Use of Eminent Domain in Shenandoah
In the 1920s the government used the law of eminent domain to attain land in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia to create a national park.
Land Grab
The formation of Shenandoah National Park is one of the most prevalent uses of eminent domain by the government in the 20th century. The government acquired over 190,000 acres and displaced over 450 families. Although 450 families doesn’t appear to be such a large number, it is important to notice the population of this area. Madison VA, a town at the northern end of the Shenandoah National Park range has a population of 211 people today. This number is significantly less than 450 families which had been displaced a century ago. Many of these families were not only displaced from their homes but their entire working lives. The men that worked in these areas had jobs specific to the mountains which were taken away from them along with their homes which left them unemployed. The forced migration away from this land created instability for generations. The income provided by tourism was sustainable; however, many people surrounding the Shenandoah suffered severe economic blows.
Crop Disruption
Furthermore, besides the eviction of the families, the farmland and local crops went with them. This created major problems for the Shenandoah region because some of their most reliable food and water sources came from there. After the eviction, there were limited areas of land for people to grow their own food and self-sustain once again which further damaged their already broken economic status.
Cultural Dismay
Finally, the use of eminent domain disrupted the cultural way of life of the Shenandoah people. In the Appalachian region there is a distinct way of life derived from self-reliance and close ties to the land which they harvested from. Since the families were forced out, they could no longer supply themselves and no longer had a connection with their land which completely disrupted their way of life. This eviction destabilized the culture and forced families to change their lives entirely. The government justified these actions by labeling the Shenandoah people as inhumane and placed no value on their culture which made it easier to completely erase their lives from the land to form a National Park. The removal of families from the Shenandoah area destabilized local economies, caused food-insecurity, and led to a permanent loss of cultural heritage. Although the National Park is seen as one of the country's many natural beauties, the inhumane removal of 450 families is overlooked.
Frazier, Bart. “The Eminent-Domain Origin of Shenandoah National Park – the Future of Freedom Foundation.” The Future of Freedom Foundation, 1 Sept. 2006, www.fff.org/explore-freedom/article/eminentdomain-origin-shenandoah-national-park/.