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This past summer, the Luray Caverns Corp. purchased and relocated the Old Leaksville Brethren Church (aka Mt. Zion) site to a new site near the caverns (see the Page County Sites map on page 110 of the book). At this new site, the church will serve as part of a new Luray Caverns museum experience showcasing life in the Shenandoah Valley in the early 1800s.

Note that despite the claim made in a newspaper article (Page News & Courier) by a representative of the Luray Caverns, there is no record of the church having served as a barracks. The Civil War era graffiti inside the church is indicative of its being used, more than likely, as a picket post and simple stopping point for men on the march.

Incidentally, the different writings made on the walls by Union and Confederate soldiers can be found, as transcribed, on page 259 of Harry M. Strickler’s A Short History of Page County, Virginia. I took photos of some of these a few years ago, but the images are not very clear. If I can find them again, I will post them here.

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