The 469-mile roadway through the mountains of Virginia and North Carolina was designed, back in the 1930s, to be a timeless experience. In many ways it has remained so.
Original Blue Ridge Parkway landscape architect Stanley Abbott (1908-1975) was at the peak of his powers in the 1930s as he set out to create “a museum of managed American countryside” with the 469-mile route that would connect Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park and North Carolina/Tennessee’s Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
In many ways, as the photo pairs on these pages attest, that is precisely what occurred. His “pioneer project of a scale and character [was]new to the National Park Service and new as well to the field of recreational planning.”
These nine decades later, with new funding for maintenance (see page 82 for an interview with BRP Superintendent Tracy Swartout), the parkway is poised for renewal to its timeless assets.
The historic insets are courtesy of the National Park Service archives, and are used with permission. The modern-day photos are from J. Scott Graham, who for decades has created parkway calendars and other commemorative items. For more information on his collections and items for sale: jscottgraham.com; 423-341-9463.
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Courtesy of National Park Service
Past: Peaks of Otter Lodge (MP 85.6)
While the Peaks of Otter area became a traveler destination in the 1830s with the building of the Polly Woods Ordinary, it was not until 1964 that the Peaks of Otter Lodge and Restaurant were built next to Abbott Lake.
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J. Scott Graham
Present: Peaks of Otter Lodge (MP 85.6)
While the Peaks of Otter area became a traveler destination in the 1830s with the building of the Polly Woods Ordinary, it was not until 1964 that the Peaks of Otter Lodge and Restaurant were built next to Abbott Lake.
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Courtesy National Park Service
Past: The Jesse Brown Cabin (MP 272.5)
The cabin got a new roof in 2020, updating a building erected in about 1840 about a half mile from where it now stands; it is one of the oldest structures on the parkway. Jesse Brown was a working tenant of Col. James Horton.
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J. Scott Graham
Present: The Jesse Brown Cabin (MP 272.5)
The cabin got a new roof in 2020, updating a building erected in about 1840 about a half mile from where it now stands; it is one of the oldest structures on the parkway. Jesse Brown was a working tenant of Col. James Horton.
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Courtesy of National Park Service
Past: Twenty Minute Cliff (MP 19.0)
The parkway gets credit for both timelessness and timeliness at this spot. In 1953 (inset) as now, the tiny community of White Rock could use the rock-face overlook for timing in May and June, as the sun drops behind the mountains 20 minutes after sunlight first hits the rock face.
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J. Scott Graham
Present: Twenty Minute Cliff (MP 19.0)
The parkway gets credit for both timelessness and timeliness at this spot. In 1953 (inset) as now, the tiny community of White Rock could use the rock-face overlook for timing in May and June, as the sun drops behind the mountains 20 minutes after sunlight first hits the rock face.
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Courtesy of National Park Service
Past: The Brinegar Cabin (MP 238.5)
Martin (1856-1925) and Caroline (1861-1942) Brinegar married in 1878 and soon began work on what would become a 125-acre farm that remained with Caroline after Martin’s death until 1935, when the NPS acquired the property. By the time of the inset photo (1941), the 1889 structure was in some disrepair. A major restoration was undertaken in 1975.
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J. Scott Graham
Present: The Brinegar Cabin (MP 238.5)
Martin (1856-1925) and Caroline (1861-1942) Brinegar married in 1878 and soon began work on what would become a 125-acre farm that remained with Caroline after Martin’s death until 1935, when the NPS acquired the property. By the time of the inset photo (1941), the 1889 structure was in some disrepair. A major restoration was undertaken in 1975.
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Courtesy of National Park Service
Past: Twin Tunnels (MP 344.5-344.7)
Twenty-five of the 26 tunnels on the Blue Ridge Parkway are in North Carolina. Much of the tunnel digging and construction was done by Civilian Conservation Corps workers in the 1930s, though the stone faces were added later.
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J. Scott Graham
Present: Twin Tunnels (MP 344.5-344.7)
Twenty-five of the 26 tunnels on the Blue Ridge Parkway are in North Carolina. Much of the tunnel digging and construction was done by Civilian Conservation Corps workers in the 1930s, though the stone faces were added later.
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Courtesy of National Park Service
Past: Groundhog Mountain Lookout Tower (MP 188.8)
The tower was erected by the Virginia State Forest Service in 1942, to view mountain ranges and look for hazards or fires. Today, the walk up the tower still provides views of Buffalo Mountain, Rich Hill and others.
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J. Scott Graham
Present: Groundhog Mountain Lookout Tower (MP 188.8)
The tower was erected by the Virginia State Forest Service in 1942, to view mountain ranges and look for hazards or fires. Today, the walk up the tower still provides views of Buffalo Mountain, Rich Hill and others.
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Courtesy of National Park Service
Past: Mabry Mill (MP 176.2)
The iconic mill, built in 1910 by Ed Mabry and operated successfully as a gristmill and sawmill by him and his wife Lizzie, began to fail in about 1925 when water flow decreased and Ed Mabry began to suffer health problems, allowing the mill property to fall into disrepair as in the 1941 inset photo. Since 1950, the mill site has been under NPS operation.
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J. Scott Graham
Present: Mabry Mill (MP 176.2)
The iconic mill, built in 1910 by Ed Mabry and operated successfully as a gristmill and sawmill by him and his wife Lizzie, began to fail in about 1925 when water flow decreased and Ed Mabry began to suffer health problems, allowing the mill property to fall into disrepair as in the 1941 inset photo. Since 1950, the mill site has been under NPS operation.
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Courtesy of National Park Service
Past: Linn Cove Viaduct (MP 304)
The stunning and elegantly designed, 1,234-foot Linn Cove Viaduct was completed in 1987 as the final piece of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The structure was built with 153 pre-cast concrete segments that were assembled without any breakage.
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J. Scott Graham
Present: Linn Cove Viaduct (MP 304)
The stunning and elegantly designed, 1,234-foot Linn Cove Viaduct was completed in 1987 as the final piece of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The structure was built with 153 pre-cast concrete segments that were assembled without any breakage.
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Courtesy of National Park Service
Past: North Carolina State Line (MP 216.9)
The shape of a state, the general design of parkway signage and the pretty turns of a road that was “painted with a comet’s tail,” reflect well the timeless beauty of the 469-mile roadway connecting the Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains national parks.
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J. Scott Graham
Present: North Carolina State Line (MP 216.9)
The shape of a state, the general design of parkway signage and the pretty turns of a road that was “painted with a comet’s tail,” reflect well the timeless beauty of the 469-mile roadway connecting the Shenandoah and Great Smoky Mountains national parks.
The story above first appeared in our May / June 2023 issue. For more like it subscribe today or log in with your active BRC+ Membership. Thank you for your support!