Backcountry Notes

William A. Brown, Postmaster of Old Rag, Virginia. Library of Congress.The Shenandoah National Park displaced some 450 families from the northern reach of Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains.  The Park meant the end of a generations-old way of life for the mountain folk, many of whom didn't want to leave.  One of the most populated, and well-studied, areas of displacement was the Old Rag-Nethers vicinity, which included Nicholson Hollow and Corbin Hollow.

Note: Click on any image for a larger view.

Below: This picture of the Old Rag area was taken by George Freeman Pollock, owner of the Skyland Lodge and a promoter of the SNP.  Pollock was complicit in painting an unflattering picture of the local mountain folk.

NW View from Old Rag Mountain. NPS.

Both local interests and Federal agents seemed to share a common interest in misrepresenting the Blue Ridge folk as ignorant, isolated, ne'er-do-well hillbillies.  Fortunately, Federal resettlement agency photographers created a small archive of pictures which, perhaps inadvertently, helps to frame a truer picture of the mountain culture.

Old Ragged Mountain, photographed by Arnold Rothstein in 1935. A dead American Chestnut, symbolic of the economic distress of the mountain folk, is in the foreground. Library of Congress.

OLD RAG

The community of Old Rag was located in Weakley Hollow, between Old Ragged Mountain (Old Rag) and the main body of the Blue Ridge. 

Barn in Old Rag community, with Old Ragged Mountain in background. Library of Congress.Arnold Rothstein's photographs of Old Rag's Postmaster William Brown are well-known.  When Old Rag was taken into the Park, Postmaster Brown was permitted to disassemble and move the post office building, which is now incorporated into a private residence in Syria, Virginia.

Postmaster Brown. Library of Congress.

Postmaster Brown at home. Library of Congress.

Weakley Hollow was primarily agricultural, producing grains and apples in good quanitities.  At one time the Old Rag community had a gristmill and two local stores, in addition to two churches and the post office.

Dodson house in Old Rag community. Library of Congress.Mrs. Dodson and children. Library of Congress.House on Old Rag road. Library of Congress.

NETHERS

The Nethers community was located in the valley of the Hughes River, at the interface of the Virginia Piedmont and the Blue Ridge.  Like Old Rag, this was an agricultural community, with its own gristmill, stores, and post office.

Nethers, Virginia, photographed about 1935. Library of Congress.Nethers Post Office and General Store. In the foreground, the Hughes River. Library of Congress.Nethers folk photographed at the Nethers Post Office. Library of Congress.

Farm on the Hughes River. Library of Congress.Nethers School. Library of Congress.

Nethers gristmill. Library of Congress.NICHOLSON HOLLOW

Grandfather Russ Nicholson. Library of Congress.Formed by the headwater streams of the Hughes River, Nicholson Hollow was a close-knit community with a successful agricultural production in addition to mountain crafts for the tourism trade and a steady output of moonshine. Nicholson Hollow farmers shipped their produce as far away as Richmond, Virginia.

So many of the families were surnamed Nicholson that hollow residents adopted a unique method of nicknaming, omitting the surname and using a parent's name to distinguish between same first names; "Jack Doe Nicholson's" son "Robinson" would be called "Jack's Robinson."

Nicholson Hollow boy and his dog, photographed beside a farm building, 1935. Library of Congress.

John Nicholson demonstrating his basket-making skills. Library of Congress.Nicholson Hollow baskets made for the tourist trade. Library of Congress.

Charles Nicholson and children. Library of Congress.

Two children of Charles Nicholson. Library of Congress.

Bailey Nicholson home. Library of Congress.

Above: The porch of the Bailey Nicholson cottage shows the traditional use of potted flowers for decoration.  Backcountry farm wives typically had a dozen, and sometimes many dozens, of such pots on the porch, porch rails, stairs, and walkways.

Mrs. Bailey Nicholson. Library of Congress.

More photographs of Nicholson Hollow folk are included in Backcountry Farming -- The Economics of Apples, below.

Nicholson Hollow Church. Library of Congress.CORBIN HOLLOW

The Corbin Hollow folk were different from those in Nicholson Hollow, one mountain ridge over.  They had largely abandoned farming by the early 1930s and had taken outside employment, some in the nearby towns, others at Skyland Lodge.  Although the written accounts and pictures of the time portrayed Corbin Hollow folk as isolated and indolent, ironically the opposite was true -- they were less isolated from the outside world and more likely to have "regular" employment.

Corbin Hollow lad playing his guitar. Library of Congress.

Log school house in Corbin Hollow. Library of Congress.

Corbin Hollow school teacher Nellie Watson. Library of Congress.

Corbin Hollow had its own school and full-time schoolmarm -- although if you credit the unfavorable accounts of the time, the only subject taught there was "How To Sign Your Name with an X."

Young man of Corbin Hollow. Library of Congress.Corbin Hollow from front porch of Dicee Corbin's cabin. Library of Congress.

Dicee Corbin. Library of Congress.Fannie Corbin and daughter. Library of Congress.

George T. Corbin cabin. VA DHR.Perhaps the best-known resident of Corbin Hollow was George T. Corbin, who lived at the mouth of the hollow on the Hughes River.  George resisted eviction until 1938 and his cabin was so well-maintained that it survived to be rehabilitated by the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club in the 1950s.  George Corbin grew peaches on his five-acre tract but never sold any. Instead, he distilled a fine peach brandy which he would "run" to customers as far away as Washington, D.C., in his Model T Ford.

Charles "Buck" Corbin and pooch. National Park Service.Interior view of Corbin Hollow cabin. Library of Congress.

Above: Conrasts -- this interior picture of a corner in a Corbin Hollow cabin shows store-bought broom, shoes, and butter churn, and a hand-made chair in need of repair.

BACKCOUNTRY FARMING -- THE ECONOMICS OF APPLES

Apples were a mainstay crop throughout the Blue Ridge-Shenandoah Valley area of Virginia for many decades.  

No more important fruit tree graces the homesteads, farms, and backyards of Appalachia than the apple (Pyrus malus, also known as Malus pumila and Malus domestica). A member of the rose family (Rosaceae), the gently fragrant and delicate apples blossoms in springtime resemble miniature roses, and their nectar is sought after by bees, which are essential for their pollination. Most apple varieties require cross-pollination in order to bear fruit satisfactorily, and so two diploid pollinating varieties must be present to pollinate each other. . . .Apples are the most prolific fruit grown in the northern temperate regions across the world, so Appalachia is no exception. As many as eight tons per acre can be harvested from a properly-managed orchard. In addition to the nutritional value and the health promoting aspects of the fruit, apple wood is hard, durable, and very fine-grained, which makes it ideal for cabinetmaking. Even apple wood chips are prized for use in imparting flavor to smoked fish.

Heirloom Apples in Central and Southern Appalachia.  The Blue Ridge folk planted terraced rows of hardy apples -- Winesaps, Grimes Goldens, Newtown Pippins, Roxbury Russets, and many more.  The apples were stored, or dried, or made into cider or apple butter or pies, some for sale and some for keeping through the winter.

Roadside stands on Lee Highway (U.S. 11) in the Shenandoah Valley. Library of Congress.

Above: This is one of my favorite pictures in the Shenandoah Valley - Blue Ridge archives.  This pair of roadside stands was located on Lee Highway, once the Great Trading Path and later the Great Wagon Road. The best apples I've ever tasted were Black Winesaps which came from a roadside stand between Charlottesville and Waynesboro.

Setting apples to dry on the roof. Library of Congress.

The apple harvest began with yellow and green summer varieties and continued deep into the fall. In the cool, dry days of fall, apples were set out to dry wherever there was room -- including the barn roof (above).

Apples stored outdoors under fodder shocks. Library of Congress.In a good year there would be so many apples that storage was a problem.  Apples for animal feed were stored on the ground under a mound of corn-fodder shocks; the corn, corn leaves, and apples could then be fed to the livestock a little at a time.

John Nicholson hand-peeling apples. Library of Congress.Russ Nicholson using store-bought apple peeler. Library of Congress.

RELATED ARTICLE: Lost Log Cabins of the Virginia Blue Ridge.

Currier & Ives, "Apples". Public Domain.

Apple festivals can be found in many places throughout this area of Virginia.  Here are links to a few:

Apple Day: A Celebration of Appalachian Heritage at Douthat State Park

Boones Mill Apple Festival

11th Annual Apple Butter Event at Big Meadows Wayside

Winchester Rotary Apple Harvest Festival

Graves Mountain Apple Harvest Festival

Carter Mountain Orchard Apple Harvest Festival

ARTICLES IN THIS SERIES:

Backcountry Folk of the Tennessee Mountains

Backcountry Folk of the Virginia Blue Ridge

Backcountry Folk of the Kentucky Mountains

Backcountry Folk of the Shenandoah Valley -- The Farm Life

Views of the Old Shenandoah Valley

Log Cabin Mountain Homes

Bear Hunting in the Smokies, 1909

Bear Hunting in the Smokies, 1909 -- Part 2

Backcountry Folk of the North Carolina Mountains