469 miles winding along the ridgelines of two states, the Blue Ridge Parkway spans not only mountain ranges and county lines, but also spans decades in time, years that saw technological advances and artistic movements, wars in foreign countries and the Great Depression.
The parkway was the brainchild of designers and politicians with vision. Not without controversy, its construction began in 1935 and didn't finish until 1987. It was a created landscape, a cross-section of culture and history in the eastern Appalachian mountains, a road through mountains that were home to communities of rugged mountaineers, their own roots stretching over the ocean to the highlands of Scotland and Ireland.
The Blue Ridge Parkway cuts through land that's echoed with mountain fiddle and sung ballad, land that's poor and rich, past farms and cities, preserved grist mills, primitive Baptist churches and elegant wineries. The Civil War raged here. Noncombatants from World War II and Italian stonemasons were among those who built the parkway.
This the opening page for our special section on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We'll be adding stories and links to it throughout 2010, so come and visit often – and share your own stories with us.
For more on the parkway's history visit Blue Ridge Parkway Travel Guide.
Things To Do In The Blue
Visit the BRP's Sister Parks
