Where the Fourth of July Was Born, Sheltered, and Silenced

A county that helped author independence. A church on Beverley Street that saved a government. A few chapters of American history that all passed through the same small city in the Shenandoah Valley.

Independence Day has deep roots in Staunton. Long before parades looped the park or fireworks lit the valley, this city shaped the holiday and then, during its worst years, watched the holiday turn h…