About Stanardsville

Stanardsville History

The Town of Stanardsville was established in 1794 and became the county seat when Greene County was formed from Orange County in 1838. The Town is named after its founder, William Stanard, a member of a prominent Virginia family and heir to a portion of the original Octonia land grant issued in 1722.

Stanardsville is one of the few intact courthouse towns that grew up along transportation routes crossing the Piedmont region. The town sits on a hill close to the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah National Park. In the 1800s, it gained notoriety as the last stop for travelers crossing the mountains at Swift Run Gap, just a few miles west of town. Stanardsville had hotels, taverns, restaurants, a movie theater, and numerous shops of all kinds. It became a thriving commercial gateway to mountain businesses and the Shenandoah Valley.

Present Day

As the county seat, Stanardsville serves as the cultural and governmental heart of Greene County. Within just a few walkable blocks, residents and visitors can access the Greene County Courthouse, County Administration Building, Treasurer, Registrar, Commissioner of Revenue, Greene County Library, Health Department, public schools, the Post Office, a branch of Piedmont Virginia Community College, and Stanardsville Town Hall—placing nearly all essential services “just down the street.”

Stanardsville’s historic townscape remains remarkably intact, preserving the character of the late 19th century while offering the convenience of modern amenities. Shops, restaurants, and local services line the streets, creating a welcoming blend of heritage and everyday livability.

Culture here is shaped not only by architecture, but by music, art, and the natural world. Appalachian traditions run deep, and our community of creatives keeps them vibrantly alive. On any given week you might hear an Irish session at the farmers market, rockabilly at the Greene Commons Pavilion, or banjo picking drifting from the coffee shop—music often sets the tone for social life in town.

Greene County is also renowned for its artisans. Potters, metalworkers, painters, woodcarvers, basket weavers, and other makers contribute to a thriving arts community, with some achieving national recognition—including recent works displayed in the Smithsonian. Their craft reflects both the beauty of the Blue Ridge and the enduring creativity of the people who call Stanardsville home.

Historic District

Stanardsville was officially designated a Historic District by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) in 2004.  As such, the Town is listed on both the Virginia Landmarks Register and the National Register of Historic Places.  In making that decision, DHR noted that the Landmarks Register “includes historic landmarks, buildings, . . . districts, . . . which are of local, statewide or national significance,” and that the Stanardsville Historic District  “deserves this official recognition as one of the Commonwealth’s historic resources.”

Most prominent among its historic 19th-century buildings are the Courthouse (1839), Lafayette Inn (1840), the Victorian (1841), and Gibbons Store / Herring Building (1845). Several other pre-Civil War buildings, two structures built in the late 18th century, and four churches dating to the late 19th and early 20th centuries are clustered along Main Street and the surrounding area.

The nomination process was spearheaded by a group of local volunteers led by Julia Dickey, Virginia Fitzhugh, and Jackie Pamenter.   The process to produce a 50-page nomination paper included the documentation and survey of more than 100 buildings within the town limits of Stanardsville.  Ranging from the 19th-century Courthouse Square to mid-20th-century commercial buildings along Main Street, the nomination detailed the history and development of the Town and took two years to complete.   Click here to view Stanardsville Historic District nomination.

The map of the Historic District below shows that it covers a large portion of the Town, whose boundaries are marked by the dashed line.  Click here for a pdf of the Stanardsville-Historic-District.