You’ll find Elko Tract hidden in Henrico County’s woods—a place built twice and abandoned twice. In 1942, soldiers carved fake runways and plywood planes to fool German bombers. After the war, Virginia constructed streets, sewers, and a water tower for a mental hospital, but white residents’ fierce opposition killed the project by 1957. Today, that rusted tower still punches through the canopy above crumbling infrastructure. Exploring requires patience: seek out historical archives, county documentation, and occasionally organized tours that’ll reveal the full story behind this twice-forgotten place.
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7.1 What Happened to the Families Displaced From the 40 Farms?…