By The Shenandoah Stories team
When Europe went to war in August of 1914 the residents of Fort Valley Virginia could have scarcely realized how important their small community would become to the US economy. During the late 1800s a manganese mine had operated in Fort Valley to…

By The Shenandoah Stories team
In April 1965 Russell Henry Clem of Fort Valley was charged by the Virginia ABC Board for having "possession of alcoholic beverage, tax not paid..." and for "keeping, storing, and having in his possession...distilling apparatus." The exact site of…

By The Shenandoah Stories team
On March 9, 1923 the Shenandoah Herald reported law enforcement agents raided the Fort Valley home of Mont Woodrow and found a "fully equipped still" with two and one half gallons of moonshine. Where exactly this still was located and when it…

By The Shenandoah Stories team
Store owners Don and Laurie Kadel displayed a still at the King's Crossing Store starting in the 1960s. This item was popular among store patrons. In 1974, it attracted the attention of the Virginia ABC Board, who raided the store and seized the…

By The Shenandoah Stories team
In 1905, Joseph W. Gochenour of Fort Valley, Virginia, advertised in the Shenandoah Herald that he was selling his distillery. He described the operation as having "two good copper stills, caps, and worms, capacity 105 and 110 gallons, about 85…

By The Shenandoah Stories team
On March 9, 1923, the Shenandoah Herald reported a gallon of liquor, a still, and a barrel and a half of mash were found on his property by local and federal law enforcement officers. The exact location of this still is unknown.

By The Shenandoah Stories team
Daniel Munch was a well-known producer of apple brandy and other spirits in Fort Valley during the antebellum period. After his passing, Daniel's son Addison became a producer. They sold spirits throughout the county and manufactured them at their…

By The Shenandoah Stories team
On March 9, 1923, the Shenandoah Herald reported a group of federal, state, and local law enforcement officers had raided Clarence Shiflett's home. They found a forty gallon still and a large quantity of mash. Shiflett lived in Fort Valley but…

By Shenandoah County Library
In 2008 a second building, Trinity Brethren Church, became part of the Fort Valley Museum. The trustees of that congregation were no longer able to support the building due to a decline in membership and transferred ownership top the museum to ensure…

By Shenandoah County Library
In 1830, Fort Valley resident Daniel Munch donated two acres of land to house a school and church. He required that the church be available for all Protestant denominations. The one room church building that was constructed there was made of locally…