2026-04-24T14:37:40-04:00 Zend_Feed_Writer https://shenandoahstories.org/ Shenandoah Stories https://shenandoahstories.org 2017-10-24T10:55:09-04:00 2018-10-19T11:46:22-04:00 https://shenandoahstories.org/items/show/290 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 provide ore to the country’s steel industry. However, cheaper manganese imports from Russia had closed the operation during the first decade of the 20th century. The beginning of the World War and the subsequent blockade of Russian ports eliminated this supply. This led to the reopening of the Fort’s mines. Starting in 1915 a national consortium of businesses would operate the site and employ hundreds of locals. Their enterprise was named the Powell's Fort Mining Company. Ore was shipped from the area to steel mills in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Manganese would also be used to create batteries, vehicle starters, and other items. The site was so essential to the war effort that the US government would exempt its employees from the draft after the nation entered the conflict. When the war ended and Russian ports were reopened, the local mines were no longer profitable. The Fort Valley manganese mines were shuttered on November 18 1918 throwing 275 men out of work. For more (including 3 images), view the original article. 2017-10-12T13:33:51-04:00 2018-10-19T11:46:22-04:00 https://shenandoahstories.org/items/show/276 The Shenandoah Stories Team After Pearl Harbor Americans feared that their communities could be targeted by the enemy, so a civil defense organization was created. Though officials realized the risk of attack was slight, they supported Civil Defense to help monitor military flights and to connect citizens to the war effort. Part of this program involved the construction of aircraft observation towers in Shenandoah County’s towns and some rural communities. These observation posts were funded by private donations and were staffed around the clock by volunteers, usually boys too young to fight, men unfit for the draft, and women. They recorded airplanes flying overhead to assist with an early version of air traffic control and would have been the first ones to alert the community in the event an enemy attack had occurred. By 1944 the success of US Armed Forces eliminated the need for Civil Defense so the volunteer groups were disbanded and observation towers were demolished. For more, view the original article.