Ernest A. Nicholson farm, Tract 28, Madison County

The 1920s survey

A log house, 15 by 43 feet; a barn, 14 by 32 feet; 1 acre of orchard. 20 acres, valued at $152. The state paid $783.

Today

Landmarks on this map (1)

House sites and family graves are never marked. Pins show only public places, from USGS place names and other public sources.

Landmarks in this tract: Aarons Branch · USGS place names

Scanned deeds, surveys and claims, kept by the National Park Service (PDF).

Papers from the Madison County circuit court’s proceedings to take the land for the park, scanned by JMU Libraries.

Nicholson, Ernest
The file at JMU Libraries, opens in a new tab PDF, opens in a new tab
In the file: Claimant Worksheet, Tract Assessment, Owner Claim, Notary, LOB9 (page 250)
Courtesy of the Madison County Circuit Court Clerk and JMU Libraries, Histories along the Blue Ridge. Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0, opens in a new tab.

Other tracts whose owners shared the name. A shared name doesn’t always mean a shared family.

Log structures on the farm
The tract included a 15 by 43 foot log house in fair condition, a 14 by 32 foot log barn, a 14 by 8 foot log cellar, and a 14 by 13 foot log henhouse.
From the records How we know
One acre of orchard
The land appraisal listed one acre of orchard valued at $50.
From the records How we know
Ernest Nicholson's claimed value
Ernest A. Nicholson claimed the total value of the tract with improvements was $800.
From the records How we know
Award amount for Tract 28
The Special Investigators and Board of Appraisal Commissioners awarded the sum of $783.00 for Tract No. 28.
From the records How we know
First lien deed of trust amount
W. L. Judd held the first lien deed of trust against the property, amounting to $302.80.
From the records How we know
Donation to the State Commission
The State Commission on Conservation and Development of the State of Virginia was entitled to receive $8.00 as a donation from Ernest A. Nicholson.
From the records How we know

Source: National Park Service, Shenandoah National Park, Historic Land Tracts.