Staunton is located in
Augusta County 41 miles west of
Charlottesville between Lexington and Harrisonburg along Highway 254 off I81 near Mary Baldwin College. One of the oldest cities west of the
Blue Ridge Mountains, Staunton was settled in 1732. Because the city remained largely unscathed during the Civil War, Staunton has one of Virginia's finest collections of 19th-century architecture. Trinity Episcopal Church on Beverly Street was built in 1855 on the site of the building in which the Virginia Assembly took refuge in 1781, after escaping the British. Visitors can view 12 Tiffany stained-glass windows in the church. Staunton features five National Historic Districts packed with more than 100 historic buildings; walking tour maps are available from the visitor center and free guided walking tours are offered Saturday June-October.
