Massies Mill, Virginia
Encyclopedia
Massies Mill is an unincorporated community in Nelson County
, Virginia
, United States
. It is located on State Route 56 adjacent to the headwaters of the Tye River
. The head of the Virginia Blue Ridge Railway
, a now-defunct short line railroad, was once located at Massies Mill.
In August 1969, tiny Massies Mill, then a village of forty homes , had the sad distinction of being at or very close to ground zero
during of one of the worst natural disasters to strike the Commonwealth of Virginia in the 20th century as the remnants of Hurricane Camille
dumped an unprecedented amount of rain on unsuspecting residents as they slept, resulting in flash floods and mudslides which killed dozens of people throughout the county and surrounding areas.
, a major trunk line, at Tye River Depot
. The Virginia Blue Ridge Railway
initially was built to haul chestnut
for lumber out of the heavily-timbered Piney River area to local mills until World War I
. The chestnut blight
wiped out much of the timbered areas. However, the railroad later served several quarries in the area where titanium dioxide
and aplite
were mined.
The VBR also passed through the communities of Roses Mill
, Piney River
, Canopy, Lowesville
, and Buffalo Mine. It followed the course of the Tye
and Piney Rivers for several miles before entering the mountains.
The line was abandoned in 1980. Part of the roadbed is being developed as a rails-to-trails
project, the Blue Ridge Railway Trail
.
arrived. The hurricane had come ashore on the Gulf Coast near the mouth of the Mississippi River
as a Category 5
storm, one of only 3 to strike the US mainland during the 20th century. The hurricane flattened nearly everything along the coast of the U.S. state
of Mississippi
, and caused additional flooding and deaths inland. The storm has lost strength as it crossed hundreds of miles of land, and was downgraded by the National Weather Service
to Tropical Storm status as it moved northwardly along the eastern side of the Appalachian Mountains
and into Virginia. It still carried incredible amounts of moisture and contained sufficient strength and low pressure to pull in additional moisture.
As it reached the area centered on Nelson County
, a hilly, rural county with a population of around 15,000, the storm unexpectedly stalled on the eastern side of the Blue Ridge Mountains
. Mostly within only a 3 hour period, it dumped a record quantity of 27 inches (685.8 mm) of rain. The rainfall was so heavy there were reports of birds drowning in trees and of survivors who had to cup their hands around mouth and nose in order to breathe through such a deluge.
As many people slept unaware, the ensuing flash floods and mudslides killed 153 people, 22 in Massies Mill alone. Across Nelson County, 133 bridges were washed out, while some entire communities were under water. The major flooding that occurred downstream cut off all communications between Richmond and the Shenandoah Valley
. Waynesboro
on the South River
saw eight feet of water downtown, and Buena Vista
had more than five feet. Total damage in the state amounted to $140.8 million (1969 USD, $747 million 2005 USD).
Nelson County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 14,445 people, 5,887 households, and 4,144 families residing in the county. The population density was 31 people per square mile . There were 8,554 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is located on State Route 56 adjacent to the headwaters of the Tye River
Tye River
The Tye River is a tributary of the James River in central Virginia in the United States. Originating on the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Nelson County, and fed by the Piney and Buffalo rivers, by way of the James River it is part of the watershed of the Chesapeake Bay.Although...
. The head of the Virginia Blue Ridge Railway
Virginia Blue Ridge Railway
The Virginia Blue Ridge Railway is a historic intrastate short line railroad that operated in central Virginia in the 20th century.The company was incorporated in 1914, and construction was started in 1915. The VBR extended from Tye River Depot in Nelson County, where it interchanged with the...
, a now-defunct short line railroad, was once located at Massies Mill.
In August 1969, tiny Massies Mill, then a village of forty homes , had the sad distinction of being at or very close to ground zero
Ground zero
The term ground zero describes the point on the Earth's surface closest to a detonation...
during of one of the worst natural disasters to strike the Commonwealth of Virginia in the 20th century as the remnants of Hurricane Camille
Hurricane Camille
Hurricane Camille was the third and strongest tropical cyclone and second hurricane during the 1969 Atlantic hurricane season. The second of three catastrophic Category 5 hurricanes to make landfall in the United States during the 20th century , which it did near the mouth of the Mississippi River...
dumped an unprecedented amount of rain on unsuspecting residents as they slept, resulting in flash floods and mudslides which killed dozens of people throughout the county and surrounding areas.
Virginia Blue Ridge Railroad
In 1914, a company was incorporated to build a short line railroad which connected Massies Mill to the Southern RailwaySouthern Railway (US)
The Southern Railway is a former United States railroad. It was the product of nearly 150 predecessor lines that were combined, reorganized and recombined beginning in the 1830s, formally becoming the Southern Railway in 1894...
, a major trunk line, at Tye River Depot
Tye River, Virginia
Tye River is an unincorporated community in Nelson County, Virginia, United States.-References:*...
. The Virginia Blue Ridge Railway
Virginia Blue Ridge Railway
The Virginia Blue Ridge Railway is a historic intrastate short line railroad that operated in central Virginia in the 20th century.The company was incorporated in 1914, and construction was started in 1915. The VBR extended from Tye River Depot in Nelson County, where it interchanged with the...
initially was built to haul chestnut
Chestnut
Chestnut , some species called chinkapin or chinquapin, is a genus of eight or nine species of deciduous trees and shrubs in the beech family Fagaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.-Species:The chestnut belongs to the...
for lumber out of the heavily-timbered Piney River area to local mills until World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The chestnut blight
Chestnut blight
The pathogenic fungus Cryphonectria parasitica is a member of the ascomycota category, and is the main cause of chestnut blight, a devastating disease of the American chestnut tree that caused a mass extinction in the early 1900s of this once plentiful tree from its historic range in the eastern...
wiped out much of the timbered areas. However, the railroad later served several quarries in the area where titanium dioxide
Titanium dioxide
Titanium dioxide, also known as titanium oxide or titania, is the naturally occurring oxide of titanium, chemical formula . When used as a pigment, it is called titanium white, Pigment White 6, or CI 77891. Generally it comes in two different forms, rutile and anatase. It has a wide range of...
and aplite
Aplite
Aplite in petrology, the name given to intrusive rock in which quartz and feldspar are the dominant minerals. Aplites are usually very fine-grained, white, grey or pinkish, and their constituents are visible only with the help of a magnifying lens...
were mined.
The VBR also passed through the communities of Roses Mill
Roses Mill, Virginia
Roses Mill is an unincorporated community in Nelson County, Virginia, United States. It lies along the path of the now-defunct Virginia Blue Ridge Railway.-References:*...
, Piney River
Piney River, Virginia
Piney River is an unincorporated community in Nelson County, Virginia, United States. It lies along the path of the now-defunct Virginia Blue Ridge Railway.-References:*...
, Canopy, Lowesville
Lowesville, Virginia
Lowesville is an unincorporated community in Nelson County, Virginia, United States. It lies along the path of the now-defunct Virginia Blue Ridge Railway.-References:*...
, and Buffalo Mine. It followed the course of the Tye
Tye River
The Tye River is a tributary of the James River in central Virginia in the United States. Originating on the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Nelson County, and fed by the Piney and Buffalo rivers, by way of the James River it is part of the watershed of the Chesapeake Bay.Although...
and Piney Rivers for several miles before entering the mountains.
The line was abandoned in 1980. Part of the roadbed is being developed as a rails-to-trails
Rail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...
project, the Blue Ridge Railway Trail
Blue Ridge Railway Trail
The Blue Ridge Railway Trail is a rail trail in Virginia.It is a gravel surface recreational trail used for biking, hiking and horseback riding and occupies an abandoned Virginia Blue Ridge Railway corridor....
.
Tropical Storm Camille
On the night of August 20, 1969, Massies Mill was one of the hardest hit communities when the remnants of Hurricane CamilleHurricane Camille
Hurricane Camille was the third and strongest tropical cyclone and second hurricane during the 1969 Atlantic hurricane season. The second of three catastrophic Category 5 hurricanes to make landfall in the United States during the 20th century , which it did near the mouth of the Mississippi River...
arrived. The hurricane had come ashore on the Gulf Coast near the mouth of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
as a Category 5
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
The Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Scale , or the Saffir–Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale , classifies hurricanes — Western Hemisphere tropical cyclones that exceed the intensities of tropical depressions and tropical storms — into five categories distinguished by the intensities of their sustained winds...
storm, one of only 3 to strike the US mainland during the 20th century. The hurricane flattened nearly everything along the coast of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, and caused additional flooding and deaths inland. The storm has lost strength as it crossed hundreds of miles of land, and was downgraded by the National Weather Service
National Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
to Tropical Storm status as it moved northwardly along the eastern side of the Appalachian Mountains
Appalachian Mountains
The Appalachian Mountains #Whether the stressed vowel is or ,#Whether the "ch" is pronounced as a fricative or an affricate , and#Whether the final vowel is the monophthong or the diphthong .), often called the Appalachians, are a system of mountains in eastern North America. The Appalachians...
and into Virginia. It still carried incredible amounts of moisture and contained sufficient strength and low pressure to pull in additional moisture.
As it reached the area centered on Nelson County
Nelson County, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 14,445 people, 5,887 households, and 4,144 families residing in the county. The population density was 31 people per square mile . There were 8,554 housing units at an average density of 18 per square mile...
, a hilly, rural county with a population of around 15,000, the storm unexpectedly stalled on the eastern side of the Blue Ridge Mountains
Blue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. This province consists of northern and southern physiographic regions, which divide near the Roanoke River gap. The mountain range is located in the eastern United States, starting at its southern-most...
. Mostly within only a 3 hour period, it dumped a record quantity of 27 inches (685.8 mm) of rain. The rainfall was so heavy there were reports of birds drowning in trees and of survivors who had to cup their hands around mouth and nose in order to breathe through such a deluge.
As many people slept unaware, the ensuing flash floods and mudslides killed 153 people, 22 in Massies Mill alone. Across Nelson County, 133 bridges were washed out, while some entire communities were under water. The major flooding that occurred downstream cut off all communications between Richmond and the Shenandoah Valley
Shenandoah Valley
The Shenandoah Valley is both a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , to the north by the Potomac River...
. Waynesboro
Waynesboro, Virginia
Waynesboro, deriving its name from General Anthony Wayne, is an independent city surrounded by Augusta County in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 21,006 in 2010.....
on the South River
South River (South Fork Shenandoah River)
The South River is one of the two main tributaries of the South Fork of the Shenandoah River. It begins south of Staunton, Virginia, and flows northward to Port Republic, where it merges with the North River to form the South Fork...
saw eight feet of water downtown, and Buena Vista
Buena Vista, Virginia
Buena Vista is an independent city located within the confines of Rockbridge County, Virginia. The population was 6,650 in 2010. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Buena Vista with Rockbridge county for statistical purposes.-Geography:Buena Vista is located at...
had more than five feet. Total damage in the state amounted to $140.8 million (1969 USD, $747 million 2005 USD).
Additional reading
- Category 5: The Story of Camille, Lessons Unlearned from America's Most Violent Hurricane By Ernest Zebrowski, Judith A. Howard, Published by University of Michigan Press, 2005 ISBN 0472115251