It appeared like it was a time forgotten, but quickly I discovered otherwise. A place a wooden sidewalks. to stay out of the mud... No paved roads back then. It was a poor place.
House laid out in military fashion, of course unless you were one of the rare managers of executives that got to live in a mansion Up on the hill! Simple but livable, in fact dignified!
Such is the village of Cass, Va. A town of history, immigrants and logging.
A company store, post office and a hand full of other necessities made up the town.
The rest was the railroad and the mill and of course the mountains to harvest.
But Cass was more than houses, poor immigrants and mud roads. It was a logging company and railroad. Today one can ride into the past and view where the rails led.
The Shay was the backbone of the fleet... Conquered the mountains tirelessly.
Back in the time there were several riding the rails, switchbacks were made, zig zagging up the mountain and back down with lumber for the mill.
Nothing much left after a fire destroyed the historical past. But what remains is left for those to ponder what life was like.
The rail line is a thriving business... brought up to modern standards... It maintains the Shaw in top working order. To be a steam engineer!!!
But in its day the company processed tons of wood. Chestnut to be exact.. A rare crop these days... Nature taking its course. But a wood to envy...
Next... more what life was like. That of a logger or a towns person and and living the American dream. Deep in the hills of Virginia.
