Pictorial Representations of the Shenandoah Valley in the Mid-Twentieth Century Angela Lee Walthall James Madison University
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James Madison University JMU Scholarly Commons Masters Theses The Graduate School Spring 2012 Capturing a complex moment: Pictorial representations of the Shenandoah Valley in the mid-twentieth century Angela Lee Walthall James Madison University Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/master201019 Part of the History Commons Recommended Citation Walthall, Angela Lee, "Capturing a complex moment: Pictorial representations of the Shenandoah Valley in the mid-twentieth century" (2012). Masters Theses. 358. https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/master201019/358 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the The Graduate School at JMU Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses by an authorized administrator of JMU Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Capturing a Complex Moment: Pictorial Representations of the Shenandoah Valley in the Mid-Twentieth Century Angela Lee Walthall A thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of History May 2012 Dedication To my parents and grandparents, whose constant love and support carried me to every accomplishment that has led to the completion of this degree. Thank you for raising me to be the person that I am , I could not have come this far without you. Also to Danny, for staying at my side through thick and thin during the past two years, and for keeping my head calm, my heart happy, and my stomach fed, even on the worst days. ii Acknowledgements I would like to thank the members of the James Madison University History Department who encouraged and supported me throughout the duration of this project. Thanks to Dr. Gabrielle Lanier, my director, for her vigilant guidance and enthusiasm for my work, and for helping me to turn an idea into a successful project. Also, thanks to Dr. Margaret Mulrooney and Dr. Clive Hallman, my readers, for their comments and enthusiasm for my work. Thanks also to Mrs. Peggy Dillard, for introducing me to the field and possibilities in archival work. Additionally, I would like to thank Trevor Alvord, Special Collections Librarian, and Julia Merkel, Historic Preservationist, at Carrier Library for providing their constant guidance and support with the processing of the William Garber Photograph Collection, and for their continued interest in the project long after the collection was added to the shelf. Finally, I would like to thank my family and friends for their everlasting support and understanding. iii Table of Contents Dedication ........................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................. iii List of Figures ......................................................................................................................v Abstract ............................................................................................................................. vii I. Introduction ..............................................................................................................1 II. Recognizing Potential in Visual Sources and Garber’s Photographs ......................7 III. Transforming Lifestyles in the Valley ...................................................................22 IV. Confronting Racial Integration ..............................................................................39 V. Appealing to Fellow Americans ............................................................................48 VI. Conclusion .............................................................................................................90 VII. Appendix A ............................................................................................................92 VIII. Bibliography ........................................................................................................188 iv List of Figures 1. Map of Shenandoah County, Virginia 2. Shenandoah Valley Electric Cooperative 3. Hodgin’s Store 4. Marston’s Home Appliance Store 5. Hotpoint Appliance Showcase 6. Everly Drug Store 7. Unidentified Store 8. Unidentified Store 9. John Deere Day 10. John Deere Day 11. Woman driving a John Deere tractor 12. Boy driving a John Deere tractor 13. Jack Reynold’s Airplane Spraying Service 14. Tyler Flight Service and Insect Control 15. Poultry Farmer in the Shenandoah Valley 16. Farm of Gene Runion 17. Poultry display by the Rockingham Poultry Plant 18. Broadway School Library 19. Broadway School Classroom 20. Broadway School Library 21. Safety Patrol Officers 22. Massanutten Military Academy students 23. New Market High School Auditorium 24. Elkton Bucks baseball team 25. Two African Americans in the Shenandoah Valley 26. Endless Caverns Tea Room 27. Endless Caverns grounds 28. Endless Caverns grounds 29. Endless Caverns cave entrance 30. Melrose Caverns 31. Melrose Caverns 32. Melrose Caverns 33. Melrose Caverns 34. Musical performance inside of a cavern 35. Musical performance inside of a cavern 36. Scenic view of a rocky mountainside 37. Aerial view of farmland 38. Aerial view of farmland 39. Aerial view of the Shenandoah River 40. Stroop’s Snake Farm 41. Stroop’s Snake Farm 42. Stroop’s Snake Farm 43. Stroop’s Snake Farm v 44. Alligators at Stroop’s Snake Farm 45. Birds at Stroop’s Snake Farm 46. The Shenandoah Alum Springs Hotel 47. The Shenandoah Alum Springs Hotel 48. The Shenandoah Alum Springs Hotel 49. The Shenandoah Alum Springs Hotel 50. Shenandoah Alum Springs Hotel 51. Shenandoah Alum Springs Hotel 52. Shenvalee Hotel and Golf Resort 53. Shenvalee Hotel and Golf Resort 54. Shenvalee Hotel and Golf Resort 55. The Lee-Jackson Hotel 56. Cottage Court/Will-O-Inn Roadside Cabins 57. Don’s Roadside Cabins 58. Spanish War Veterans Reunion at the Orkney Springs Hotel 59. Horse riding at Natural Chimneys 60. Jousting at Natural Chimneys 61. Timberville Horse Show, 1947 62. Timberville Horse Show, 1947 63. Broadway Horse Show, 1949 64. Shenandoah Baseball Team 65. Quicksburg Baseball Team 66. Baseball players from the New Market Rebels and Harrisonburg Turks 67. Shenandoah County Fair 68. Shenandoah County Fair 69. Dog performing tricks 70. Fishing in the Valley 71. Fishing in the Valley 72. Fishing in the Valley 73. Water recreation in the Valley 74. Hunting in the Valley vi Abstract This thesis includes the work, research, and findings that culminated from a non- traditional project that revolved around the processing and analysis of the William Garber Photograph Collection, which is housed in Special Collections of Carrier Library at James Madison University. After processing the photograph collection according to standard archival practice, I analyzed the images to make conclusions about life in the Shenandoah Valley during the post-World War II era. As I delved further into the photographs, I became increasingly aware of three trends: rural modernization, the prevalence of white supremacy, and an emphasis on tourism in the region. Secondary work on the period confirmed these processes, allowing me to use Garber’s photographs to make a case for the occurrence of each in the Valley as it became more integrated into a broader national framework in the mid-twentieth century. vii Introduction Combining written and non-traditional sources to construct a more complete story of the past while effectively making that story available to a wider audience is an underlying common goal among public historians. The idea of making history accessible and more engaging to the general public was certainly the major appeal for me when making my decisions about what to study as an undergraduate. In 2010, I was still intrigued by these concepts as I entered graduate school, hoping that I would be able to find my niche somewhere in the field. In the end, with some help from a few select professors, I was able to formulate a thesis project that allowed me to make a large photograph collection available to the public while using the less traditional sources to add to the story of post World-War II America. During my second and third semesters in graduate school I worked as a graduate assistant in Special Collections of Carrier Library at James Madison University. Very early in my tenure there, I approached Special Collections Librarian Trevor Alvord and Historic Preservationist Julia Merkel about the research possibilities available in the collection, and they immediately pulled from an obscure cabinet what was to become the William Garber Photograph Collection. This collection had been purchased by previous Special Collections Librarian Tracy Harter in 2009, and arrived at Carrier Library crammed into labeled photograph sleeves and scattered loosely in a large box. After my initial inspection of the images, I collaborated with Mr. Alvord, Mrs. Merkel, and Dr. Gabrielle Lanier of the history department to set up a plan for a successful thesis project. These three individuals, along with Dr. Margaret Mulrooney and Dr. Clive Hallman, who 2 would make up the remainder of my thesis committee under Dr. Lanier’s direction, remained my support group for the duration of my work. Through graduate coursework and my assistantship in Special Collections, I realized that I had an aptitude for archival work; therefore, this project catered to my interests while also enhancing my experience in