Man Evicted for Shenandoah National Park in 1935 Never Cashed His Government Payment

Man evicted from Virginia home in 1935 for a National Park, never cashed his payment

Melanchton Cliser and his family were among the residents forced from their Virginia home as land was acquired for Shenandoah National Park in the 1930s. Cliser owned 46 acres along US 211 and operated a gas station. In October 1935, the local sheriff and deputies handcuffed him, removed the family's belongings and sealed their house. His case was part of a wider and often contentious effort that displaced hundreds of families from the Blue Ridge Mountains as the park took shape.

By TOI World Desk