New documentary delves into one of the worst polio outbreaks in US history

Silent Streets: Wytheville's Polio Epidemic

Step back to the summer of 1950, when fear silenced the streets of Wytheville, Virginia. Told through powerful firsthand accounts and rare archival footage, this documentary reveals how one small town became the epicenter of one of America's worst polio outbreaks. Families barricaded their doors, children vanished from playground, and life changed overnight. "Silent Streets: Wytheville Polio Epidemic" uncovers the heartbreak, the heroes, and the resilience that carried Wytheville through its darkest season and the lessons that still echo in today's world.

WYTHEVILLE, Va. - Step back to the summer of 1950, when fear silenced the streets of Wytheville, Virginia.  Told through powerful firsthand accounts and rare archival footage, a new documentary from FOX 5 DC reveals how one small town became the epicenter of one of America's worst polio outbreaks. 

Families barricaded their doors, children vanished from playground, and life changed overnight.  "Silent Streets: Wytheville Polio Epidemic" uncovers the heartbreak, the heroes, and the resilience that carried Wytheville through its darkest season and the lessons that still echo in today's world.

The backstory:

In the summer of 1950, Wytheville should have been alive with children and travelers. Instead, a fearful silence settled over the town as one of the nation’s worst polio outbreaks struck. More than 180 people fell ill, 17 died, and daily life collapsed almost overnight.

Wytheville, once a bustling stop for travelers along Routes 11 and 21, suddenly faced a terrifying mystery. Polio wasn’t new, but its speed and severity here were unprecedented.

"The first case was June 30," historian Grant Gerlich said. "By mid-August it was gone. It came, hit hard, and just left."

Children who were healthy one day were paralyzed the next.

"I heard my brother screaming," remembered Anne B. Crockett-Stark of the spinal tap doctors performed. "My mama ran into the backyard with a pillow and screamed into it."

No one knew where the outbreak came from — and still don’t.

Stores closed. Farmers couldn’t sell their goods. Travelers sped through town with windows rolled up.

"I’m surprised the merchants survived," recalled Frances Lester.

Families isolated their children. With no local hospital prepared for the surge, patients were sent hours away to Roanoke, where iron lungs were scarce and constantly reused.

Funeral homes were overwhelmed. Schools delayed reopening; when they finally did, empty seats were a painful reminder.

"I remember the day they didn’t call my friend’s name," Lester said.

Yet the town held together. Groceries were left on porches. Comic books were baked in ovens before delivery. Parents worked tirelessly to help their children recover.

"My daddy worked my brother’s legs under a cherry tree," Crockett-Stark said. "I think his toughness saved him."

After twenty days without a new case, the nightmare ended as abruptly as it began. Five years later, the Salk vaccine arrived, and families lined Main Street to protect their children.

Many see echoes of that time in the COVID-19 pandemic — the fear, isolation, and uncertainty. Today, doctors warn that lapses in trust, not medicine, threaten progress as once-controlled diseases return.

Wytheville never discovered what caused its outbreak, but it remembers how the community responded: with unity and sacrifice.

"They put public health ahead of making a buck," Gerlich said.

Decades later, the lesson endures: even in fear, Wytheville chose love — a reminder that resilience often rises from the smallest places.

Watch the documentary on FOX LOCAL and on FOX 5 DC's YouTube page.