History of Shenvalee Golf Resort in New Market, VA
Shenvalee Golf Resort is gearing up for the 100th anniversary of the grand opening next year on July 7, 2027; however, the planning and land acquisition for the resort began in 2026 with the purchase of the land known as the Dr. Strayer Upper Form, which had a house on the property that later became the main building, by Roland G. Hill. Mr. Hill had a dream of building a resort with a 9-hole golf course, the first of this kind in the Shenandoah Valley.
The land was originally part of the 378-acre land grant by Thomas Lord Fairfax to Valentine Sevier on July 27, 1749. On May 9, 1765, Sevier sold the property to his 20-year-old son John Sevier, who married 16-year-old Sarah Hawkins, daughter of Joseph and Sarah Hawkins of Hawkinstown, in 1762. John Sevier later moved to Tennessee where he became Governor.
Over the next decades, the land changed ownership multiple times. It was sold to John Strickler (1772), Henry Sulcer (1778), George Lafferty (1802), William Steenbergen (1805), John Click Jr (1809), and Dr. John Strayer (1818.) The land that is now the front nine holes of golf (the Olde Course) was part of the area of operations during the Battle of New Market on May 15, 1864. The land continued to change owners: B. P. Newman (1889), William A. Pence (1902), Clarence A. Pence (1917) before Roland Hill purchased it.
Hill enlarged the dwelling on the property and made it a two-story hotel with a large central ballroom with a balcony, and created the first golf course in Shenandoah County, in front of the hotel. The nine hole Olde Course was constructed by men using picks, shovels, and wagons to haul dirt. Newspaper publisher John G. Miller, chose the name Shenvalee, a combination of Shenandoah and Lee (or Shenandoah Valley.)
In 1926, Shenandoah Valley Estates was incorporated, and the family of Dr. Casper Otto Miller took over ownership of the property. His son John G. Miller later sold the corporation to stockholders.
Opening day for the hotel and golf course was July 7, 1927, with Bobby Jones, a popular amateur golfer and co-founder of the Masters’ Golf Tournament, teeing off first. A portrait of Jones is in the lobby of Shenvalee. The Shenvalee advertisement as “The Home of Hospitality” resulted in many visitors and locals coming to the resort for the food and dining facilities, in addition to golfers.
In 1929, a fire erupted in Room 10 on the second floor, and the Shenvalee was heavily damaged. During rebuilding, a third floor was added, and the ballroom was sealed over to create a dining room. The era of the balconied ballroom was over; however, many continued to enjoy food, especially the Sunday buffet, in the dining room. The dining room is no longer used except for rentals for banquets or other social events. Food is now served at the renovated and expanded Miller Grille, a popular full-service bar and restaurant at Shenvalee, which replaced The Sand Trap bar downstairs that was frequented by golfers back in the day.
During World War II, the U. S. Department of War housed Italian diplomats who had been captured in North Africa or detained in the United States in the Shenvalee Hotel. Shenvalee closed to the public from October 4, 1943, through December 5, 1944, while they diplomats who were guarded by locals and a guard dog were there. The detained diplomats enjoyed the amenities of the resort and the beauty of the area.
In 1960, the Poolside Motel was constructed south of the original hotel to accommodate the growing number of guests and a swimming pool was added in 1961. The back nine holes were added in 1964; the present golf shop was built in 1965. The golf side motel was added in 1969, with a wing added in 1973. Tennis courts were added in 1975; they are no longer there.
The manager of Shenvalee is currently Bob Muleller. The Board of Directors at Shenvalee are mostly people who grew up playing golf at Shenvalee, most of whom I know well. Willy Pirtle is President of the Board. The only female member, Donna Abernathy, has a long family history with her late father Don serving as long time manager. Donna played golf for JMU and turned professional after college. She still holds the women’s court record with a 67 score.
The Shenvalee has a special place in my heart. Two of today’s management team, Josh Spence (Food and Beverage) and Katie Walthall (Marketing Director) are former students. My late husband Jon and I had to borrow money to buy Shenvalee stock. He played golf often on his Dunham Bush golf league and in tournaments. When we sold our townhouse in town and the house we were buying wasn’t ready, we lived at Shenvalee for a week or so during the winter (school was closed several days and I walked to the Post Office to get our mail as a diversion!) We enjoyed the great food and the hospitality for which Shenvalee is famous.
Marketing Director Katie Walthall has this message about Shenvalee preparing for the celebration next year:
“For nearly 100 years, Shenvalee has been fortunate to continue operating as originally intended: a local golf and dining spot and vacation destination. Shenvalee’s grand opening was held on July 7, 1927. Invitations were sent out for the opening celebration, which included a golf exhibition, a dedication, a dinner, and a ball. Our goal is to honor these details in a modern way while celebrating Shenvalee’s history, and we invite this community to share what has made Shenvalee so special to them after all these years. We also plan to display various memorabilia/Shenvalee artifacts throughout 2027 for people to view, and we are still collecting items such as old photos, old score cards, signs, logoed clothing, etc. to put on display for next year. If you have any Shenvalee items you would like to share, please contact marketing director, Katie Walthall at kwalthall@shenvalee.com.”
