History of the Blue Ridge Parkway
The Blue Ridge Parkway started to take shape in 1935 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt approved plans for the Parkway as part of New Deal programs to help the region through the Great Depression. In 1936, the Parkway became part of the National Park Service (NPS) and was designated as a National Scenic Byway in recognition of its historic, natural, and scenic qualities. Fifty-two years after the project started, the Linn Cove Viaduct was the last piece of the Parkway constructed and was completed in 1987. Slow down and notice the details of stonework laid by the original stonemasons, man-made vertical rockfaces, and the 26 original tunnels providing passage through the mountain ridge. Don’t forget to get off the Parkway and into the local towns to discover more Appalachian history and take a trip through time on your Parkway journey.
