Hickory Ridge, Virginia

Between 1933 and 1937 the Federal Government began implementing a Resettlement Administration program, where rural farmers were supposed to be relocated to more fertile areas. The RA bought 79 pieces of property in both Hickory Ridge and Batestown and condemned another 48, to form the Chopawamsic Recreational Demonstration Area.^[3]

The area residents resisted the relocation efforts, sometimes retreating into the park boundaries to escape detection. This continued until the beginning of World War II, where the park was taken over by the Office of Strategic Services as a spy training ground. The park was surrounded by barbed wire and fences, and patrolled by dogs and armed guards. All remaining forty-four holdouts were evicted, some literally carried away screaming.^[4]

At the end of the war, the displaced residents hoped their land would be restored, but to date these families have received no compensation.^{[dubious – discuss]} Instead, the property was turned over to the National Park Service and renamed Prince William Forest Park.^[5]

• Former counties, cities, and towns of Virginia
• List of ghost towns in Virginia