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

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

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