaque set in the top of a limestone base.
“In comparison to east of the Blue Ridge, this area, the South Branch of the Shenandoah Valley, was relatively recently settled and was of less strategic importance in the 1700s,” the inscription reads. “Still, the residents of this area met the challenge and heeded the call to support the Revolutionary cause. Some joined military units, serving with distinction, while others provided material and financial support.”
In a brief 30-minute ceremony along a closed South Court Street in Luray, the Page County VA250 Committee unveiled its fourth and final monument dedicated in 2026. The first unveiling took place May 22 at the Shenandoah Museum honoring “Religion in Colonial Times.” It draws its theme from Shenandoah’s St. Peter Lutheran Church, founded in 1733. The second monument was revealed June 27 at Stanley’s Ed Good Memorial Park, honoring the area’s farming tradition and “Colonial Agriculture.” The third VA250 marker was placed along the North Loop of the Luray-Hawksbill Greenway on July 4th honoring “Colonial Industry”. It sits at the point where the linear park is planned to extend 1,200 feet to reach Yagers Spring and the Redwell-Isabella Furnace Historical District — the location of an old iron works where Luray originated.
All four of the 200-pound bronze plaques dedicated across Page County were created by local Marine combat veteran and artist Joe Winslow, who not only has his work in the White House, but was also a model for D.C.’s World War I memorial dedicated in the fall of 2024. Winslow serves as treasurer of the local VA250 Committee. Luray Caverns provided the limestone base, which was crafted by local Appalachian artisan and stone mason Clyde Jenkins.
The General Assembly established the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission (VA250) in 2020 “to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, the Revolutionary War and the independence of America in Virginia, one of the former colonies and future states, where much of this history took place,” according to the Page County VA250 website. The Page County Board of Supervisors became one of the first localities in the commonwealth to sign on through a resolution in October 2022. The Board then allocated $40,000 of Transient Occupancy Tax (TOT) funds to pay for the local VA250 project in 2025.
A local 13-member committee was appointed to coordinate the VA250 activities in Page County. A kickoff celebration featuring living history demonstrations and a stopover by the VA250 Mobile History Museum took place Memorial Day weekend at Luray Caverns.
On Saturday, local historian and committee member Art Candenquist told stories of the historic Revolutionary battles fought by Andew Keyser, and Isaac Strickler’s participation in the Boston Tea Party. On Dec. 16, 1773, between 5,000 to 7,000 patriots gathered at Sam Adam’s Sons of Liberty gathering and proceeded to throw some 46 tons of English tea (worth more than $1.7. million today) into the Boston Harbor, according to Candenquist.
“In every war since the American Revolution, Page County residents have answered the call,” Candenquist said.
“The most important resource that any area has is its people. People of the South Branch Valley were involved in the Revolution from the beginning,” reads the VA250 plaque at the courthouse. “Isaac Strickler was present at the Boston Tea Party. Andrew Keyser served with the Continental Army at the Battle of the Guilford Court House. Citizens from what became Page County served in some of the most notable units in the Revolution. Men from this area enlisted with Peter Muhlenberg after his famous speech in Woodstock, Virginia, while others served with Morgan’s Rifles and the Culpeper Minutemen.”
Local historian Rod Graves of Luray Caverns, who served as chairman of the VA250 Committee, told the few dozen in attendance on Saturday that Page County derives its namesake from the first Governor of Virginia under the red, white and blue — John Page.
“He was Virginia’s first governor in the newly minted United States… With no real army, and to take on the largest army on the planet…it was a miracle for the world to see,” Graves said. “Words mean a lot…the words our committee wrote on these plaques are very thoughtful and I hope we can live up to it…250 years ago, it was a massive risk for these folks, but they were fighting for what they thought was right…not be governed by a single king, but by the citizens themselves.”
Clerk of the Circuit Court, Grayson Markowitz, thanked the VA250 Committee and the Board of Supervisors for “choosing this location and allowing this to be here.” The courthouse, built in 1831, is a historical landmark.
At the conclusion of speeches, the Color Guard folded an American flag — complete with guns being fired and the playing of “Taps” —and placed it on the monument in honor of the fallen “Colonial Patriots.” A wreath laying was conducted by members of the Shenandoah River Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Local attorney and Luray Councilman Charles Butler then read the inscription on the plaque, which ends with…
“Many Page County residents today trace their ancestry to local patriots. It is with a strong sense of pride that we still support the ideals and values of our founding fathers. We are honored to present this history in support of the 250th anniversary of American Independence.”
For more information, visit the Page County VA250 webpage
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