The Bushong Farm

The Bushong Farm (HM8J9)

Location: New Market, VA 22844 Shenandoah County
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Country: United States of America
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N 38° 39.792', W 78° 40.086'

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Inscription

Caught in the Crossfire

On June 22, 1791, Henry Bushong patented a 260-acre tract in Shenandoah County that would be home for several generations of his descendants. Henry's son, Jacob married Sarah Strickler in 1818. They took up residence in a four-room log house and began a family that would grow to include four boys and two girls.

In 1825 Jacob Bushong built this vernacular Federal-style home. An 1852 expansion added double porches attached on the north end to provide extra room for the growing family. The Bushongs raised wheat, oats, cattle, hogs, and horses. Wheelwright and blacksmith shops provided farm implements for the Bushongs and other area families. The family worked alongside three African American slaves on the property—an unmarried man, a woman named Mary, and a young boy, Israel.

On May 15, 1864 seven family members took refuge in their sturdy cellar as the Battle of New Market raged across their farm. Peering through the windows, they saw VMI cadets pass on the east and west sides of the house as they marched to join the Confederate battle line. After the battle the house and barn, like most buildings in and around New Market, served as a hospital..

(Sidebar):George R. Collins
In the early 1940s the Bushong family sold the farm to Mr. and Mrs. Everette Croxton, who in turn sold it in 1944 to George Randall Collins, VMI Class of 1911. At his death in 1964, Mr. Collins bequeathed the Bushong Farm and a $3 million operating endowment to VMI "to be used as a trust to perpetuate and maintain as a Memorial of the Battle of New Market."
Details
HM NumberHM8J9
Tags
Placed ByVirginia Civil War Trails and Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Wednesday, September 24th, 2014 at 5:00pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)17S E 702889 N 4281982
Decimal Degrees38.66320000, -78.66810000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 38° 39.792', W 78° 40.086'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds38° 39' 47.52" N, 78° 40' 5.16" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)540
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 8895 George R Collins Pkwy, New Market VA 22844, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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