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Genealogy added to tourism website WINCHESTER- "Heritage tourism is a growing thing," said Rebecca Ebert, archivist for the Handley Regional Library and a member of the Winchester-Frederick County Convention and Tourism Board. And to attract more of those tourists, the board has added a section on genealogy to its website, The new section, which has been under development for the past two months, can be found under "what to see and do" in the area. It includes a short history of the area, and links to sites that those who are tracking their ancestors can use. "We get a lot of people here about genealogy," Ebert said. Ebert knows firsthand that genealogy attracts tourists, said Sally Coates, executive director of the Winchester-Frederick County Visitor Center. "She's known that the (Handley) archives is a tourist attraction." The genealogy section also offers links to the library, as well as the Shenandoah Valley Genealogical Society, Mount Hebron Cemetery, Newtown History Center, and the state's new Wilderness Road site, which encourages visits to areas along the Valley Pike and the Wilderness Road as far south as Wytheville. The links should be helpful, Ebert said, for those out of the area who don't know all the ins and outs, or might not realize that the local library is named for Judge John Handley and not the city, or where else to look for history. The link to the library takes visitors to the archives information, where there is a list of the material available. For those with Handley Library cards, some information can be accessed from home computers. The rest, from manuscripts to census data to books by local historians, can be viewed at the library's archives. There are also computers there for searching other sites. The Newtown History site offers information on Stephens City's history and the information available at the center, along with lists of publications available. The Shenandoah Valley Genealogical Society explains its focus and offers information on meetings, speakers, and members who can do research work. "Heritage Tourism is an increasingly important part of the market," Ebert said. She said coming to the area to do genealogical research can be especially rewarding. "There's nothing like going by a church your family helped to found, or driving over roads they traveled, or seeing their houses," Ebert said. The local area has so many early churches and early buildings still standing, she said, that people can retrace the steps of their ancestors and see the things they saw. "You get a better feel for your family," she said. |