Pickled Oak

Pickled Oak

Shenandoah Valley, VA, the South's Breadbasket

Welcome to the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, the breadbasket of the South.  Our resort, Skyline Ranch, is nestled between the Blue Ridge Mountains and Mount Massanutten, near the town of Front Royal.  The town got its name from Revolutionary War days.  The troops mustered in front of the Royal Oak tree, which stood in the town square. This is a great starting point to visit this historic region heading North to Maryland and South to North Carolina.

Winchester, VA: George Washington surveyed the area, when he was a young man.  His surveyor's office still stands today and has a collection of his surveying tools, etc.  While there he insisted that each tenant plant four acres of apple orchards.

During the Civil war Winchester traded hands seventy-two times, thirteen times in one day alone.  Ironically much of the old town survived these numerous changes. One of these buildings is Stonewall Jackson's Headquarters.  Part of the movie Gods and Generals was filmed there.  The house contained many original furnishings and artifacts.  The tour guide was very knowledgeable and fair in her presentation.

Our final stop in Winchester is the Shenandoah Museum.  This new museum reflects the life in the Shenandoah Valley from pre-Colombian days to the present time.  There are many interactive kiosks and movies describing different facets of the social and historical aspects of the region.

On the way back home we stopped at the Arboretum of Virginia, operated by UVA.  The students experiment with many different varieties of plants.  Hiking trails and a three-mile driving trail show off much of the collection.

We passed by a junction of Rtes 340 and 522.  This is called Double tollgate, because there use to be two tollgates at the crossroads.  During the Civil War an eight year old girl was manning the gate.  When the Union soldiers came down from Winchester, she demanded the toll from the general.  He replied that she should send the bill to the government in Washington.  She counted the men as they passed and sent the bill.  She was paid.

Massanutten Mountain, which supposedly means yam in a Native American language is a unique phenomenom.  This fifty mile long mountain is dropped in a valley with the South Fork of the Shenandoah River and the Blue Ridge Mountains on the East and the North Fork of the Shenandoah River and the Allegheny Mountains on the West.  We drove through a valley in the mountain, which makes this one of the unique anomalies in the world: a valley in a mountain in a valley.  Along the way are many furnaces, now in ruins, from the iron smelting days of the nineteenth century.

We headed to New Market, thirty-five miles south of us.  This battle was known as The Field of Lost Shoes.  The cadets from VMI, Virginia Military Institute were enlisted to reinforce the CSA troops commanded by Gen. Breckenridge, the former vice-president under Buchannnen and loser to Abe Lincoln in 1860.  Reluctantly he put the 250 cadet into the battle line, because the Union was getting the upper hand.  With the cadets' help, he won the day.  Ten cadets died on the field or from their wounds shortly after and about fifty were injured.  They were considered heroes in the South for their valor under fire.  One of the cadets became a famous artist, Ezekiel Moses.  He moved to Italy and became a well-known sculpturer, even being knighted.  Two of his most famous works in the US are the statue of Thomas Jefferson at UVA in Charlottesville and Virginia Mourning Her Dead at VMI in Lexington, VA.

We were going to see Luray Caverns, but they were having a birthday celebration and had enormous crowds.  Instead we drove the Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park home.  The road rises to over three thousand feet.  The haze on the mountains from the heat wave we are having hampered our views.  If we get a cold front through here, we will drive it again.  The views on a clear day are close to spectacular (not like the Rockies or Newfoundland but pretty great in themselves).  The speed limit is 35 mph along the road.  Seeing two white tailed does eating by the roadside rewarded us for taking the drive.

Today we went to a fascinating place: Route 11 Potato Chip Factory in Middletown, VA.  This is a small operation in size and the visitor can see the process of potato chip making through a plate glass window.  What makes this place so cool is the variety of chips they make: sweet potato, mixed vegetables and regular flavored ones.  These include habenero, green chili enchilada, dill pickle, Chesapeake crab, barbecue, salt and vinegar, etc.  The habenero chips are the hottest ones I have ever tasted.  They have a real kick. They are sold in gourmet stores and at the Cracker Barrel Restaurants.

We also had to visit the mandatory battlefield.  Cedar Creek Battle was fought between Middletown to the North and Strasburg to the South.  On October 13, 1864 Gen. Philip Sheridan heard the battle being waged from fifteen miles away in Winchester.  He mustered his cavalry and road to aid the Union forces, which were being routed at the time.  He changed the course of the battle.  This was the last major battle in the Shenandoah Valley.  The CSA lost their breadbasket and eventually the war.

Hupp's Hill, along route 11 was a pivotal vantage point.  Because of its strategic location and height, it became the headquarters at various times of both the Union and the Confederacy generals, while in the area.  Today a museum occupies George Hupp's house, which was there.  It is dedicated to Stonewall Jackson's campaigns in 1862.  This is a little gem.  Displays record the events in chronological order and handouts give detailed accounts of the various battles.  Outside is a trail, which winds among the entrenchments, gives various views of the fields on which the battle was waged.

The battlefield itself is privately owned, but works in conjunction with the NPS.  Reenactments occur annually around October 13.  More than 7,000 re-enactors participate in the event.  According to the operators of the park, re-enactments of the Second Battle of Manassas are also going to take place there in the future (The are not allowed in National Parks).

Today we followed the trail for the Battle of Front Royal a.k.a. as the Brother against Brother Battle.  This pitted the 1st Maryland USA against the 1st Maryland CSA.  The USA forces held the town.  What they did not know that Belle Boyd, an eighteen-year-old resident, was also a spy for the CSA.  When she heard that Jackson was camped outside of town, she overheard the plans of the Union and ran to tell him the information.  The battle was one-sided.

We took a walking tour of the town too.  Belle Boyd's house is open for visitation.  A docent gives a tour of the four-room house, in which she lived and tells the story of her adventuresome live.  She was a very feisty and colorful woman. The Historical society has its offices behind the original house.  Next door is a museum with exhibits of the history of the area.  Front Royal was a POW Camp for the German Hessians during the Revolutionary War and later during WWII.  Many German immigrants had settled in the Shenandoah Valley in Colonial times.  The governor recruited them.  The Hessians, though POWs, helped build houses and other buildings, some which stand even today.

About the Author

John Pelley is a Geriatric Gypsy.  He is retired from the rat race of working.  He is a  full-time RVer, who ran away from home.  He began our travels on the East Coast and, like the migrating birds, seek the warmth of the seasons  He has discovered volunteering with the National Park System.  He has a CD he has recorded of Native American flute music., A Day with Kokopelli. For pictures, links, and more information visit http://www.jmpelley.org.

antique furniture hutch estimate?

my friend has a hutch, dinner table and 6 chairs from the 1930s. They are all in pretty nice condition and they are made out of pickled oak. The hutch features curved sliding glass windows and lots of storage space. What do you think a collection like this would go for?

Can make pictures and take them to some antique dealers to find out. Can look at similar items on E-Bay or Craigs List. Fine line between valuable and used depending on the maker. Are there any markings on the underside of any of the pieces, under the drawers, etc. Provenance is everything.

Antique French Art Deco bleached (pickled) oak and chrome