Broadway, Virginia

Discover Broadway

The Shenandoah Valley is formed by the eastern Blue Ridge Mountains and the western Appalachian range. Near a place where Linville Creek joins the North Fork of the Shenandoah River, a man named Conrad Custer built a mill in the early 19th century. The community that grew up on an important east-west thoroughfare near the mill became known as "Old Custer's Mill." Many of the settlers were German immigrants of the Dunker faith who met in local homes until the Linville Creek church was built in 1828.

In 1854 the first post office built in the town was named "The Broadway Depot." Tradition has it that the town's name came from its residents who chose "the broad way" over the straight and narrow. During the Civil War, Broadway felt the destructive forces of the Valley Campaign. The town was famously home to John Kline, a Dunker pastor who was jailed for his pacifist beliefs yet continued to travel throughout the North and South during the war. Kline was assassinated just outside of town on suspicion of being a Northern spy.

Broadway recovered and continued to grow after the war. The coming of the railroad brought a boom, drawing industry and turning Broadway into a bustling urban center that included hotels, boarding houses, an opera house and several newspapers by the late 19th century. The town was incorporated in 1880.

Today Broadway is home to nearly 3,700 residents. The presence of three public schools — elementary, middle, and high — is a big part of the community, drawing hundreds of students and teachers and bringing sporting events supported by the local community. In the last decade, efforts to revitalize Broadway's Main Street area have drawn unique arts and merchants to the community.

The city of Harrisonburg, the county seat of Rockingham with a population of 40,000, is about 12 miles away with retail, medical and educational services. Broadway combines volunteer fire and rescue squads, reliable high-speed internet, and a thriving farmers market during summer months with its enduring small-town charm.