Evening star., 1938-07-31

free, clean camps as beautiful over
night stopping places. have known
people to travel cross-country, stop
ping only at forest camps, State parks
or national parks.
Past Elizabeth Furnace the valley
widens into broad farmland. The
first farm you see will come as a
distinct surprise, even though you are
expecting it; the center of q noun
tain is no place for farm. Yet
there are many farms and villages
and hundreds Of people living in Fort
Valley.
As you travel south you may won-
der why this depression in q noun
tain is called Fort Valley. You will
probably answer your own question
by saying that the valley is like
fort, inclOsed on all sides by rocky
palisaded heights. And you are prob
ably right. But strange story per-
sists that . man named Powell, who
discovered the valley, had a fort in
1t to guard secret silver mine. This
fellow Powell was reputedly rich, but
the secret Of his wealth was never
discovered. If he actually had q
silver mine, it vanished with its owner.
The helpers he was supposed to have
had he blindfolded upon their enter
ing his domain and kept them thus
guarded during their entire stay. They
never knew where the mine was nor
even what the inside of Fort Valley
looked like.
A MOTHER story in connection with
= the name Fort Valley" Is that
Gen. Lee, when Confederate for
tunes were ebbing, thought Of using
this natural fort as q last retreat.
Had he done 80 . more exciting nm
ish than Appomattox would have
been written to the war between the
States. An army of few thousand
could have lived indefinitely In the
valley. and single company could
defend the one narrow entrance
against q horde.
Detrick is the metropolis" Of Fort
Valley. From it road goes west to
the Woodstock Observation Tower, and
one goes east to what Is left of the
Seven Fountains" Only one of the
springs Is kept up now. where for
merly seven Of them provided waters
for health resorters. The best road
goes straight ahead.
The encircling walls Of Massanut-
ten gradually become lower and lower
as the floor Of the valley approx
mates the mountain tops Suddenly
you dodge through small pass and
swing out onto the outside of the
mountain. From this point, where the
road hangs over space, there is fine
view OF the Piedmont At New Market
Gap you join U. S. No. 2l1 and drop
into New Market.
II you want to fill out this trip into
4 full-day excursion, go up the val
ley to Winchester. Here you may buy
one Of the best meals in Virginia at
the Southern Inn. on Piccadilly street.
Winchester combines present impor-
tance with the most unusual historical
past OF any town in this era. Plan to
spend an hour or two or half day and
look for the unusual in Winchester
the things that make you say, We'll, I
didn't know that"
THERE are persons living in and
about Winchester who can re-
member the Yankee bayonets glisten-
ing in the sun as they first entered
the town in 1862. Old men over 80
can tell you from memory of the II
times Winchester was taken and re-
taken after that. They can tell you Of
living under military law, Of the near
anarchy among the citizenry, Of their
homes being cannonaded. At the
corner Of Clifford and Loudoun streets
3 cannon ball can be seen buried in
the wall Of q house Just as it lodged
there rs years ago. They can tell you
personal acts Of dare-deviltry-of tax
ing Union guns and horses and CIV
ing them to Confederates.
Mr.. j. Few Brown tells . story Of
stealing two Of Gen. Sheridans best