Burgess E. Nelson and Unidentified Man
Files
Title
Burgess E. Nelson and Unidentified Man
Subject
Nelson, Burgess Ernest (1890-1966)
Description
Photograph of two men in hats talking. The man on the right has been identified as Burgess E. Nelson of Mt. Jackson. The other man is unidentified.
Burgess E. Nelson was a well-known entrepreneur and businessman from Mt. Jackson. He owned Gulf Oil Company (the pre-cursor to Holtzman Oil) and was elected to the Virginia State Senate in 1944.
This photograph was taken during “Gulf Aviation Day” held in Mount Jackson Virginia on August 4, 1935. The event featured “Reynolds and Mason Flying Circus” and was an advertising event sponsored by Burgess Nelson, a Gulf Refining Products distributor. Local newspapers noted the event featured music, comedy, and “thrills.”
The event was held in "Wisslers Field" in the area now known as Meems Bottom just south of Mount Jackson.
Burgess E. Nelson was a well-known entrepreneur and businessman from Mt. Jackson. He owned Gulf Oil Company (the pre-cursor to Holtzman Oil) and was elected to the Virginia State Senate in 1944.
This photograph was taken during “Gulf Aviation Day” held in Mount Jackson Virginia on August 4, 1935. The event featured “Reynolds and Mason Flying Circus” and was an advertising event sponsored by Burgess Nelson, a Gulf Refining Products distributor. Local newspapers noted the event featured music, comedy, and “thrills.”
The event was held in "Wisslers Field" in the area now known as Meems Bottom just south of Mount Jackson.
Creator
Morrison Studio
Source
Morrison Studio Collection - Shenandoah County Historical Society
Publisher
Shenandoah County Library
Date
August 4 1935
Contributor
Identified in 2016 by Danny Hottel who noted "his airplane flew from Meems Bottom" that day.
The event was identified in 2025 by library staff utilizing an August 3, 1935 Northern Virginia Daily advertisement.
Rights
IN COPYRIGHT - NON-COMMERCIAL USE PERMITTED
Relation
Various scenes from this advertising event can be found in the Morrison Studio Collection numbers 028254, 028255, 028256, 028257, 028258, 028259, and 028260.
Photographs of Burgess E. Nelson appear in Morrison Studio Collection numbers 024251, 024253, 028252, 028253, 028261, 028262, 028345, 028346, 028347, 028348, 028350, and 028351.
Identifier
028261
Original Format
Film Negative
Collection
Citationzork
Morrison Studio, “Burgess E. Nelson and Unidentified Man,” Shenandoah County Library Archives, accessed December 5, 2025, https://archives.countylib.org/items/show/71574.
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