Collections : [James Madison University]

Records an interview with Charles Wagner, who came to the Shenandoah Valley in 1935, after enlisting in the Civilian Conservation Corps, (CCC), and was stationed near Luray, Virginia. Describes his career in the CCC, working as a laborer, cook, truck driver and eventually being promoted to First Sergeant. Mr. Wagner describes the hierarchy of the CCC camps, the command structure and the types of work performed by the enrollees. Detailed accounts of everyday life in the camps, from the living and working conditions to the educational and recreational opportunities are given. Mr. Wagner also relates his first-hand experiences with local entrepreneur George Freeman Pollock, owner of nearby Skyland resort, who was a major influence in the establishment of Shenandoah National Park. There is no audio recording for this interview; interview consists of transcript only.

Records an interview with Davis Twyman, who lived for more than eighty years in Syria, Va., in Madison County, at the eastern edge of Shenandoah National Park. The Twyman family owned a general store and grist mill in Syria, and Mr. Twyman recalls his interactions with the mountain people before and after the founding of the park. Discusses the limited economic opportunities available to the mountain people, such as the chestnut harvests, bark peeling, truck farming and moon-shining. Recalls the establishment of the presidential retreat known as Camp Hoover, in 1928, and the impact that President Hoover and his wife had on the local community.

Records the reminiscences of Isaac W. Beahm, who was born in the Batman Hollow area of Page County, Virginia, on a farm that would eventually become part of Shenandoah National Park. Describes his early home life, the loss of both parents when he was six years old, and the difficulties of running a small farm at the beginning of the 20th century. Recalls his school days at the Rocky Branch School, farm chores, and various odd jobs he held, such as working at local saw mills and tanneries, as well as helping to construct Skyline Drive. Discusses family gatherings, such as apple butter boilings, hog butchering and the folk music and dancing that often ensued. The interview was conducted at the home of Mr. Beahm's daughter, who is not named in the interview, but whose comments are interspersed throughout. Both Mr. Beahm and his daughter mention participating in the dedication ceremonies for the park, conducted by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1936. The Beahms were one of the few families to move from the area voluntarily, prior to the opening of the park.

Records an interview with Lola Wood, whose family lived in Harmony Hollow, in Warren County, Virginia, near Front Royal. Describes the derivation of many mountain place names and the origins of many of the founding families in the area. Discusses the importance of agriculture to the region and recalls the cattle and turkey drives that would move through the streets of Front Royal.

Records an interview with Louis Graves, who grew up in Madison County, Virginia, not far from the site where President Herbert Hoover would construct a rustic retreat known as Rapidan Camp, and later as Camp Hoover. Hoover paid for the project out of his own funds and the camp was constructed by a detachment of U.S. Marines as a military exercise by March, 1929. Louis Graves recalls speeches given by President Hoover and other dignitaries in Madison, Va., as part of a day-long Hoover Day celebration on August 9, 1929. Graves relates that more than 10,000 people attended the event, including Virginia governor Harry F. Byrd, who arrived at the celebration aboard an Army reconnaissance blimp. Includes a discussion of the economic situation in Madison County in 1929, during a time of prolonged drought and at the onset of the Great Depression. There is no audio recording for this interview; interview consists of transcript only.

Records a group interview with Pearl Smith, (née Nettie Pearl Williams), who lived in an area known as Morning Star, in Page County, Virginia, with her husband J. Benton Smith, until the opening of Shenandoah National Park in 1934. Describes daily life in the mountains, touching on the work of growing and preserving food, herbal remedies, courtship and holidays.

Records the reminiscences of Randal Dean, who was born and raised on Dean Mountain, near Elkton, Virginia, an area that became part of Shenandoah National Park. Describes home and family life, school days, farm chores, livestock and his work in his father's saw mill. Discusses family gatherings, such as holidays, apple butter boilings, hog butchering and funerals. Includes references to bark peeling and local moonshiners.

Records an interview with Rev. Wilfred Waterhouse and his wife, Beatrice, who served as missionaries at the Episcopal mission near Pocosin Hollow, in the 1930s. The Waterhouses recall their impressions of the local mountain people, their lifestyles, manners and codes of conduct.