Post by Midnight on May 28, 2017 14:49:37 GMT -5
A Brief History of Vanguard City
Humble Beginnings
Vanguard City, Virginia, was once a collection of smaller communities.
The town of Vanguard, itself, was originally settled as the Vanguard Colony in 1645 by a group of settlers fleeing religious persecution in their home country. The colony was named Vanguard as it was deemed by the leader of the settlement to be the Vanguard of a whole new era for their people in this new land.
Harsh coastal winters and a few bad harvests stunted the early growth of Vanguard, while the surrounding inland communities flourished and prospered.
In 1778 the British took the town of Vanguard as a landing point and beach-head during the colonies' war for independence. They would hold Vanguard until the latter part of 1780 when the American colonists re-took Vanguard. But it was a pyrrhic victory as the British torched the town to the ground before they were forced from their position. Some residents tried to rebuild Vanguard but it never achieved the prominence it once held as the majority of the population had died defending their homes from the British and the war for independence would continue for another three years, hampering the rebuilding process.
By the mid 1800's the town of Vanguard was all but gone, with only a handful of die-hard settlers who stuck by their land; refusing to move on from their ancestral homes. The town of Vanguard was little more than a collection of farms, a general store and post-office attached to a way-station for weary travels on their way to somewhere else.
The cities of Kilmarnock, Irvington and White Stone were among those "somewhere else" communities surrounding Vanguard that flourished while Vanguard floundered. Still, although moderately prosperous, they could not compete with the burgeoning metropolis of nearby Richmond. This probably worked to their advantage as, due to its strategic value and prosperity, Richmond was selected as the Capital City of the Confederacy under President Jefferson Davis.
In an effort to control the shipping inland, shipping that supplied Richmond with much-needed supplies, Union forces decided to establish a naval base and shipyard near the mouth of the Rappahannock River. The small town of Vanguard was selected as the home for the new naval base and, at the ground-breaking ceremonies; General Grant made his famous Vanguard Speech in which he was quoted as saying “This shall be the Vanguard position through which we will take back the south!” So rallied by this speech, the naval base was quickly christened “Vanguard Naval Base” and became a key lynch-pin in maintaining a Union foothold in Virginia.
The three cities of Kilmarnock, Irvington and White Stone became pivotal defensive positions during this time as, together, they formed a natural inland barricade in the defense of the town of Vanguard, its shipyard and the Northern Naval base controlling Confederate traffic along the Rappahannock River. Unfortunately, due to the divided loyalties amongst the residents of these cities, open brawls and deadly duels became almost commonplace occurrences in the streets of these cities.
Near the end of the Civil War, Confederate Forces made an attempt to take the Vanguard Naval base in one of the bloodiest and most violent battles of the war. The cities of Kilmarnock, Irvington and White Stone were all but destroyed but the small town of Vanguard and the Vanguard Naval Base held fast and never fell to Confederate forces.
When the Confederacy finally fell to Union forces, Vanguard began taking in countless refugees from the three original cities who had no homes to return to. With the help of the government, emergency housing was erected and the population of Vanguard quadrupled within weeks.
In an attempt to foster a spirit of unity in the area, the president passed a bill to subsidize The Vanguard Voice, a common unified platform through which the people of the region could communicate, exchange views, and begin mending the emotional wounds left behind after the war.
As a symbol of the faith the government had in reunified states, the Naval Yards at Vanguard were decommissioned and relocated to the coastal community of Westland to more appropriately patrol the coastal waters instead of policing the domestic waterways of the Union. This new Naval Yard was named the Merrimack Naval Station, honoring one of the Confederacy's most famous IronClad warships that actually took part in The Battle of Vanguard, in an effort to let it be known that the government recognized the sacrifices made by the brave souls who fought on the confederate side of the conflict. In time, The Merrimack Naval Station would become one of the leading Naval Installations on the East Coast.
All traces of the Naval Yards in Vanguard were removed and the entire area was converted to a Memorial Park with a monument erected to the memory of all those who lost their lives from the three cities that defended Vanguard and the helped preserve the Union. In addition to the names of those lost during the conflict, a bronze plaque adorns this monument with the words
"Nevermore shall our people make war upon themselves"
Eventually, Memorial Park would be re-dedicated to include the brave men and women who sacrificed their lives in the second World War and Memorial Avenue was renamed to Veteran's Road.
Amalgamation (1865-1929)
With the war behind them, the people of Vanguard began focusing on rebuilding both their cities and the surrounding communities. Due to the instability of what remained of White Stone, Irvington and Kilmarnock the local governments agreed to consolidate their communities into a single entity and the new seat of government would be a hastily converted “City Hall” in a military storage shed in Vanguard; the only structure large enough to house the delegates from the three distinct townships. In order to not show any preferential treatment to the original communities and in honor of their new governmental home, the amalgamated community was christened and Vanguard City was born.
During this period, with the assistance of huge government grants, Vanguard was quickly built up to incorporate the areas where the original three cities stood and the areas in-between.
Over the course of the next 60 years, Vanguard City grew in size to rival any city on the Eastern Coast of the United States of America.
In 1865, Silver was discovered by Jebediah Whitby in the area surrounding what would one day be called "Willow Hill" but was, at the time, called Nah-hna-i Oyo-i A-danvdo, which translates roughly to "Place of The Bad Spirits". When the Indians continued to prevent Whitby from mining the area, Whitby hired gunslingers, cowpokes and any two-bit hand he could find to help him relieve himself of his "injun problem". By 1866, every last man, woman and child of the indian tribe had been killed or forced off their ancestral lands and the mining town of Whitby was established.
In 1870, the entire population of Whitby mysteriously disappeared overnight; leaving buildings intact and personal belongings untouched. Unable to hire a conventional workforce to come and work his "haunted town", Jebediah Whitby begins importing out-of-work Chinese from all over the country, recently put out of work by the completion of the Continental Railroad.
In 1881, mere hours after some "great discovery", the silver mine at Whitby Hill collapsed, trapping over 150 men inside, including Jebediah Whitby. Only ten survivors are pulled from the mine, including Whitby, who promptly shuts down the mine. Whitby deeds the town over to its residents, sends his family away to Europe and begins a self-imposed seclusion, attended only by his lawyers at the fledgling company Connery & Frutt.
In 1885, Shao-Lin priests arrived from China at Whitby's request. Whitby constructs a Shao-Lin Monestary to house them on the grounds of his property. The monestary still stands to this day and is one of the few remaining Shao-Lin monestaries in the world that survived the religious purging of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. The monestary is also rumoured to contain lost cultural artifacts, and manuscripts thought lost in the destruction of Shao-Lin temples during the Qing Dynasty and the infamous fire of 1928, set by the warlord Shi Yousan, which burned for over 40 days, destroying 90% of the buildings of the original Shaolin Monastery built on the north side of Shaoshi peak and is perported to have claimed many manuscripts of the temple library.
In 1886, five years to the day after the collapse of the mine, Jebediah Whitby makes his last appearance in public at a memorial service held at the newly constructed Shao-Lin Monestary. Aside from his lawyers and the Shao-Lin priests who have assumed care-taker responsibilities for the estate, no one would see Jebediah Whitby again following this date.
In 1900, papers recording the death of Jebediah Whitby by natural causes are filed in town records. Age at time of death is listed at 83. Whitby is buried on the grounds of his estate and the estate itself is turned over to the stewardship of the Shao-Lin priests in perpetuity.
In 1910, the Whitby Estate is declared a "National Heritage Site".
The Depression (1929-1941)
Unlike other major cities, Vanguard City found itself oddly unaffected by the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and The Great Depression that followed.
No one knows how or why Vanguard City continued to prosper (albeit not as prosperous as it once was) but somehow, in some way, the docks stayed busy, the crops were plentiful and the trains ran on time.
It may have been the result of several well-positioned families and affluent individuals who kept subsidizing the local economy. It may have been some left-over government initiative left over from the Civil War rebuilding process. It may have been pure dumb luck or something far more sinister. No one knows for sure.
All they know is that while the rest of America was closing down, Vanguard City was open for “business as usual”.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for many of the surrounding communities and the municipal government of Vanguard City began providing loans to some of these beleaguered communities in order to “tide them over” until this temporary economic downturn could correct itself.
Of course the depression, and the following recession, lasted far longer than anyone anticipated and several of the surrounding communities allowed themselves to be amalgamated into Vanguard City rather than face an ever-increasing debt looming over them.
As the rest of the country heard about Vanguard City’s miraculous immunity to the depression, masses of people came from all over the country in search of work. The influx of people created a need for more materials and resources. The need for more materials and resources created additional jobs, creating a self-fulfilling prophesy: There were jobs a-plenty in Vanguard City if people were willing to work hard.
The War Era (1941-1945)
During World War II, the Naval Yards at Westland became an important cog in the United State’s Military Machine and the Merrimack Naval Station became the primary hub of U.S. Naval Activity in the Atlantic theatre.
For the duration of the war, the Allies’ counter-espionage and anti-terrorist group of super-human operatives, The Allied Super Squad, were stationed at the Merrimack Naval Station as their base of operations to root out subversive Axis initiatives on the North American Continent.
During this time, the economy of Vanguard City boomed and thrived as even more jobs were created to help support the American Military Machine and the Allies’ efforts in Europe.
Although a large portion of Vanguard City’s male population performed their duty overseas, a constant influx of fresh bodies from all over the U.S. and the women of Vanguard City stepped in to help keep the jobs filled and the assembly lines rolling in defense of American liberty.
The Post-War Era (1945-1963)
Like the rest of the country, Vanguard City enjoyed a "golden era" following World War II. The war effort had created a much-needed boost to the American economy and the depression was rapidly becoming little more a very bad memory. The United States was considered by many to be the economic and political ruler of the post-war world.
If the United States was king, then Vanguard City shone as the jewel it its crown.
Already at an advantage due to their amazing immunity to the worst of the depression, the many factories built to provide for the American war effort increased the industrial power of Vanguard City tenfold.
With the American population now finding itself with an unaccustomed bounty of disposable income and a surplus of labor due to the influx of soldiers returning from overseas, the many munitions factories of Vanguard City were quickly converted to civilian manufacturing and business boomed from one end of the city to the other.
Life was good and the American people were full of pride, idealism and a sense of hope for the future. In this respect, Vanguard City was no different than any other city in North America.
In 1962, the town of Whitby is annexed to the still-growing Vanguard City. The area between Whitby and the rest of Vanguard City continues to develop at a rapid pace and, over time, becomes "The Chinese Quarter".
The Vietnam Era (1964-1973)
The Vietnam Era was a divisive period for America and Vanguard City.
It was called by many, an age of enlightenment. A time when people expanded their consciousness by opening their minds to new ideas and questioning the status quo. It was the age of Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n Roll; where the youth were told not to trust anyone over the age of 30.
While the youth of the day were espousing peace, love and harmony, America was positioning itself in a controversial military action that divided the country. As a major manufacturing point for the United States military, the industrial plants of Vanguard City were often picketed by peace activists and these "peaceful protests" degenerated into full-blown riots on more than one occasion.
Once believed to be the shiniest jewel of American cities, the frequent demonstrations and violent police actions in Vanguard aired on nation-wide U.S. television sullied the good name of Vanguard City.
And while the youth rallied against the establishment over wars being fought overseas, another battle was taking place within the borders of Vanguard City itself.
As Vanguard's Youth protested against military actions in other countries, civil and military forces walked the streets of Vanguard City, enforcing the Affirmative Action and racial integration initiatives began by President Lyndon Johnson and championed by President John F. Kennedy. Armed military personnel escorted integrated black children from their homes, stood guard outside the newly integrated schools and escorted them home each night.
That was, however, where their responsibility ended and, on more than one occasion, the families of these children were subjected to persecution and harassment by members of the community - still holding to the old ways of the south - who did not want these children attending "white" schools. Before this era was over, 10 families had crosses burned on their lawns by the Ku Klux Klan and five black men were murdered, with two of them being left hanged from streetlamps on public display.
Outraged by these acts, the mayor of Vanguard, ordered a strict curfew put in place until the culprits were found. This curfew remained in place for six months before it was lifted but the culprits were never found. Several suspects were brought up on charges but were released due to insufficient evidence and corroborating testimony supporting their alibis. Although the attacks and harassment stopped, the fact that the original perpetrators were never found caused many minority families in Vanguard City to not feel safe in their own homes.
Deemed by many to be the darkest era in Vanguard City's history, the events of that time left Vanguard City with much to recover from.
In 1965, Willow Hill Lodge is opened as a recreational resort for Vanguard City's well-to-do.
In 1969, Willow Lake Summer Camp is opened as rural retreat for the youth of Vanguard City's continued urban sprawl.
Friday, August 13th, 1971, an escaped psychotic mental patient roamed the woods of willow hills and, in the span of one night, slaughtered the entire staff of the Willow Lake Summer Camp, leaving the children untouched, before escaping back into the woods. A horror film is later written, inspired by these events, which then was spun off into one of the most lucrative movie Franchises in Hollywood history.
The Era of Corruption (1974-1993)
With her reputation sullied, Vanguard City found a large number of national companies pulling out of the city and its environs. The bubble had finally burst and jobs literally disappeared as unemployment rates soared.
Administrations were constantly being scrutinized and vilified for allowing Vanguard City's economy to collapse. Over a period of the 70's and the 80's, organized crime began gaining a stronger and stronger foothold in the city with City Hall firmly in the pockets of the criminal families that now literally controlled the city.
As the economy continued to flounder and crime rates rose, more and more companies began pulling out of Vanguard City; even those that had their origins within Vanguard City's borders.
Many of the super-human protectors of Vanguard City found themselves facing constant frustration as city hall and the police force, completely in the pockets of organized crime, took a dim view on what they termed "Vigilante Justice". It became increasingly difficult for super-heroes to operate within the system as the system did its level best to thwart them at every turn. Between "lost" evidence, crooked judges and increasingly restrictive legislation against their activities, many heroes chose to leave for other cities more hospitable to heroes with very few heroes remaining.
Ironically, the majority of those that remained were those who simply did not worry about working within the system. They had nothing but contempt for a system that they knew to be corrupt and held themselves above "the law"; thereby justifying City's Hall's hard-nosed position against "Vigilante Justice".
In 1992, Willow Lake Summer Camp is re-opened in the face of controversy and public outcry by the families of those lost there. One of the survivors of the Willow Lake Massacre commits suicide upon hearing that the camp has been re-opened.
The Age of Reclamation / The Modern Age (1993- )
In 1993, a singular event happened that would change the course of history in Vanguard City. Mayor John Tweed was elected into office to begin what would turn out to be an unparalleled 14-year stint as mayor of Vanguard City.
Unlike his predecessors, Mayor Tweed proved to be immune to corruption and actually believed that "the system" worked...once you got all the bugs out of it. And that's exactly what he set out to do.
He began with the police force, cracking down on corruption and graft and appointed special committees from Internal Affairs comprised of people he personally knew to be trustworthy and upstanding men of integrity. Meanwhile he began his own internal investigations at City Hall and uncovered evidence that resulted in massive resignations and departures.
It was not an easy road. Multiple attempts on his life took place every month, his family was threatened on an almost daily basis, and every black mark and closeted skeleton in his past was dug up in an attempt to discredit him.
But he had three things that carried him through this difficult period:
1) The love and complete support of his family
2) A firm belief and commitment that what he was doing was right
and
3) The assistance of Virago, one of the few "legitimate" heroes that remained in Vanguard City and tried to work with the system
His campaign against organized crime continued to gain ground as he made inroads into ferreting out the corruption at all levels of government and municipal services. His progress was such that the head of one of the families decided it was time to make an example of anyone who tries to tamper with the status quo.
In the spring of 1996, three years after he took office, Mayor Tweed's 8-year-old daughter was abducted from school at gunpoint. It is not known how this was done with her security contingent present. It was suspected that her guard that day was in on the abduction but nothing could be proven.
She was held ransom, with the ransom being Mayor Tweed's resignation. Mayor Tweed refused, calling their bluff but, in a botched police raid attempting to recover the girl, his daughter was killed.
A grief-stricken Mayor Tweed addressed the public on local television that very night and publicly re-committed himself to the task of removing the corruption and organized crime from the streets of Vanguard City. His tearful speech touched a common nerve amongst the people of Vanguard City and he swiftly gained the highest popular support rating of any mayor in the city's history.
Perhaps the most startling turn of events coming out of that tragic event was the resignation of the sitting Chief of Police. Overcome with guilt and remorse over this heinous act which he had been a part of, the Chief of Police agreed to turn state's evidence on the criminal elements he dealt with in exchange for placement in the federal Witness Protection Program.
The mayor then appointed an interim Chief of Police that he could trust and, armed with the information provided by the outgoing police chief, the war on crime in Vanguard City began in earnest.
With the crime rate on the decline and Vanguard City's image improving across the country, companies began moving back to Vanguard City to take advantage of the lucrative tax incentive programs Mayor Tweed implemented in an effort to lure them back.
Even some heroes began returning to Vanguard City and found - to their surprise - a cooperative police force and city administration both ready and willing to work with them to help keep the streets of Vanguard City a safe place to be.
The year is now 2007 and Mayor Tweed has managed to weed out most of the corruption in City Hall and has put Vanguard City back on the map as one of the most respected and economically successful cities on the East Coast.
He still has the highest popular support rating of any mayor in the city's history and is respected and admired not only in Vanguard City but also in political circles across the country.
He has been approached more than once to consider putting his name forward as a candidate for both State and Federal politics but each time he declines, saying that his work here in Vanguard City is not yet done.
Humble Beginnings
Vanguard City, Virginia, was once a collection of smaller communities.
The town of Vanguard, itself, was originally settled as the Vanguard Colony in 1645 by a group of settlers fleeing religious persecution in their home country. The colony was named Vanguard as it was deemed by the leader of the settlement to be the Vanguard of a whole new era for their people in this new land.
Harsh coastal winters and a few bad harvests stunted the early growth of Vanguard, while the surrounding inland communities flourished and prospered.
In 1778 the British took the town of Vanguard as a landing point and beach-head during the colonies' war for independence. They would hold Vanguard until the latter part of 1780 when the American colonists re-took Vanguard. But it was a pyrrhic victory as the British torched the town to the ground before they were forced from their position. Some residents tried to rebuild Vanguard but it never achieved the prominence it once held as the majority of the population had died defending their homes from the British and the war for independence would continue for another three years, hampering the rebuilding process.
By the mid 1800's the town of Vanguard was all but gone, with only a handful of die-hard settlers who stuck by their land; refusing to move on from their ancestral homes. The town of Vanguard was little more than a collection of farms, a general store and post-office attached to a way-station for weary travels on their way to somewhere else.
The cities of Kilmarnock, Irvington and White Stone were among those "somewhere else" communities surrounding Vanguard that flourished while Vanguard floundered. Still, although moderately prosperous, they could not compete with the burgeoning metropolis of nearby Richmond. This probably worked to their advantage as, due to its strategic value and prosperity, Richmond was selected as the Capital City of the Confederacy under President Jefferson Davis.
In an effort to control the shipping inland, shipping that supplied Richmond with much-needed supplies, Union forces decided to establish a naval base and shipyard near the mouth of the Rappahannock River. The small town of Vanguard was selected as the home for the new naval base and, at the ground-breaking ceremonies; General Grant made his famous Vanguard Speech in which he was quoted as saying “This shall be the Vanguard position through which we will take back the south!” So rallied by this speech, the naval base was quickly christened “Vanguard Naval Base” and became a key lynch-pin in maintaining a Union foothold in Virginia.
The three cities of Kilmarnock, Irvington and White Stone became pivotal defensive positions during this time as, together, they formed a natural inland barricade in the defense of the town of Vanguard, its shipyard and the Northern Naval base controlling Confederate traffic along the Rappahannock River. Unfortunately, due to the divided loyalties amongst the residents of these cities, open brawls and deadly duels became almost commonplace occurrences in the streets of these cities.
Near the end of the Civil War, Confederate Forces made an attempt to take the Vanguard Naval base in one of the bloodiest and most violent battles of the war. The cities of Kilmarnock, Irvington and White Stone were all but destroyed but the small town of Vanguard and the Vanguard Naval Base held fast and never fell to Confederate forces.
When the Confederacy finally fell to Union forces, Vanguard began taking in countless refugees from the three original cities who had no homes to return to. With the help of the government, emergency housing was erected and the population of Vanguard quadrupled within weeks.
In an attempt to foster a spirit of unity in the area, the president passed a bill to subsidize The Vanguard Voice, a common unified platform through which the people of the region could communicate, exchange views, and begin mending the emotional wounds left behind after the war.
As a symbol of the faith the government had in reunified states, the Naval Yards at Vanguard were decommissioned and relocated to the coastal community of Westland to more appropriately patrol the coastal waters instead of policing the domestic waterways of the Union. This new Naval Yard was named the Merrimack Naval Station, honoring one of the Confederacy's most famous IronClad warships that actually took part in The Battle of Vanguard, in an effort to let it be known that the government recognized the sacrifices made by the brave souls who fought on the confederate side of the conflict. In time, The Merrimack Naval Station would become one of the leading Naval Installations on the East Coast.
All traces of the Naval Yards in Vanguard were removed and the entire area was converted to a Memorial Park with a monument erected to the memory of all those who lost their lives from the three cities that defended Vanguard and the helped preserve the Union. In addition to the names of those lost during the conflict, a bronze plaque adorns this monument with the words
"Nevermore shall our people make war upon themselves"
Eventually, Memorial Park would be re-dedicated to include the brave men and women who sacrificed their lives in the second World War and Memorial Avenue was renamed to Veteran's Road.
Amalgamation (1865-1929)
With the war behind them, the people of Vanguard began focusing on rebuilding both their cities and the surrounding communities. Due to the instability of what remained of White Stone, Irvington and Kilmarnock the local governments agreed to consolidate their communities into a single entity and the new seat of government would be a hastily converted “City Hall” in a military storage shed in Vanguard; the only structure large enough to house the delegates from the three distinct townships. In order to not show any preferential treatment to the original communities and in honor of their new governmental home, the amalgamated community was christened and Vanguard City was born.
During this period, with the assistance of huge government grants, Vanguard was quickly built up to incorporate the areas where the original three cities stood and the areas in-between.
Over the course of the next 60 years, Vanguard City grew in size to rival any city on the Eastern Coast of the United States of America.
In 1865, Silver was discovered by Jebediah Whitby in the area surrounding what would one day be called "Willow Hill" but was, at the time, called Nah-hna-i Oyo-i A-danvdo, which translates roughly to "Place of The Bad Spirits". When the Indians continued to prevent Whitby from mining the area, Whitby hired gunslingers, cowpokes and any two-bit hand he could find to help him relieve himself of his "injun problem". By 1866, every last man, woman and child of the indian tribe had been killed or forced off their ancestral lands and the mining town of Whitby was established.
In 1870, the entire population of Whitby mysteriously disappeared overnight; leaving buildings intact and personal belongings untouched. Unable to hire a conventional workforce to come and work his "haunted town", Jebediah Whitby begins importing out-of-work Chinese from all over the country, recently put out of work by the completion of the Continental Railroad.
In 1881, mere hours after some "great discovery", the silver mine at Whitby Hill collapsed, trapping over 150 men inside, including Jebediah Whitby. Only ten survivors are pulled from the mine, including Whitby, who promptly shuts down the mine. Whitby deeds the town over to its residents, sends his family away to Europe and begins a self-imposed seclusion, attended only by his lawyers at the fledgling company Connery & Frutt.
In 1885, Shao-Lin priests arrived from China at Whitby's request. Whitby constructs a Shao-Lin Monestary to house them on the grounds of his property. The monestary still stands to this day and is one of the few remaining Shao-Lin monestaries in the world that survived the religious purging of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. The monestary is also rumoured to contain lost cultural artifacts, and manuscripts thought lost in the destruction of Shao-Lin temples during the Qing Dynasty and the infamous fire of 1928, set by the warlord Shi Yousan, which burned for over 40 days, destroying 90% of the buildings of the original Shaolin Monastery built on the north side of Shaoshi peak and is perported to have claimed many manuscripts of the temple library.
In 1886, five years to the day after the collapse of the mine, Jebediah Whitby makes his last appearance in public at a memorial service held at the newly constructed Shao-Lin Monestary. Aside from his lawyers and the Shao-Lin priests who have assumed care-taker responsibilities for the estate, no one would see Jebediah Whitby again following this date.
In 1900, papers recording the death of Jebediah Whitby by natural causes are filed in town records. Age at time of death is listed at 83. Whitby is buried on the grounds of his estate and the estate itself is turned over to the stewardship of the Shao-Lin priests in perpetuity.
In 1910, the Whitby Estate is declared a "National Heritage Site".
The Depression (1929-1941)
Unlike other major cities, Vanguard City found itself oddly unaffected by the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and The Great Depression that followed.
No one knows how or why Vanguard City continued to prosper (albeit not as prosperous as it once was) but somehow, in some way, the docks stayed busy, the crops were plentiful and the trains ran on time.
It may have been the result of several well-positioned families and affluent individuals who kept subsidizing the local economy. It may have been some left-over government initiative left over from the Civil War rebuilding process. It may have been pure dumb luck or something far more sinister. No one knows for sure.
All they know is that while the rest of America was closing down, Vanguard City was open for “business as usual”.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for many of the surrounding communities and the municipal government of Vanguard City began providing loans to some of these beleaguered communities in order to “tide them over” until this temporary economic downturn could correct itself.
Of course the depression, and the following recession, lasted far longer than anyone anticipated and several of the surrounding communities allowed themselves to be amalgamated into Vanguard City rather than face an ever-increasing debt looming over them.
As the rest of the country heard about Vanguard City’s miraculous immunity to the depression, masses of people came from all over the country in search of work. The influx of people created a need for more materials and resources. The need for more materials and resources created additional jobs, creating a self-fulfilling prophesy: There were jobs a-plenty in Vanguard City if people were willing to work hard.
The War Era (1941-1945)
During World War II, the Naval Yards at Westland became an important cog in the United State’s Military Machine and the Merrimack Naval Station became the primary hub of U.S. Naval Activity in the Atlantic theatre.
For the duration of the war, the Allies’ counter-espionage and anti-terrorist group of super-human operatives, The Allied Super Squad, were stationed at the Merrimack Naval Station as their base of operations to root out subversive Axis initiatives on the North American Continent.
During this time, the economy of Vanguard City boomed and thrived as even more jobs were created to help support the American Military Machine and the Allies’ efforts in Europe.
Although a large portion of Vanguard City’s male population performed their duty overseas, a constant influx of fresh bodies from all over the U.S. and the women of Vanguard City stepped in to help keep the jobs filled and the assembly lines rolling in defense of American liberty.
The Post-War Era (1945-1963)
Like the rest of the country, Vanguard City enjoyed a "golden era" following World War II. The war effort had created a much-needed boost to the American economy and the depression was rapidly becoming little more a very bad memory. The United States was considered by many to be the economic and political ruler of the post-war world.
If the United States was king, then Vanguard City shone as the jewel it its crown.
Already at an advantage due to their amazing immunity to the worst of the depression, the many factories built to provide for the American war effort increased the industrial power of Vanguard City tenfold.
With the American population now finding itself with an unaccustomed bounty of disposable income and a surplus of labor due to the influx of soldiers returning from overseas, the many munitions factories of Vanguard City were quickly converted to civilian manufacturing and business boomed from one end of the city to the other.
Life was good and the American people were full of pride, idealism and a sense of hope for the future. In this respect, Vanguard City was no different than any other city in North America.
In 1962, the town of Whitby is annexed to the still-growing Vanguard City. The area between Whitby and the rest of Vanguard City continues to develop at a rapid pace and, over time, becomes "The Chinese Quarter".
The Vietnam Era (1964-1973)
The Vietnam Era was a divisive period for America and Vanguard City.
It was called by many, an age of enlightenment. A time when people expanded their consciousness by opening their minds to new ideas and questioning the status quo. It was the age of Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n Roll; where the youth were told not to trust anyone over the age of 30.
While the youth of the day were espousing peace, love and harmony, America was positioning itself in a controversial military action that divided the country. As a major manufacturing point for the United States military, the industrial plants of Vanguard City were often picketed by peace activists and these "peaceful protests" degenerated into full-blown riots on more than one occasion.
Once believed to be the shiniest jewel of American cities, the frequent demonstrations and violent police actions in Vanguard aired on nation-wide U.S. television sullied the good name of Vanguard City.
And while the youth rallied against the establishment over wars being fought overseas, another battle was taking place within the borders of Vanguard City itself.
As Vanguard's Youth protested against military actions in other countries, civil and military forces walked the streets of Vanguard City, enforcing the Affirmative Action and racial integration initiatives began by President Lyndon Johnson and championed by President John F. Kennedy. Armed military personnel escorted integrated black children from their homes, stood guard outside the newly integrated schools and escorted them home each night.
That was, however, where their responsibility ended and, on more than one occasion, the families of these children were subjected to persecution and harassment by members of the community - still holding to the old ways of the south - who did not want these children attending "white" schools. Before this era was over, 10 families had crosses burned on their lawns by the Ku Klux Klan and five black men were murdered, with two of them being left hanged from streetlamps on public display.
Outraged by these acts, the mayor of Vanguard, ordered a strict curfew put in place until the culprits were found. This curfew remained in place for six months before it was lifted but the culprits were never found. Several suspects were brought up on charges but were released due to insufficient evidence and corroborating testimony supporting their alibis. Although the attacks and harassment stopped, the fact that the original perpetrators were never found caused many minority families in Vanguard City to not feel safe in their own homes.
Deemed by many to be the darkest era in Vanguard City's history, the events of that time left Vanguard City with much to recover from.
In 1965, Willow Hill Lodge is opened as a recreational resort for Vanguard City's well-to-do.
In 1969, Willow Lake Summer Camp is opened as rural retreat for the youth of Vanguard City's continued urban sprawl.
Friday, August 13th, 1971, an escaped psychotic mental patient roamed the woods of willow hills and, in the span of one night, slaughtered the entire staff of the Willow Lake Summer Camp, leaving the children untouched, before escaping back into the woods. A horror film is later written, inspired by these events, which then was spun off into one of the most lucrative movie Franchises in Hollywood history.
The Era of Corruption (1974-1993)
With her reputation sullied, Vanguard City found a large number of national companies pulling out of the city and its environs. The bubble had finally burst and jobs literally disappeared as unemployment rates soared.
Administrations were constantly being scrutinized and vilified for allowing Vanguard City's economy to collapse. Over a period of the 70's and the 80's, organized crime began gaining a stronger and stronger foothold in the city with City Hall firmly in the pockets of the criminal families that now literally controlled the city.
As the economy continued to flounder and crime rates rose, more and more companies began pulling out of Vanguard City; even those that had their origins within Vanguard City's borders.
Many of the super-human protectors of Vanguard City found themselves facing constant frustration as city hall and the police force, completely in the pockets of organized crime, took a dim view on what they termed "Vigilante Justice". It became increasingly difficult for super-heroes to operate within the system as the system did its level best to thwart them at every turn. Between "lost" evidence, crooked judges and increasingly restrictive legislation against their activities, many heroes chose to leave for other cities more hospitable to heroes with very few heroes remaining.
Ironically, the majority of those that remained were those who simply did not worry about working within the system. They had nothing but contempt for a system that they knew to be corrupt and held themselves above "the law"; thereby justifying City's Hall's hard-nosed position against "Vigilante Justice".
In 1992, Willow Lake Summer Camp is re-opened in the face of controversy and public outcry by the families of those lost there. One of the survivors of the Willow Lake Massacre commits suicide upon hearing that the camp has been re-opened.
The Age of Reclamation / The Modern Age (1993- )
In 1993, a singular event happened that would change the course of history in Vanguard City. Mayor John Tweed was elected into office to begin what would turn out to be an unparalleled 14-year stint as mayor of Vanguard City.
Unlike his predecessors, Mayor Tweed proved to be immune to corruption and actually believed that "the system" worked...once you got all the bugs out of it. And that's exactly what he set out to do.
He began with the police force, cracking down on corruption and graft and appointed special committees from Internal Affairs comprised of people he personally knew to be trustworthy and upstanding men of integrity. Meanwhile he began his own internal investigations at City Hall and uncovered evidence that resulted in massive resignations and departures.
It was not an easy road. Multiple attempts on his life took place every month, his family was threatened on an almost daily basis, and every black mark and closeted skeleton in his past was dug up in an attempt to discredit him.
But he had three things that carried him through this difficult period:
1) The love and complete support of his family
2) A firm belief and commitment that what he was doing was right
and
3) The assistance of Virago, one of the few "legitimate" heroes that remained in Vanguard City and tried to work with the system
His campaign against organized crime continued to gain ground as he made inroads into ferreting out the corruption at all levels of government and municipal services. His progress was such that the head of one of the families decided it was time to make an example of anyone who tries to tamper with the status quo.
In the spring of 1996, three years after he took office, Mayor Tweed's 8-year-old daughter was abducted from school at gunpoint. It is not known how this was done with her security contingent present. It was suspected that her guard that day was in on the abduction but nothing could be proven.
She was held ransom, with the ransom being Mayor Tweed's resignation. Mayor Tweed refused, calling their bluff but, in a botched police raid attempting to recover the girl, his daughter was killed.
A grief-stricken Mayor Tweed addressed the public on local television that very night and publicly re-committed himself to the task of removing the corruption and organized crime from the streets of Vanguard City. His tearful speech touched a common nerve amongst the people of Vanguard City and he swiftly gained the highest popular support rating of any mayor in the city's history.
Perhaps the most startling turn of events coming out of that tragic event was the resignation of the sitting Chief of Police. Overcome with guilt and remorse over this heinous act which he had been a part of, the Chief of Police agreed to turn state's evidence on the criminal elements he dealt with in exchange for placement in the federal Witness Protection Program.
The mayor then appointed an interim Chief of Police that he could trust and, armed with the information provided by the outgoing police chief, the war on crime in Vanguard City began in earnest.
With the crime rate on the decline and Vanguard City's image improving across the country, companies began moving back to Vanguard City to take advantage of the lucrative tax incentive programs Mayor Tweed implemented in an effort to lure them back.
Even some heroes began returning to Vanguard City and found - to their surprise - a cooperative police force and city administration both ready and willing to work with them to help keep the streets of Vanguard City a safe place to be.
The year is now 2007 and Mayor Tweed has managed to weed out most of the corruption in City Hall and has put Vanguard City back on the map as one of the most respected and economically successful cities on the East Coast.
He still has the highest popular support rating of any mayor in the city's history and is respected and admired not only in Vanguard City but also in political circles across the country.
He has been approached more than once to consider putting his name forward as a candidate for both State and Federal politics but each time he declines, saying that his work here in Vanguard City is not yet done.