Massies Mill, Virginia
Massies Mill is an
In August 1969, Massies Mill, then a village of forty homes,
History
Virginia Blue Ridge Railroad
In 1914, a company was incorporated to build a
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.[3] The line was abandoned in 1980. Part of the roadbed is being developed as a rails-to-trails project, the Blue Ridge Railway Trail.[2][4]
Tropical Storm Camille
On the night of August 19, 1969, Massies Mill became one of the hardest hit communities when the remnants of
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. Within a 3-hour period, it dumped a record quantity of 27 inches (690 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.
Further 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 0-472-11525-1
References
- ISBN 0-472-11525-1
- ^ a b "Virginia Short Lines and Industrial Roads". Retrieved July 4, 2016.
- ^ "Abandoned Rails: Tye River to Massies Mill". Retrieved July 4, 2016.
- ^ "Piney River, VA - Va. Blue Ridge Railway Trail". Archived from the original on January 19, 2008. Retrieved December 22, 2008.
- ^ "The Floyd Press". Archived from the original on May 18, 2006. Retrieved June 2, 2008.
- ^ United States Department of Commerce (1969). "Hurricane Camille August 14-22, 1969" (PDF). Environmental Science Services Administration. Retrieved March 23, 2008.
- ^ United States Department of Commerce (1969). "Hurricane Camille August 14-22, 1969" (PDF). Environmental Science Services Administration. Retrieved April 13, 2008.
- ^ "The Inflation Calculator". Archived from the original on August 8, 2007. Retrieved June 18, 2006.)
- ^ "Virginia's Weather History". "Virginia Dept. of Emergency Management. Archived from the original on September 4, 2005. Retrieved May 28, 2006.