Shenandoah Heritage: The Story of the People Before the Park

by Carolyn Reeder, Jack Reeder

The descendants of the mountain people speak with deep respect of the self-reliance of their forebears. They refer to the stamina, the craftsmanship, the woodlore of these people. They wonder if our modern "civilized" way of life is really an improvement over that of their "Is it progress to make people dissatisfied? To make them want what they don't have?" Breaking the stereotypes; Mountain homes and life styles; Families; The Delon Taylor family; "They are kindly and helpful"; Transportation and roads; Community life; Corbin Hollow; Boyhood in Weakley Hollow; Health; Education; Religion; Income and occupations; Apples, cabbages, and the time of day; Tools; Framing; One-upmanship; Moonshining; "Mr. Frank's" encounter; Lawlessness; The chestnut and the mountain economy; Technology changes the mountain way of life; The Park movement; Outsiders aid the mountain people; The rescue; From farmland to parkland; Land owners, tenants, and squatters; Easing the transition; Limbo; Aubrey Sisk; Where are they today?.

Genres: History

87 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1978

About the author

Carolyn Reeder was an American writer best known for children's historical novels. She also wrote three non-fiction books about Shenandoah National Park for adults together with her husband. She won the Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction.

Reviews

[Jennifer]

This nonfiction book tells the story of the people who lived in the Shenandoah mountains before the national park was formed in 1926. Many of the people worked and lived off the land--some of them didn't even own that land. The education and health of the people varied widely depending on how remote their home was. Those close to the mountain's edge had more access to education, health care, and information. This book is part statistics but contains enough stories and cultural info to be interesting. This book also tells how the area was chosen to be a national park and how the people of the area were relocated, sometimes unwillingly. It was more interesting because we visited the park about a year ago.

[Joel]

Part sociology, part story telling, ample illustrating. perhaps not a good history objective, but am interesting sorry read nonetheless.

[Justin Bennett]

Very informative, and exactly the book I was looking for. I just wish it was a bit longer.

[Joshua Parker]

Good read! At a cabin in Shenandoah with Lizzie.

[Catherine Richmond]

Most books of Virginia history end at Appomattox Courthouse as Robert E. Lee rides off into the sunset. Shenandoah Heritage fills this void for the mountain region. Families worked subsistence farms, dividing the land as the sons reached adulthood. Chestnut trees provided much of the income. Schools had closed, but missionaries worked to start new schools (just like Catherine Marshall's Christy!). Mountain folks resisted moving for the national park, but public sentiment held that they'd be better off elsewhere. Do you suppose they were?

[Katarina]

Good historical information about the formation of Shenandoah National Park and the inhabitants that used to live there.