Shenandoah National Park Rockingham County

E.C. and E.E. Lam farm, Tract 81, Rockingham County

Did you know?Garage, repair shop, and blacksmith shop

The 1920s survey

0.12 acres, valued at $1,300. The state paid $1,500.

Today

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

Case files

The National Park Service has no case file online for this tract.

County court land file

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

Lam, E. C. & E. E.
The file at JMU Libraries, opens in a new tab PDF, opens in a new tab
Courtesy of the Rockingham County Circuit Court Clerk and JMU Libraries, Histories along the Blue Ridge. Public domain, opens in a new tab.

From the case file

that the taking of this property would mean the depriving of one of the owners of the means of making a living, to-wit, E. E. Lam.

— E. E. Lam, Lam, E. C. & E. E., Rockingham County court land file, page 10. Courtesy of the Rockingham County Circuit Court Clerk and JMU Libraries, Histories along the Blue Ridge. Public domain.

I made a personal inspection of the garage or automobile repair shop and blacksmith shop situate at Swift Run in Rockingham County, Virginia, the property of E. C. and E. E. Lam, and am of the opinion that it would cost $1643.88 to replace the cement block garage or automobile repair shop, and that it would cost $367.49 to replace the tile blacksmith shop; that the lot on which the aforesaid buildings stand is worth $500.00, the total value of said lot with the improvements thereon is therefore $2511.37. I regard this as a conservative estimate of the value of this lot with the improvements thereon.

— A. M. Gooden, Lam, E. C. & E. E., Rockingham County court land file, page 11. Courtesy of the Rockingham County Circuit Court Clerk and JMU Libraries, Histories along the Blue Ridge. Public domain.

I am familiar with the lot of land improved by a garage or automobile repair shop and blacksmith shop situate at Swift Run in Rockingham County, Virginia, owned by E. C. and E. E. Lam; that considering the location of the lot and its availability as a business site, it is, in my opinion, worth, at a conservative estimate, $500.00; that I am not familiar with the costs of the construction of the buildings which are erected thereon, and therefore can express no opinion as to their value.

— H. B. C. Gentry, Lam, E. C. & E. E., Rockingham County court land file, page 13. Courtesy of the Rockingham County Circuit Court Clerk and JMU Libraries, Histories along the Blue Ridge. Public domain.

that the situation of the property makes it extremely valuable as a business site; that at the least the property is worth $3000.00; that said property is not for sale; and it is hereby requested that the same be omitted from the contemplated Park Area.

— E. C. Lam, Lam, E. C. & E. E., Rockingham County court land file, page 48. Courtesy of the Rockingham County Circuit Court Clerk and JMU Libraries, Histories along the Blue Ridge. Public domain.

The amount of $1500.00 was not just compensation for said property as can be readily seen on the inspection of said property, and from the affidavits filed by E. C. Lam, E. E. Lam, A. M. Gooden, contractor, L. A. Hensley, contractor, and H. B. C. Gentry, real estate man.

— E. E. and E. C. Lam, Lam, E. C. & E. E., Rockingham County court land file, page 57. Courtesy of the Rockingham County Circuit Court Clerk and JMU Libraries, Histories along the Blue Ridge. Public domain.

Families of the park

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

Did you know?

Garage, repair shop, and blacksmith shop
The Lams claimed ownership of a lot containing a garage or repair shop and a blacksmith shop.
Sources differ: the park land records at JMU gives “The Lams claimed ownership of a lot containing a garage or repair shop and a blacksmith shop”; the county court land file says “Written Statement made by E. E. and E. C. Lam, pursuant to a decree entered in the above entitled cause on October 25, 1932. These boundary lines were obtained by”.
From the records How we know
Appraised value of $1,500
The Board of Appraisal Commissioners valued the lot and improvements at $1,500.00.
Sources differ: the park land records at JMU gives “The Board of Appraisal Commissioners valued the lot and improvements at $1,500.00”; the county court land file says “Cassandra Lawson Atkins and others, and 52,501 acres of land in Rockingham County, Virginia”.
From the records How we know
Blacksmith shop built of tile
The blacksmith shop measured 15 by 21 by 8 feet and was built out of tile with a metal roof in fair condition and a cement foundation.
Sources differ: the park land records at JMU gives “The blacksmith shop measured 15 by 21 by 8 feet and was built out of tile with a metal roof in fair condition and a cement foundation”; the county court land file says “Affidavit of E. C. Lam to be read in connection with the motion filed by E. C. and E. #, Lam to have the findings of the Board of Appraisal Commissioners disapproved in connection with its finding No, 81”.
From the records How we know
Garage constructed of concrete blocks
An automobile repair shop or garage on the lot was constructed of concrete building blocks with a concrete floor.
Sources differ: the park land records at JMU gives “An automobile repair shop or garage on the lot was constructed of concrete building blocks with a concrete floor”; the county court land file says “the value of the improvements thereon is $2600.00”.
From the records How we know
Business used for ten years
The owners, E. E. and E. C. Lam, told the arbitrators the property had been the site of a blacksmith and automobile repair shop for ten years.
From the records How we know

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

The 1920s survey

Map of the tract

Case files

County court land file

From the case file

Families of the park