One of the things I find most fascinating about reading old newspapers is their attention to the everyday comings and goings of the community. “Miss Josephina Carmichael paid a call upon the Winchester family Wednesday afternoon.” “Mrs. Effie Carr from Arlington is visiting Mrs. Lillie Lantz in her Broadway home.” It seems as though a private eye scanned each small town, noticing the minutia of everyday life and reporting the details. The town of Broadway had its own set of personal column reporters: spinster sisters, Minnie and Sally Pugh.
Misses Minnie and Sally Pugh were well loved and well respected citizens of Broadway. They ran a boarding house in the second story of their home on Central Street in the late 1930’s to early 1940’s. One of their most well known boarders was Andrew Thomas, a business teacher at Broadway High School.
Miss Minnie wrote the “Broadway Personals,” a column for the Daily News Record and the Shenandoah Valley Herald. She carefully kept track of the activities of the townfolk: who visited whom, who went away to college, which families held celebrations during the week, etc. Miss Minnie also taught school both in Broadway and Edom. She died January 19, 1949
Miss Sally was an assistant at the Broadway Post Office for many years. She started her postal career shortly after her graduation from Broadway High School in 1913. Her obituary in the Daily News Record (April 30, 1964) said “she knew almost everyone in the area and was closely acquainted with three generations of most families.” Many also considered her the “prime source of all local information.”
Phoebe Branner Brennemen remembers the ladies as “refined, dignified, and gracious.” She also remembers watching Miss Minnie writing her newspaper columns at the big, highly polished, oak dining room table.
The Pugh house was torn down some years after the deaths of Miss Minnie and Miss Sally.
Information from Regards to Broadway: The Story of an American Town (Cullers and Lilliendahl)

Several decades before television became a permanent fixture in most homes across the United States, the Big Screen was a popular source of entertainment. In the mid to late 1930’s, Roth launched a chain of theatres in several small towns in our area. The Broadway Theatre opened in the old Miller-Hoover Motor Company building. There were two shows each night with matinees on Saturday and Sunday.
At first, the movies were “silent,” and area musicians were hired to play the piano to provide background music.
One of the movies playing at the Broadway Theatre in the mid 1940’s was Hollywood’s tribute to early 20th century Broadway stars, Nora Bayes and Jack Norworth: Shine On Harvest Moon. Over the years, the bright, autumn moon has inspired many romantic songs and stories, but the song Shine On Harvest Moon composed by Bayes and Norworth, is probably the most popular. The story of their life together is as romantic as the song they co-wrote. It is reported that when the pair performed on stage at any theatre, the lights out front proclaimed this message: “Nora Bayes, assisted and admired by Jack Norworth.” Nora and Jack recorded their song for the Victor Talking Machine Company in New York in 1910, but due to technical problems, the record was never released. For unknown reasons, they did not re-record the song.
Jack Norworth wrote another popular song. In fact, it is second only to the National Anthem in fame: Take Me Out To The Ballgame.
Shine On Harvest Moon stars Ann Sheridan, Dennis Morgan and Jack Carson.
Another movie especially enjoyed by younger children was Francis The Talking Mule. Even before Mr. Ed was holding conversations with Wilbur, Francis was enjoying races, talking his way behind enemy lines, and even stopping saboteurs at a nuclear plant. Francis also helped solve murders, caught forgers, and took to the high seas with the United States Navy.
The films were based on a popular book about a military man who meets a mule who can talk. Arthur Lubin, the producer, of the movies later went on to create the Mister Ed TV series. In 1950, Francis was the very first recipient of the American Humane Association Annual Patsy Award. He won first place. The award was given to the animals shown in motion pictures for an outstanding performance
Francis did 7 movies from 1949 to 1956. Donald O’Connor starred as main character Peter Sterling. Actor Chill Wills was the voice of Francis.
Information from the book “Regards to Broadway: The Story of an American Town (Cullers and Lilliendahl)

When I was a child, I thought my Grandma and her family were from the Netherlands. In the many stories she told, she always referred to her family as “Pennsylvania Dutch.” It wasn’t until may years later that I discovered that she was actually of German descent. Her branch of the Lantz family migrated to Pennsylvania from German-speaking areas of Europe, and spoke a German dialect that was referred to as Deitsch (Deutsch). There is not much of a phonetic leap from Deutch to Dutch, so it’s quite easy to see how the misnomer “Pennsylvania Dutch” came to be.
Stories of her childhood Christmases seemed rather bleak to me. Her presents consisted of an orange (a delicacy), a handmade bonnet or apron, and perhaps a peppermint. Her family didn’t put up a Christmas tree, or decorate their house with any kind of holiday finery.
The part of her holiday stories that fascinated me completely, however, was her tales of Belsnickeling– a tradition her ancestors brought over from Germany. Young adults in the neighborhood would dress up in old clothes, tuck their hair into a cap or bonnet and blacken their faces with coal. They would travel to the few houses within walking distance and announce their arrival with “Open the door and let the Belsnicklers in!” When they were invited inside, they had a grand time trying to keep their identities hidden. After awhile, though, they were recognized and given treats. The Belsnicklers were particularly frightening to young children, and my grandma remembered being afraid of the strangely dressed people who invaded her house every holiday season.
But apparently her fears didn’t have a lasting effect. When she grew older, she and her siblings did a bit of bellsnickeling of their own—begging for Christmas treats and scaring young children.

Thomas West was the first man to settle in the area now known as Bergton. According to the Survey of Fredrick County report, West received a large parcel of land on March 20, 1740. This land was identified only as Brocks Gap, but historians are certain that the strip of land deeded to West also included Bergton.
German families moved into the region between 1750 and 1760: Henry Dove (Heinrich Taub), Martin Whetzel and the Kaplinger (also Caplinger) family. Three of Henry Doves sons also settled in the area. According to the late Bergton historian, Lewis Yankey, Henry’s son, George, became fluent in the English language and taught others how to speak it. Jacob, another son, also spoke acceptable English. Frederick Dove, however, refused to learn English and spoke only German for the rest of his life.
According to Yankey, most people in the Bergton/Criders area spoke German many years after they had made their homes in this area. Folks were quite reluctant to give up their native tongue. In fact, my own great grandparents spoke “Pennsylvania Dutch” (a German dialect called Deitsch) at home – especially when they didn’t want their children to know what they were saying! It wasn’t until the first public school opened in 1870 that people in the area were formally taught English.
Organized religion was slow coming to Bergton, possibly because of the language barrier. In 1740, Rev. Henry Muhlenberg was especially concerned that the German settles did not seem to be interested in religion – particularly those folks who lived in the most remote part of the area. Bishop Francis Asbury of the Methodist Episcopal Church recorded in his diary August 12, 1790:
“We had about 40 miles to ride to Brocks Gap, over a severe mt. I viewed and pitied the case of the people. They are Germans hand have no preaching in their own language, and English preaching is taken from them. I am of the opinion that if a preacher would come and continue amongst them for 1 year, riding up and down the river, preaching from house to house, it would answer a very good purpose.”(A History of Rockingham County, John Wayland)
Many years later, camp meetings were held before churches were formally established. Lewis Yankey said that a visiting minister would set up “camp,” and preach there for several days. When babies were born, parents would often take them to Radar Lutheran Church in Timberville to be baptized. According to Yankey, many Bergton family names are registered in Radar Church records.

There are several theories of how Fulks Run got its name. Perhaps the small creek running through the area into the Shenandoah River helped prompt the title. Or perhaps the name came from a completely different source. That same little creek mentioned above ran through the property of an early settler to the area—a gentleman by the name of John Fulk. Among other economic pursuits, Mr. Fulk distilled a fine whiskey (which, by the way, was perfectly legal at the time). This brew was of such satisfactory quality that word spread quickly when a batch was ready for sale – when Fulk’s “run” was complete.
            Before the Civil War, several Fulk families kept slaves to help them run their large agricultural endeavors. And although Fulks Run is less than ten miles from the West Virginia line, its residents fought in the Confederate army. Historian Patricia Turner Ritchie notes that post war records show that at least 40 men from the Fulks Run area fought for the South.
“Captain” George Fulk was an officer in the Southern Army. John Wayland writes in Virginia Valley Records that Fulk served as 2nd Lieutenant but resigned from the CSA in Romney. Since Fulk was an officer, he had the right to resign his position, however his commander, John Winfield, of Broadway expected him to return later. Records indicate that Fulk never returned to the military.
History tells us that the road that runs through Fulks Run (Rt. 259) was once a Native American trail. The stretch of the trail that ran between Broadway and Fulks Run was not a safe passageway. Along this section, the road crossed the river in quite a few places, making travel challenging and sometimes hazardous. In the late 1880’s, the course of the road was changed so that it crossed the river only two places between Broadway and Dovesville (now Bergton)
Today, Fulks Run has a population of about 1700. The town has three grocery stores, a post office, several churches and a school. Fulks Run is also the home of the famous Turner Ham House, the only producers of sugar-cured ham in the Shenandoah Valley.

When German settlers came to the Custer’s Mill (Broadway) area of the Shenandoah Valley in the mid 1700’s, they probably noticed that the landscape was quite similar to their homeland. The tall mountains and secluded valleys resemble the German countryside in many ways.  As mentioned in the last post, a little settlement began to grow  near the Linville Creek. Folks  built homes and tended farms next to a mill owned by a businessman by the name of Conrad Custer. Many houses and businesses — including Conrad Custer’s mill — were destroyed during Sheridan’s raid on the Valley. But the spirit of the little town was not squelched for long. The citizens began building back their homes and workplaces.
In 1868, Irish workers moved to the area to begin construction of the railroad. The day the first train came through town was a time of celebration. Folks left work and children were excused from school to witness this monumental event.
The arrival of the railroad brought many changes to the town. Two hotels and several boarding houses were the first signs of a growing economy. The poultry industry was also boosted by this new form of transportation.  Chickens, turkeys, ducks and eggs were shipped from the Broadway depot on a regular basis. In the month of March, 1878, town depot records show that 10,000 eggs were packed on the train and transported to various places up and down the valley.
In 1880, the town boasted thirty-three businesses. Among them were a large pottery, two mills, a tannery, a lime kiln, five general stores, a drug store, a foundry with a machine shop, a hardware store, three churches and a opera house.
In the midst of this commerce and activity, a visionary came to town. Mr. E.D. Root had enormous plans for this booming little town. His first task was to start a newspaper. After that, he started to seek funding for some of his other dreams. He even traveled to Wall Street to try to convince money moguls to help turn this little town into a center of trade and commerce. Root was sure that Broadway could become the leading city in the Shenandoah Valley because of its location and rich mineral and timber resources.
There doesn’t seem to be one particular cause for the failure of Root’s grand dreams. But despite the thriving economy and the grand possibilities the town seemed to possess, Root was unable to convince others to buy into his scheme. Eventually he moved out of the area, and Broadway remained a charming little town.
Even though a grand hotel doesn’t rest on the town square and Broadway is not a center of commerce for the Shenandoah Valley, it’s still a pleasant place to live. Folks possess the same kind, caring concern for their neighbors as do the citizens of our fictional town — Custer’s Mill. It’s quite nice to be part of both worlds: the real world of Broadway, Virginia and the fictional world of Custer’s Mill, Virginia.
(Information for this post: Local Lore of the Shenandoah by Retta Lilliendahl and Tammy Fulk Cullers)

According to local history, Custer’s Mill, Virginia was established in 1808 near the present day location of the Broadway Presbyterian Church. As with many early settlements, this little community started beside a body of water– the North Fork of the Shenandoah River. In addition to the mill, the Custers owned a store and perhaps a post office. The town’s proximity to the river junction made it a strategic point for trade. In the 1850’s, the railroad was extended to the Custer’s Mill area, causing the little town to boom with commerce and activity.
But alas, this prosperity was not to continue. History tells us that in 1864, General Philip Sheridan and his army marched into the Valley with one agenda: to “destroy the breadbasket of the Confederacy.” Custer’s Mill was one of the casualties of the mass burning.
Sometime after Custer’s Mill was destroyed, the town was renamed “Broadway.” The most famous legend (and perhaps true story) of how the town got its new name tells of a place so rowdy and unruly that local visionaries prophesied that the town was on the “broad way to destruction.” Taverns and brothels began to spring up in the little village. Another local tale reports that one local tavern owner chained a black bear to a tree outside his establishment — a sure deterrent to an overabundance of revelry!
Our fictional town of Custer’s Mill has similar characteristics of many small towns scattered through the southern United States: quirky characters, political squabbles, religious differences, and ethical dilemmas. But most importantly, the folks genuinely care for each other (well, most of them do!)  We hope you will fall in love with our little village and its inhabitants, and that their antics, struggles and victories will encourage you to visit many times!