Essay: The CCC Road

Bill Sheads writes about the road built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s to open access to a large forested tract bounded by Old Keene Mill, Backlick, Braddock and Rolling Roads.

Created in 1933 by the federal government to combat the severe economic conditions of the Great Depression, the CCC provided jobs and training for the unemployed in public works projects across the nation. Many of these projects involved fire prevention, including fire roads like one in this essay.

Courtesy of Bill Sheads

Oral History, Part 2: Delbert (Bill) Sheads and Elsie Sisson (1921 - 2008)

In Part 2 of two interview sessions, Bill and Elsie (Sheads) Sisson, brother and sister, reminisce about their family, which came to the Braddock District from Culpepper, Virginia, in 1903. They talk about people and places, schools, lumbering and saw mills, and church life.

Oral History, Part 1: Delbert (Bill) Sheads and Elsie Sisson(1921 - 2008)

In Part 1 of two interview sessions, Bill and Elsie (Sheads) Sisson, brother and sister, reminisce about their family, which came to the Braddock District from Culpepper, Virginia, in 1903. They talk about people and places, schools, lumbering and saw mills, and church life.

Postcard, Bill Sheads to Doris Hollis, World War II

Drafted at age 19 during World War II, Delbert (Bill) Sheads mailed this humorous post card to his fiancee, Doris Hollis in January 1943, shortly after his induction into the Army.

Courtesy Bill Sheads

Delbert [Bill] Sheads and Doris Hollis, Wedding, World War II

Delbert [Bill] Sheads was drafted when he was 19 years old and inducted into the U.S. Army in January 1943. and was assigned to the 113th Armored Cavalry Reconnaissance Regiment. He and his girlfriend, Doris Hollis, attended Fairfax High School together, and were engaged before Bill left. They decided to marry when Bill came home on a ten-day pass in July 1943 before going overseas to Europe. They rushed to Falls Church for blood tests, and then to the County Courthouse in Fairfax, which was closed. Mr. Tom Chapman, Clerk of the Court came to the rescue, unlocked the courthouse and gave them their marriage license. They were married on July 30 in the old Good Shepherd Church, located where the current Twinbrooke Shopping Center now stands. While Bill was deployed, Doris worked at Ft Belvoir as a typist and secretary.

Courtesy Delbert [Bill] Sheads

V-Mail Letter from Bill Sheads to his wife, Doris

During World War II, soldiers overseas sent letters home by V-mail. V-mail letters folded into their own envelopes and saved valuable shipping space for war materials. During the war, Delbert [Bill] Sheads wrote to his bride, Doris Hollis, who worked at Fort Belvoir as a typist and secretary while her husband fought in the European Theatre.

Courtesy Delbert [Bill] Sheads

Bill Sheads, Germany, World War II, 1944

Drafted at the age of 19, Delbert [Bill] Sheeds was shipped to Europe, landing in France after D-Day in June 1944, and moving through France, Belgium and into Germany within 20 miles of Berlin.

Courtesy Delbert [Bill] Sheads

Burke Station, Artist's Rendition

This sketch shows the construction and uses of the original Burke railroad station. The Burke Post Office was housed in one end of the station.

Courtesy Bill Sheads