Primary Source Set

North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Parkway

Spanning 469 miles between Virginia and North Carolina, the Blue Ridge Parkway has long been a favorite destination of tourists. While the Parkway is loved by many today, its history is marked by a series of disputes and controversies over route planning, eminent domain, and other land issues. This primary source set uses photographs, newspaper articles, and a map to explain the conflicts and agreements leading to the creation of the Blue Ridge Parkway, and to demonstrate the effects of the Parkway on western North Carolina.

Time Period

1933-1962

Grade Level

Undergraduate

Transcript

Shenandoah-Great Smoky Mountains Park Highway — (By Stanley W. Abbott) The Shenandoah-Great Smoky Mountains National Parkway now being planned by the National Government along the Blue Ridge mountains is visualized by many as the most important public improvement since railroad days in the growth of western North Carolina. Five hundred miles in length and traversing Virginia as well as this State, the Parkway is one of the longest to be planned as a single unit in American roadbuilding history. It will also be the highest road in the East, averaging 2500 feet and climbing in several sections higher than one mile above sea level. The federal program under P.W.A. is estimated to cost in the twenty millions and will include the development of wayside recreation in addition to a parkway drive connecting the Shenandoah and the Great Smoky Mountains National Parks. These superbly wild areas have been set aside for conservation and are now being developed with appropriate road systems and recreation features. Although they are relatively young members of the National family, these parks already attract thousands of tourists each year from all states of the country. It is proposed not only to make them more accessible by the new road, but to create the parkway in such a manner as to be in itself an alluring invitation to the vacationer. It should be unnecessary to point out the recreational value of the Appalachians to its close neighbors. The Carolina-Virginia mountains in their variety and in their forest-clad friendliness call forth high praise from the most casual observer. To assure for all time and all people this great recreation resource, the most important aspect of the National project is that it will provide a “parkway” as contra-distinguished from the ordinary commercial highway (with which the American tourist is all too familiar). The parkway idea is a relatively new and a highly specialized solution for the traffic problem. It may be briefly as a road devoted to recreation and located within an “elongated park.” parkways have been developed in suburban regions near New York City and in the case of the Mt. Vernon Memorial Drive near Washington. The worth-whileness of this type of drive in the suburban plan has been amply demonstrated not only as a benefit to public recreation, but as the most efficient solution yet devised for safe and rapid movement of pasesnger [sic] cars. These parkways, however, can hardly be pointed to as true prototypes for the park-to-park program. This project is a pioneer type by which the national government seeks to meet on a broad scale of interstate planning the ever-increasing demands of the vacation tourist. Probably no scenic parkway in the world approaches the magnitude of this conception. Technicians recognize three elements of great importance distinguishing the parkway from the common road: first, a sufficient width of park land to provide a protective “buffer” on both sides of the paved motorway, excluding private frontage and giving opportunity for extensive roadside beautification; second, the elimination of principal road crossings by means of bridges over or under the parkway; and, finally, the spacing of access roadways at infrequent intervals to minimize the friction with the main traffic stream. Of these principals, that of the broad insulating park strip is considered of greatest importance in the case of Shenandoah-Great Smoky Mountains Parkway, predicated as it is on scenic values. The control will eliminate the parasitic and unsightly border development of the hot-dog stand, the gasoline shack and the billboard. It will make possible the preservation of unspoiled natural surroundings. The parkway, including its structures, will be characterized by simplicity and informality, being designed to harmonize with this natural environment. The roadway location is being carefully studied to take best advantage of the scenic variety and interest of each region. Contrary to some opinion, the parkway is not to be an all “skyline” location. Sections of mountain top location will be interspersed with sections of mountain side, mountain stream valley and even occasional broad river valleys. A desirable diversification of scenic type as well as engineering requirements dictate this principle of changing road position. The designers are aiming for a higher standard of grade and curvature than characterizes most of the mountain motorways in this country. It is believed that safety and easy driving qualities are essential requirements in order that the motorist may devote a larger share of his attention to the appreciation of the unfolding scenery. It does not follow, however, that the parkway is being designed as a fast traffic artery. Rather it is to be a drive for the leisurely motorist who may spend days or even weks [sic] along its five hundred miles. For the reason of its location in the mountains and because the Appalachians are flanked by fast utility highways, it is considered practicable to regulate against the use of the drive by commercial vehicles. Particular attention will be given by the designers to the planning of the two-lane motorway so that it will repose in the rugged topography with the least possoble [sic] scar. By warping of the roadside grading into the existing contour of the ground it is hoped to soften the evidence of machine construction. It is planned that extensive planting programs along the parkway will augment the existing foliage with native trees and shrubs as dictated by the prevailing note. AT focal points a concentration of flowering materials, the mountain, laurel, rhododendron, azalea and the dogwood will be introduced to heighten the interest of the drive. Forestry work will be applied to conserve the wealth of existing plant growth, and under judicious supervision to open up glimpses into the deep woodlands, meadows and distant off-scapes. Concurrently with the parkway program the Government plans to develop at intervals wayside recreation opportunities. In addition to the parkway strip to be provided by state funds, federal land programs have been directed towards the acquisition of broad scenic areas along the way. These will preserve for public use whole mountains or groups of mountains. Foot paths, bridle trails and woodland picnic areas by which the motorist may retire for more intimate appreciation of nature, will be the main developed features. More active recreation, as fishing, swimming and boating may also be provided. The Shenandoah to Great Smoky Mountain Parkway is being designed by the engineers of the United States Bureau of Public Roads in close collaboration with landscape architects and architects of the National Park Service. The close working together of these allied planning professions should harmonize the factors of usefulness and beauty in the completed project. The most stubborn and timetaking problem, however, is the acquisition of parkway land. This division of the work is the province of the State and to the right-of-way agents of the State Highway Department falls a large share of the responsibility and credit for the forward movement of the whole project. Through North Carolina the parkway lands, which will vary in width as dictated by the local scenic qualities, will average approximately 100 acres per mile. In addition, the State has been asked to negotiate for scenic easements averaging approximately 50 acres a mile. These easements are a device permitting land to remain in private ownership for its normal agricultural or residential use, but by which the owner agrees not to place billboards, unsightly structures or refuse in the area adjacent to the park land. The intent of these agreements is to scure [sic] a maximum of protection to the natural scenery without increasing the amount of land to be purchased. A fair attitude on the part of the property holder and an attitude which looks beyond selfish gain at the expense of the new road will be essential to rapid progress. The effect which this project will exert on the furture [sic] growth of western North Carolina is obviously conjectural. We may reasonably expect a sizable increase in the flow of tourist travel through this region with the attendant benefits to the “market” for local products. The belt of influence will not be restricted to the immediate vicinity of the drive, but will comprehend the many cities, towns and individual farms for miles on either side. Independent of its employment relief aspects and its obvious recreation benefits to millions annually, the project may therefore be said to have a dollars and cents value to the people of this region for all time.

"Shenandoah-Great Smoky Mountains National Parkway"

Stanley W. Abbott, a landscape architect, was a key figure in designing the Blue Ridge Parkway. In this article from The Skyland Post, he discusses his plans for the Parkway. Through planting programs and careful route planning, Abbott states, the road will retain the beauty of the natural scenery and bring tourism to western North Carolina. However, he also acknowledges that obtaining land for the parkway is a “stubborn and time-taking problem.”

Contributed to DigitalNC by Ashe County Public Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

View Original View Transcript

West Jefferson, N.C. (Ashe County)

North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Parkway

Print/Download

Background

The Blue Ridge Parkway is a road that spans 469 miles along the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia and North Carolina. The Parkway has been one of the most-visited sites in the National Park Service system since the 1940s, drawing crowds of visitors who wish to view the mountain scenery and enjoy nearby towns and tourist attractions. Although the Blue Ridge Parkway was formed to provide employment for job-seekers, improve local economies through increased tourist traffic, and connect two national parks, the road’s history shows that conflict played a key role in preventing these goals. Disagreements over route planning, eminent domain, and other land issues were a significant hurdle in building the Parkway.

The project to build the Blue Ridge Parkway was first put into action in 1933 with funding from the Public Works Administration (PWA), a New Deal agency established to create jobs for the unemployed by funding large public works projects. After funds were received and planning of the Parkway began, arguments arose over how the road would be routed. The Parkway was meant to connect two national parks together: the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee. Two conflicting proposals for the route were submitted by North Carolina and Tennessee officials, leading to a long battle over which state’s preferred route would receive approval from the federal government. The federal government held hearings on the issue until the North Carolina route won approval in 1934. North Carolina lobbyists–many of them businessmen in the tourist industry–helped support their state’s proposal. As sections of the Parkway were completed, already-established tourist areas of western North Carolina, like Asheville, Blowing Rock, and Little Switzerland, saw significant economic benefits from increased tourism.

Routing proposals were not the only source of conflict for the Parkway. After the North Carolina route plan had been approved, the state government had to take ownership of the lands that the route would pass through. As Parkway planners wished to retain the beauty of the surrounding scenery, the government also had to establish ownership over the land beside where the road would be built. This meant that Parkway planners would be in control of areas of land, sometimes up to a thousand feet, adjacent to the Parkway itself. 

North Carolina used the power of eminent domain to take control over lands for the Blue Ridge Parkway. With this power, North Carolina forcibly bought land from thousands of landowners living along the future Parkway route. Although Parkway advocates often claimed the road would bring economic gain to the region through tourist visits, many of these rural landowners received no great profit from Parkway tourism. Eminent domain caused them to lose their lands and homes, and they often had little choice in refusing to sell their property for the Parkway. Other land and routing issues arose with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. While Cherokee land was not threatened by eminent domain, it was a subject of intense disagreement between the Cherokee tribal council, the National Park Service, and the North Carolina State Highway Commission for years. Parkway planners initially offered the Cherokee council a route that would cut through valuable farmland in Soco Valley and encroach on many people’s lands and homes. By 1940, however, the Cherokee accepted a new route proposal that bypassed Soco Valley. 

Even after past issues had been resolved, more problems emerged and prevented the completion of the Blue Ridge Parkway. World War II put a temporary stop to construction work on the Parkway from 1943 to the end of the war. In the 1950s and 1960s, the owner of popular tourist attractions on Grandfather Mountain blocked Parkway planners from building the final “missing link” of the Parkway. Construction did not begin on the last seven miles of the Blue Ridge Parkway until 1968, when a compromise had finally been reached between the National Park Service and the Grandfather Mountain owner. It was not until 1987, when work on those seven miles had finished, that the Blue Ridge Parkway was completed.

Discussion Questions

  1. Consider this article on Secretary Ickes from The Alleghany Times and this C.C.C. camp article from The Journal-Patriot. What were some of the reasons that the Blue Ridge Parkway was created? How does the Parkway connect to New Deal programs created by President Franklin D. Roosevelt?

  2. Take a look at this article from The Henderson Daily Dispatch, making sure to focus on how the article depicts the “parkway tangle.” How does the article describe the eminent domain issue? Whose perspective in the conflict does it consider and uplift? Whose perspective does it neglect?

  3. This Waynesville Mountaineer article reports on a hearing about Blue Ridge Parkway route proposals submitted by Tennessee and North Carolina. According to the article, six speakers argued that the North Carolina route—not the Tennessee route—was the better option for the Parkway.

    • Consider the six people who spoke for the North Carolina route at the hearing, making sure to notice their careers. What perspectives are most prominent here?
    • What arguments did the speakers make to convince attendees at the hearing that the North Carolina route was the better option? What aspects of North Carolina did they highlight?

  4. Conflict, controversy, and disagreement played a significant part in the history of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

    • What kinds of conflicts are a part of the Parkway’s history? What themes or topics do you notice in disagreements about the Parkway?
    • How did conflict prevent and/or change the planning and construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway?

  5. In what ways did the construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway change western North Carolina? Consider geography and nature, the economy, and local communities.

This primary source set was compiled by Isabella Walker.

Updated January 2025