Community, Commerce, and Creativity in Mount Jackson

Mount Jackson tourism pod

Mount Jackson, Virginia, is having a moment. During a recent Tourism Tuesday episode of The Valley Today, Town Manager Olivia Hilton talks with host Janet Michael to share an ambitious slate of initiatives transforming this small Shenandoah County community. From quirky farmers markets to business incubators, Mount Jackson is proving that small towns can think big—and get a little weird while doing it. Click here to listen.

Honoring History First

Before diving into future plans, Olivia highlights the town’s commitment to preserving its past. On February 28th, Mount Jackson will host “Roots and Resilience,” the finale event for Shenandoah County’s Black History Month programming. The event features historian Rosemary Wallinger, who will discuss the CCC camp at Wolf Gap and her work revitalizing the Mount Jackson Colored Cemetery, which was recently added to Virginia’s historic registry. Notably, the town plans to record Wallinger’s presentation so descendants living in other states can participate virtually, demonstrating how Mount Jackson balances heritage preservation with modern accessibility.

Junk and Jams: When Markets Get Funky

Starting in April, Mount Jackson launches what might be the region’s most creative take on the traditional farmers market. “Junk and Jams” reimagines the second Saturday market experience by pairing music genres with seasonal themes, creating what Olivia describes as a “funky” alternative to larger regional markets.

The concept emerged from a brainstorming session—or perhaps a dream—by Assistant Town Manager, Greg Beam, who texted Olivia a flurry of ideas one morning. Rather than competing with established markets in Harrisonburg or Winchester, Mount Jackson decided to embrace its quirky side. Each month features a distinct theme: April kicks off with “Retro and Roots,” a 1950s greaser aesthetic meets spring cleaning, complete with retro kitchen kitsch, greenhouse starts, and farm-fresh eggs. May transitions to “Floral and Fiddles,” while August brings “Sunflowers and Southern Rock” during the town’s yard crawl weekend.

Beyond the alliterative themes, Junk and Jams incorporates interactive elements that set it apart. A Model T club will demonstrate disassembling and reassembling vintage cars. The local museum plans a “Price is Right” style game featuring historical products. Vendors will demonstrate kombucha brewing and tea making. Meanwhile, the town is developing a digital cookbook to tie into the bicentennial celebration, weaving history into every program.

Importantly, vendors don’t need to match the monthly theme—the music and decor create the vibe while crafters, farmers, and vintage sellers bring whatever handmade, homemade, or antique goods they offer. At just $10 per market or $60 for all six events, the barrier to entry remains intentionally low. As Olivia jokes, even if only she and Greg show up, “we’re gonna have the time of our lives.”

The Nest: Incubating Main Street’s Future

Perhaps Mount Jackson’s most ambitious project is The Nest, a retail incubator opening this spring in a renovated 1930s hardware store on Main Street. The concept addresses a common small business challenge: entrepreneurs who aren’t quite ready for their own brick-and-mortar location due to full-time jobs, health insurance needs, family obligations, or simple uncertainty about whether their hobby can become a viable business.

Thanks to two years of grant funding from the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development totaling $125,000 distributed among 11 businesses, Mount Jackson created this shared retail space. Four “nesters” from the Mount Jackson Five business program will anchor the location: Joyce Kelly with Two Turtle Doves, Ryan Peters with Home Revival & Decor, Mike with Poppy’s Dust, and Alex and Abby with Sunbliss, a healthy prepackaged meal service.

However, The Nest won’t resemble typical booth-style antique malls. Instead, Olivia envisions one cohesive boutique experience where established businesses like Jon Henry’s, Clementine Vintage, and Nana’s Blue Greenhouse occupy corners alongside the newer entrepreneurs. The space will even incorporate display pieces from other downtown businesses like Mount Jackson Thrift & Gift and Search, with commission-based sales creating a truly collaborative downtown ecosystem.

Currently, the town’s public works team is renovating the space, leaving Olivia with what she calls “the most stressful choice of my life”—picking paint colors. Meanwhile, Alex from Sunbliss, who happens to be a talented artist, will create a 2.5-by-25-foot mural inside, possibly featuring a woodpecker doing woodwork. As Olivia puts it, “Whatever you wanna do, you’re the artist.”

The nesters will contribute volunteer hours as part of their learning experience, while the town navigates various business models including consignment, wholesale, and commission arrangements. The goal remains clear: give entrepreneurs one to two years to test their concepts before they “fly the nest” into their own storefronts.

Nights at the Nest: Midweek Main Street

To launch The Nest and activate downtown during typically quiet evenings, Mount Jackson introduces “Nights at the Nest” beginning in May. Every second Tuesday from 4 to 8 PM, the retail space stays open late while a food truck parks in the grassy pocket park between Search Thrift and The Nest. The town plans to string bistro lights between buildings, book live music, and transform an underutilized green space into a gathering spot.

As Olivia notes, “Nothing to do on a Tuesday? Come on out and shop a little bit, maybe do some live demonstrations.” It’s another example of Mount Jackson creating its own social scene while supporting local businesses.

The Vintage in the Valley Question

The conversation took a bittersweet turn when discussing Vintage in the Valley, Strasburg’s beloved festival that was canceled for 2025. Olivia expressed frustration that a community with such dedicated volunteers—including Cath from Lydia’s, Sue at Clementine, and the Emporium team—couldn’t secure municipal support to continue the event.

While she quickly dispelled rumors that Mount Jackson would simply absorb the festival (she clarified that the heart of Vintage lies with its volunteer committee, not just a location), she revealed that discussions are underway for a potential “Vintage Through the Valley” concept that would spread the event countywide. This approach would preserve the Emporium’s central role while preventing the complete loss of a cherished regional tradition.

Janet admitted she may have started the Mount Jackson rumor herself, though Olivia acknowledged the temptation was real. Instead, she’s been reaching out to former Vintage in the Valley vendors, inviting them to try Junk and Jams as an alternative.

A Town Creating Its Own Social Life

Throughout the conversation, Olivia’s enthusiasm and self-awareness shine through. She jokes about “creating my own social life in Mount Jackson,” acknowledges when she loses naming debates (she advocated for “Citrus and Soul” in September but conceded to “Apples and Americana” for proper alliteration), and celebrates the “you’re changing the world” text messages she receives from Rosemary Wallinger.

This personal investment reflects a broader truth about small-town revitalization: it requires passionate individuals willing to take risks, embrace quirkiness, and build community one event at a time. Mount Jackson isn’t trying to become Harrisonburg or Winchester. Instead, it’s carving out its own identity as a place where vintage meets vegetables, where business incubators share space with established retailers, and where a Tuesday night can become a destination.

Looking Ahead

As Mount Jackson celebrates its bicentennial, the town demonstrates that honoring 200 years of history doesn’t mean living in the past. By supporting entrepreneurs, creating unique market experiences, preserving important heritage sites, and fostering collaboration across the downtown business community, this small Shenandoah County town offers a blueprint for rural revitalization that other communities might study.

Whether you’re interested in retro kitchen kitsch, healthy meal prep, vintage treasures, or simply supporting a town that’s willing to get funky with its farmers market, Mount Jackson invites you to be part of its story. Just follow Town of Mount Jackson on Facebook and Instagram, or check out The Nest’s new social media managed by Black Valley Creative.

And if you see Olivia recording a podcast from her parked car before class, know that she got there early just to share Mount Jackson’s good news. That’s the kind of dedication that’s making this small town’s big year possible.

Three Concrete Steps: The Search for Wolf Gap CCC’s Lost History

wolf gap ccc pod

When host Janet Michael talks with Rosemary Wallinger and Laura Fogle for this episode of The Valley Today, she expected a straightforward conversation about local history. What unfolded instead was a remarkable story of discovery, perseverance, and the fight to preserve a crucial piece of American—and African American—heritage that has been hiding in plain sight for nearly 90 years. Click here to listen.

A Tale of Two Camps

Rosemary, president of the CCC Legacy organization, and Laura, the vice president, share how Shenandoah County is home to two historically significant Civilian Conservation Corps camps. While Camp Roosevelt is well-known as the nation’s first CCC camp, Wolf Gap – located just 22 miles away – has remained virtually unknown.

“Nobody here that we’ve talked to, other than maybe three people, had ever heard of it,” Rosemary reveals. “So we are giving concentrated effort to get it into public awareness.”

Both camps were among the first ten CCC camps established in the nation. But there’s a crucial difference: Wolf Gap became one of the very first African American CCC camps in the country, opening just one month after Camp Roosevelt in 1933.

Roosevelt’s New Deal in Action

As the women explain, the CCC was born from desperation. When Franklin D. Roosevelt took office in 1933, 15 million Americans were unemployed. People were starving. The CCC became one of his fastest-activated New Deal programs, up and running within weeks of his inauguration.

The scale was staggering: over 3 million men employed across 4,500 camps nationwide, including 250,000 African Americans and 80,000 Native Americans. Young men—officially aged 17 to 25, though many lied about their age to enroll as young as 15—earned $30 a month. Twenty-five dollars went directly home to their families; they kept just $5 for themselves.

“It was another great stimulus program for the whole country,” Laura explains. “The guys that were working got to keep $5 a month and their families got the other 25 back home to spend on groceries and needs. The communities around the CCC camps profited because they supplied the food. The farmers had work, the mercantiles had work, the lumber yards had work.”

The average enrollee gained 35 pounds during their service—a stark testament to the poverty they’d escaped. They learned carpentry, metalworking, and conservation skills. Those who couldn’t read or write were taught in camp classes.

The Accomplishments History Forgot

During the conversation, Rosemary rattles off Wolf Gap’s impressive achievements: 16,000 acres of trees planted, 45 miles of road built, 60 miles of horse trails, 100 miles of telephone line, 50 miles of roadside naturalization, and three miles of stream improvement. The camp protected 100,000 acres of local forest, fought a three-day fire at Cedar Creek in 1935, and rescued more than 1,200 residents from floodwaters in March 1936.

“Their accomplishments were just astonishing,” Rosemary says. “It’s shocking that it’s unknown to have a list of accomplishments that long, and yet nobody even knows they were here,” says Janet.

The infrastructure these young men built—in national parks, state parks, and forests across America—still stands today, a testament to the quality of their work.

A Serendipitous Discovery

Rosemary’s discovery of Wolf Gap came while researching her family’s involvement in the 1880 race riot at Columbia Furnace. On the Edinburg Memories website, she found a post from Helen Larkin Burton describing how, as a young girl in her father’s store, she watched “the boys from the Wolf Gap CCC” come to shop. It was, Burton wrote, the first time she’d ever seen a Black person.

“I thought, what CCC are we talking about at Wolf Gap?” Rosemary recalls. She contacted a local historian who confirmed it: “Best kept secret in Shenandoah County.”

That discovery sparked a grassroots movement. Rosemary assembled a team of dedicated women to pursue state byway designation for Route 675, the road connecting both camps. They succeeded in getting the byway designation and are now working to have it officially named the Shenandoah County CCC Memorial Byway.

The Segregation Story

The conversation delves into the painful reality of segregation within the CCC. Though African American legislator Oscar De Priest had declared there would be “no discrimination according to race, creed, or color,” Robert Fechner, a southerner who helped administer the program, declared that “separate was not unequal.”

Wolf Gap started as a white camp in its first year but became an African American camp in 1934 when administrators realized they hadn’t factored in “how deeply segregated the south still was in the thirties,” as Laura explains. African American camps were intentionally placed in remote areas, presumably to avoid racist confrontation.

Rosemary notes the irony: when African American enrollees worked on battlefields so effectively that tourists began to visit, officials often transferred them to another remote location. Local populations frequently protested the placement of these camps.

Finding the Descendants

One of the team’s greatest accomplishments, shared emotionally during the conversation, was connecting with Roy Allen Cooper, whose father, Oswald Bentley Cooper, was an enrollee at Wolf Gap. While serving, Oswald met Evelyn McAfee from Woodstock. They married and raised nine children—eight boys and one girl named Georgia—on Water Street and Spring Street in Woodstock.

Roy’s brother Bobby became a well-known local restaurateur, first as the opening cook at the Spring House restaurant in 1973, then running his own establishment. Roy now serves on the CCC Legacy board, providing a vital personal connection to Wolf Gap’s history.

The Research Challenge

“The white CCC was well recorded, records up your wazoo,” Rosemary says candidly during the conversation. “But the history of the Black camps is just sparse and what’s there is difficult to find.”

The team has uncovered treasures, including a regional annual with the only known photographs of Wolf Gap enrollees—two large portraits showing the men’s names and hometowns. Many came from a community in Southwest Virginia called Agricola, offering potential leads for finding more descendants.

Rosemary’s research has also uncovered broader stories, including the Preston Lake Rebellion in upstate New York, where camp officials ordered African American enrollees trained as leaders to step down when white enrollees joined the camp. The men rebelled for three days before officials sent them back to Harlem—a story even New York State’s historical resources department didn’t know about.

The Interpretive Center and What’s Next

The women discuss the James R. Wilkins Sr. Interpretive Center at the US Forest Service Office in Edinburg—a partially completed museum dedicated to CCC history. Wilkins supervised projects at both camps. His son, Jimmy, has been a primary funder along with his sister Donna. The center is open to the public but unfinished. The organization is working to finalize a new agreement with the US Forest Service.

As Laura emphasizes in the conversation, 2033 will mark the hundredth anniversary of the CCC’s birth, and Camp Roosevelt was the first CCC camp in the nation. “Virginia was truly the epicenter of the CCC,” she says. “The state of Virginia needs to embrace that history.”

Why This Matters

When board member Colette Sylvestri presented to 300 students at George Mason University, the most frequent question was: “Why weren’t we taught this?”

“So much of the history of the CCC in general has just fallen by the wayside,” Laura laments. Many people in their forties have never even heard of the Civilian Conservation Corps, let alone understand its contribution to the nation.

The CCC didn’t just build infrastructure—it restored America. As Laura puts it: “These men who built this country, really the CCC restored the United States of America to what it became after World War II.”

How to Get Involved

The CCC Legacy welcomes new members at $35 annually. Members receive quarterly publications including bulletins and a journal with stories from CCC camps across the country. The organization also offers presentations to civic groups and is actively seeking volunteers, particularly web developers to help update their website at ccclegacy.org.

For those with family connections to the CCC, the National Archives has digitized enrollee names, making it possible to search for relatives online.

As the conversation wraps up, Rosemary makes a simple request: “Spread the word that this is a thing. We want people to know that this is our history.”

Both Camp Roosevelt and Wolf Gap are accessible to visitors today. Camp Roosevelt operates as a Forest Service campground with interpretive signage throughout. Wolf Gap, currently undergoing Forest Service renovations, will soon have its own signage installed.

Standing at these remote, quiet sites at dusk, Rosemary shares, “I can hear the voices” – a poignant reminder that history isn’t just about dates and statistics. It’s about the young men who slept in West Virginia, walked to Virginia for breakfast, and built the America we know today.

To learn more about the CCC Legacy organization, visit ccclegacy.org or find them on Facebook. Donations can be mailed to CCC Legacy, PO Box 341, Edinburg, VA 22824.