The stories about Powell's Fort Valley are interesting. I remember attending the Methodist youth camp at Powell's Fort Valley during the 1940's. I later learned that an ancient Indian village was located nearby, as proven by the archaelogical research by William Gardner. I too have researched the Powell family, but found no connection to the earlier Powell families in Virginia. Wilmer L. Kerns -----Original Message----- From: BCYIII@aol.com [mailto:BCYIII@aol.com] Sent: Monday, September 08, 2003 12:11 PM To: VASHENAN-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [VASHENAN] Powell's Fort Valley Powell's Fort Valley, it is recorded, received its name from one Powell, a mysterious personage who came to the Valley as a refugee and who from long lost silver ores in the vastness if the nearby mountains piled his trade as a " conterfeiter ". Old Man Powell, indeed was a character. Tradition states he was a common topic of conversation in and around Strasburg, Virginia for whom Powell's Fort Valley, resting within Massanutten mountian range derived its name. This lovely little valley has been known simply as " Fort Valley ". Who was this man Powell? What was the mystery behind him? What happened to him? All the questions cannot be answered, but we do know this "Old Man Powell" was indeed a man in the flesh. He had already established himself in the Cedar Creek area before Joste Hite (the pioneer of the Valley) arrived, and lived in a small log hut whcih had been built in teh wooded hills some distance from an Indian trail, and that he was a fugitive from the Virginia Colonial and British authoriities, having been accused of minting coin. His little log hut was demolished around 1889 because it was of no value. In time Powell, the fugutive, had no flee his hide-out on Cedar Creek. It was tehn that he took refuge in the Massanutten Mountain range. As time was the essence, in his haste be left behind his "Copper Still" filled with some old tools such as: chisels, fine files, stencils, mortar, pestle and crucible rocks, which probably contained metals which Powell extracted by heating them in his "Copper Still". Tradition states that Powell buried a pot of gold in "them there hills" and numerous individuals tried to find it, but never were successful. It is yet a topic of conversation to vacationers to this day. Soem of the local gossipers who are fond of relating the Powell story assert that the recluse lived in the cave along the crags of Massanutten Mountain where he had established himself with guns, precious metals, and tools, wehre he continued to mint coins. However, no one ever could explain how he disposed of his coins, nor was his last hide-out ever discovered. Some say he was captured and taken back to England and hanged, others state he is buried near Signal Knob - the towering peak of Massanutten, and which, some giant sentinental throws its shadows across the Valley. However true this story may be, there is no trace of counterfeiting in Powell's Fort Valley today. Its people are true to themselves, their neighbors and their country, and there is no make believe among them. They are proud of their heritage and their hospitality is proverbial. Bruce C Young III Adam and Magdalene Munch Ridenour and Some Related Families p 16 Iva C Yarlick 1973 ==== VASHENAN Mailing List ==== Shenandoah Co VAGenWeb http://www.rootsweb.com/~vashenan/vashenan.html