To establish the Shenandoah National Park, 500 families had to be removed from the Valley. The process of removal was often long and confusing for residents. A few people were granted a leave of stay and could remain on their homesteads until the park was complete. However, their lives were now subjected to park offical rule. This meant they had to ask permission to do virtually anything: cut wood, pick apples, repurpose old fencing, and even use their gardens.
The letters sent to the park officals requesting permissions were archived and now serve as some of the only first hand documentation of the removal.
Paired with images from Rappahannock County, VA, my family’s home, this publication represents the longing for a land and the fear of losing it.
Paired with images from Rappahannock County, VA, my family’s home, this publication represents the longing for a land and the fear of losing it.