About

Greene County Formed from Orange County in 1838, this rural Piedmont county was named for Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene, Revolutionary War hero. In 1722, Lt. Gov. Alexander Spotswood issued the Octonia land grant to eight Virginians; the Octonia Stone, five miles southeast of here, is a rare stone boundary marker that designates the westernmost edge of this 24,000-acre grant. William Stanard, heir to a portion of this grant, founded Stanardsville, the county seat, in 1794. The county’s courthouse, built in the Roman Revival style popularized by Thomas Jefferson, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In the 1930s, 15% of Greene County’s land was acquired to form Shenandoah National Park.

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