Blog Posts - Friends of Shenandoah Mountain

PATC Receives Enduring Service Award from Forest Service

4/24/2019

An inviting section of the Shenandoah Mountain Trail maintained by PATC-SSVC

The Potomac Appalachian Trail Club (PATC) received the US Forest Service Chief's 2018 Enduring Service Award on Earth Day. This national award recognizes PATC's 90-year collaborative partnership with the Forest Service in the Lee and North River Ranger Districts of the George Washington & Jefferson National Forests.

Members of the Southern Shenandoah Valley Chapter (SSVC) of PATC maintain trails within the proposed Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area and in Ramseys Draft Wilderness in the North River District. SSVC members typically volunteer 1,000-2,000 hours per year on Shenandoah Mountain trails from High Knob Fire Tower near Rt. 33 south to Confederate Breastworks on Rt. 250. Trail maintenance typically involves clipping back vegetation, removing blowdowns, and controlling erosion. SSVC organizes work trips with church groups, college student groups, Americorps volunteers, and Southern Appalachian Wilderness Stewards (SAWS).

SSVC also works in collaboration with Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition, who received the 2016 Forest Service Enduring Service Award. Together these organizations and other volunteers keep Shenandoah Mountain trails open and available for enjoyment by the public.

Congratulations to PATC for this important recognition, based on many years of volunteer work!

Shenandoah Mountain Wildflower Walks - April 27

3/31/2019

Gaywing (Fringed polygala) Photo © Jeannie Holden

Our annual spring wildflower walks will be held on Saturday, April 27. These walks are a great opportunity to explore the beauty of Shenandoah Mountain and find a variety of wildflowers. Each hike will have a wildflower expert to help identify flowers.

Choose from four walks:

Hone Quarry - 4 miles. Hike to a waterfall and see wildflowers along the way.
North River Campground - <1 mile in the morning
North River Campground - <1 mile in the afternoon
North River Gorge - 2 miles

Be sure to bring your camera!

Learn details and register to attend.

Cosponsored by Friends of Shenandoah Mountain and Headwaters Master Naturalists

Flood of 1949 Video Now Available

2/13/2019

We now have a video of this program available online:

Flood of 1949 Program
Verona Government Center
Nov. 19, 2018
6:30-8:00 p.m.
Co-sponsored by Friends of Shenandoah Mountain and Augusta County Historical Society

Unfortunately, the camera card filled up just as Aubrey Urbanowitz began her presentation on the weather event, but viewers can still enjoy over 70 minutes of the program

Many thanks to Richard Adams for recording this event. We are glad to have a lasting record of this wonderful event.

Enjoy!

Flood of 1949 Program - Nov. 19, 2018

9/13/2018

Jake Cramer house in Stokesville, just downstream from North River Gap, after the Flood. Photo from Alan Cramer Collection.

The June 1949 cloudburst over the Reddish Knob area was a significant event in the history of Shenandoah Mountain. The little town of Stokesville was wiped out, and Bridgewater experienced a historic flood, as did farms and homes along the North River. The mountainsides slid away under the weight of 15 inches of rain in one day. The families who were affected have stories that they have passed down to their children and grandchildren.

Come and hear more about the Flood of 1949 from a panel of speakers:

Nancy Sorrells, Augusta County historian
Aubrey Urbanowicz, WHSV Chief Meteoroligist
Linda Michael Kelley, Stokesville flood survivor
Leslie Jopson Bulken, Bridgewater flood survivor
Lynn Cameron, Friends of Shenandoah Mountain

When: Monday, Nov. 19, 6:30 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
Where: Augusta County Government Building,
18 Gov Center Ln, Verona, VA 24482

Free and open to the public.

Read about the flood and see historic photos at Flood of 1949 on our web site.

Butterfly Walk on Shenandoah Mountain - Sept. 23 - Cancelled

9/5/2018

Explore the rich variety of butterflies on Shenandoah Mountain with Master Naturalist John Holden and photographer Jeannie Holden. We will begin at Briery Branch Lake and drive to several flower-filled clearings along the road to Reddish Knob.

This will be a patient , slow paced “ walk “ and a group effort to find species in mixed habitats.

This is a great opportunity to learn and have fun at the same time.

Registration required. Children are welcome.

Learn more and sign up.

History of Shenandoah Mountain: Flood of 1949

8/28/2018

Photo: The Emmett house in Stokesville, just downstream from North River Gap, was washed off its foundation and lodged against an apple tree, with the family trapped on second floor. Miraculously, no one was injured. Photo courtesy of Gay Michael and Dorwon Emmett Collection

The June 1949 cloudburst over the Reddish Knob area was a significant event in the history of Shenandoah Mountain with 15 inches of rain falling in one day. The little town of Stokesville was wiped out, and Bridgewater experienced a historic flood, as did farms and homes along the North River. The families who were affected have stories they have passed down to their children and grandchildren. After the Flood of 1949, dikes and reservoirs were constructed to prevent another devastating flood of this magnitude. The mature, deep-rooted forest that grows on the steep slopes of Shenandoah Mountain today will also help reduce the severity of future floods.

The Little River Watershed, where it rained 15 inches on June 17, 1949, causing 75 landslides and flooding communities downstream. Photo © Brad Striebig

Lynn Cameron, Co-Chair of Friends of Shenandoah Mountain, and Caroline Whitlow, a JMU Social Work major, teamed up to research the flood and interview survivors. The result is a series of stories about what happened on Shenandoah Mountain and in the Stokesville area.

We are grateful to Bridgewater College Special Collection, James Madison University Libraries, the Augusta County Historical Society, the Bridgewater Historical Society, and the George Washington National Forest North River Ranger District for their assistance and use of their photographs and other resources. We are especially grateful to all the flood survivors and their decendents who shared their stories and their photographs: Alan Cramer, Gay Michael Emmett, and Dorwon Emmett, Lee Beam, Mike and Bootsie Twitchell, Leslie Bulken, and the late Harry (Doc) Jopson.

"Stokesville: Early History", Presentation by Clarence Geier

5/24/2018

Map of Stokesville in the early 1900s. Courtesy of Dr. Clarence Geier (click to enlarge)

Dr. Clarence Geier, Professor Emeritus of James Madison University, gave an engaging presentation on the early history of Stokesville on May 23, 2018, in Bridgewater. Dr. Geier has given Friends of Shenandoah Mountain permission to share his presentation with those who were unable to attend.

Many thanks to Dr. Geier for presenting research that he, Dr. Carole Nash, and Dr. Skip Hyser did this boom town at the base of Shenandoah Mountain. It's a fascinating story!

Dr. Geier and Dr. Nash are writing a book on Stokesville that will be published by the Archaeological Society of Virginia with the permission of the U.S. Forest Service.

2018 Wildflower Walks a Success!

5/7/2018

Gaywing. Photo © Jeannie Holden

Almost 70 participants and guides gathered at the base of Shenandoah Mountain on Saturday, April 28, to go on our annual wildflower hikes. Participants had a choice of three hikes:

Hone Quarry
North River Gorge
Todd Lake area

The wildflowers were a little late to bloom this year, but we were able to find some real beauties and the scenery was stunning. Enjoy this gallery of photos, all from the 2018 Shenandoah Mountain Wildflower Walks.

Headwaters Master Naturalists and Friends of Shenandoah Mountain cosponsored this event. Stay tuned. We plan to offer wildflower hikes again next April.

Stokesville: Early History - Presentation by Dr. Clarence Geier on May 23

5/4/2018

Dr. Clarence Geier, Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at James Madison University, will reconstruct the town plan and the lumber industry that supported this North River Gap boom town. Stokesville is located at the foot of Shenandoah Mountain in western Augusta County.

According to the Stokesville historical marker:

The village of Stokesville, established by 1901,
became a boomtown after the Chesapeake Western Railway was extended here in 1902. Tram lines into the mountains brought timber to the rail head. Lumber mills, bark tanneries, a stave and heading factory, and other enterprises attracted many workers, and the town's population reached 1500 by 1905. A passenger depot, post office, hospital, hotels, stores, and a church served the community.
Stokesville declined after 1910 as the area's timber supply dwindled.

A flood in 1949 destroyed most of its remaining structures."

The quiet community of Stokesville now serves as a gateway to the proposed Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area.

Come and enjoy this rare opportunity to hear Dr. Geier present his research on Stokesville.
When: Wed., May 23 at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Bridgewater Municipal Building, Arey Assembly Hall, 201 Green St., Bridgewater, VA 22812

Short Hikes on Shenandoah Mountain

4/5/2018

Hiker at overlook on Cliff Trail at Hone Quarry. Photo by Lynn Cameron

Have you been wanting to explore the proposed Shenandoah Mountain National Scenic Area, but aren't sure where to start? Friends of Shenandoah Mountain has developed a web page with several recommended short hikes on Shenandoah Mountain. For each hike you will find a hike description, directions to the trail head, photos, and a map.

Go to:  Short Hikes on Shenandoah Mountain

We have also developed a "Short Hikes on Shenandoah Mountain" brochure (shown below), which is available at local outdoor stores and at White's Wayside on Rt. 250.