1946 Manuscript Letters About Montross, Virginia and George Washington’s National Monument from a National Parks Employee Who Settles and Works There

On offer are a series of three letters from a man moving to Virginia to work at George Washington’s National Monument, and making a new home in Montross, Virginia the very year it was incorporated by the Circuit Court of Westmoreland County.

The letters are those of Samuel Marcus (Mark) Miller (1889-1949) to his uncle, Milo H. Miller (1863-1951). Mark writes to his uncle of his elderly parents in Hartstown, Pennsylvania, his adult children, and his wife, Dora. However, the main focus of his letters is on his job and his move to Montross, Virginia. 

Mark was an employee of the National Parks Services and had been working in Bedford County, PA since 1935. The National Parks Services transferred a large number of Pennsylvania land to the Department of Forests and Waters to the state as of January 31, 1946. Mark’s employer offered him a job in Virginia, and at 57-years-old, he had no choice but to take it in order to finish his career with a comfortable pension. 

Mark’s first letter is dated January, 1946. He tells his Uncle the news about his job and the changes in the Parks Services, his plan to drive to Virginia to check it out and seek housing, and his reluctance to move. 

By his second letter in September, 1946, Mark and Dora are living in a short-term rental in the region while they seek long-term housing. He provides a pretty good description of the history of the region, its connection to George Washington, and how the National Monument site (where he works) was developed and funded. 

In his final letter, written in December, 1946, Mark shares that he finally found housing in Montross, VA, less than 12 miles from George Washington’s National Monument. He gives a very thorough description of Montross in 1946, his knowledge of the government’s work and plans for the National Monument, and his work and colleagues with the National Parks Services as a clerk at the monument.

Some excerpts provide a sense of the content: 

"…The Blue Knob Recreational Demonstration Area, Union Twp - Bedford County, Penna upon which I have been located since Mar 1935 is being transferred to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Dept of Forests and Water as of Jan 31, 1946. The National Park Service have offered me a position, of lesser rank and with less pay at George Washington Birthplace National Monument, Westmoreland County, Virginia…Dora and I will drive down in about a week from now…” [Jan, 1946].

“...I can [now] retire at 65 with about a $90.00 per month pension. This with some part time work will provide for Dora and I…Marilyn has only one year at Indiana after this year, then she will be on her own if she gets a school and they don’t seem to have any trouble locating their graduates from the State Teachers Colleges…” [Jan, 1946].

“...Quite lonesome here for Dora as we are back in the country and only one other family lives here which is quite close and helps some. This area is known as George Washington’s Birthplace National Monument, and we have a post office here which is Washington’s Birthplace, Va…” [Sept, 1946]. 

“Mother and Dad are about as good as one can expect. Dad is really in better shape than Mother...Ken is in Sharon with Westinghouse where he has been since 1937. They have a very nice home that they build and Mrs. Adsit is with them. She is in pretty bad shape…” [Sept, 1946].

“...Very old town but only incorporated within the last 6 mos. Population 250. 1 Courthouse. 2 Banks. 2 Drugstores. 2 Service stations. 2 garages. 2 grocery and meat stores. 2 barber shops (1 White and 1 Colored)...Quite an industry in some sections. Many tomatoes raised each year and several canneries on this neck. The courthouse records contain an inventory of personal property of George Washington’s father….so you can see it is quite an old town…” [Dec, 1946].

“...Only two houses on the Monument or I would have been living there too. Expect Gov’t will build another house or two before long. The organization here is quite small. Supt - Clerk - Historical Aide - 2 laborers and a colored woman who cleans…” [Dec, 1946].

Sadly, Mark would die unexpectedly of a heart attack at age 60, not fulfilling his plan to work to 65 for the pension. 

Taken together, these letters provide both an insightful look at the challenges of the working class in the immediate post-war era, and a truly fascinating dive into the tiny but significant town of Montross, Virginia in its very early days. 

BIO NOTES: Samuel Marcus (Mark) Miller (1889-1949). Born in Hartstown, Pennsylvania to Myron Manson Miller (1859-1949) and Sarah Mitchell (1861-1949), Mark married Lucy Violet Adsit (1910-1923). They had one child, Kenneth Marcus (1912-1985). Mark later married Dora Elizabeth Lakin (1891-1982), and they had a daughter, Marilyn June Miller (later Harvey) (1925-2022). Marilyn completed Teacher’s College in Indiana, Pennsylvania and went on to teach in Westmoreland County for 40 years. 

The letters are written on 8x10.5 inch paper. The letters occupy 14 single sided pages and are written in a clear cursive hand in pen. Milo Miller has bound the three letters with a brown ribbon, though they are bound out of order. Aside from some sigs of age and minor water damage that does not impact readability, the letters are in Good condition.