Bicentennial Time Capsule - Village Commons - Front Royal, VA
N 38° 55.060 W 078° 11.397
17S E 743629 N 4311394
Front Royal celebrated its bicentennial in 1988 with a plaque and time capsule embedded in the gazebo at the Village Commons.
Waymark Code: WMECWD
Location: Virginia, United States
Date Posted: 05/08/2012
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The Front Royal gazebo sits on the Village Commons or town square near the
Front Royal - Warren County Visitors Center in Virginia's Shenandoah Valley. A plaque embedded in the brick platform of the gazebo is inscribed:
THE TOWN OF
FRONT ROYAL
VIRGINIA
1788 [Emblem] 1988
BICENTENNIAL
TIME CAPSULE
15 NOVEMBER 1988
Front Royal was originally called Lehewtown for Peter Lehew who had purchased 200 acres of land in Warren County in the mid-1750s. A group of real estate speculators bought the town and had it incorporated as Front Royal on November 15, 1788.
One story says the name came from 'le front royal' which means the royal (or British) frontier which is how the French trappers and settlers referred to the land grant from King Charles II. Another story says the name came from the drillmaster shouting, "Front the royal oak!" to the local militia as they trained in the town square (the Village Commons today) in front of a giant oak, the royal tree of England.
Today, many events and celebrations are held at the Village Commons and gazebo. The gazebo is a symbol for the town of Front Royal and is used in many of the logos.
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