The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation Store is pleased to announce a new book available on our website. “When the Parkway Came” is the first-ever children’s book about the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is written by our friend and fellow blog author, Anne Mitchell Whisnant and her husband David. They hope this book will inspire us all to share our Parkway stories with our children and grandchildren for years to come. Read more about the book in this letter from authors Anne and David.
We wrote this book to share some of the joy we have had traveling and learning about the Parkway with our two young sons while Anne was researching and writing (and later speaking about) her book, Super-Scenic Motorway: A Blue Ridge Parkway History (University of North Carolina Press, 2006). We were surprised to find that there had never been a book on the Parkway written for children and young people. We wanted to find a way to engage, delight and help a new generation of travelers understand the Parkway’s history and commit to preserving the road. Read more »
My husband David and I are pleased to announce that we have just written and published the first-ever children’s book about the Blue Ridge Parkway. This is something we’ve had in mind for years, ever since we realized that there was virtually nothing out there about the Parkway that speaks to younger audiences who will have to become its future stewards. We’ve been actively working more than two years to bring our idea to fruition.
The book is called When the Parkway Came, and its main story is based on a 1937 letter in the National Archives that I discovered while doing research for Super-Scenic Motorway: A Blue Ridge Parkway History (UNC Press 2006). In the letter, an Ashe County, NC farmer writes to President Roosevelt to ask for help when he learns that the Parkway is going to come through the middle of his farm. When the Parkway Came features a fictionalized account of this family’s experience as told by the farmer’s son to his granddaughter many years later as they travel the Parkway and see where the family farm used to be. To convey the feel of the mountains in the 1930s, the coming of the Parkway, and its stunning beauty, we illustrated the story with contemporary photographs as well as historic photographs and documents. The book is appropriate for approximately ages 7 or so and up. We think it will be something that parents, grandparents, and children will enjoy reading together. Read more »
Lincoln Boyhood Home National Memorial, courtesy National Park Service.
This post isn’t specific to the Blue Ridge Parkway, but I thought readers might be interested in a project that I’m involved in that is taking a comprehensive look at the state of history in the National Parks. Here’s our official blurb about what we’re up to:
(By the way, the photo at left is of Lincoln Boyhood Home National Memorial, courtesy National Park Service.) Read more »
A Special Letter from The Blue Ridge National Heritage Area
June 12, 2009
Dear Heritage Partners,
We have just become aware that the North Carolina state budget passed by the North Carolina House Tuesday night would eliminate all but one of the Heritage Development Officer (otherwise known as Tourism Development Officer) positions in Western North Carolina (“Western North Carolina” being defined as everything west of Interstate 77).
We currently have five Heritage Development Officers in the 25-county Blue Ridge National Heritage Area region: Helen Ruth Almond, Leesa Brandon, Frankie McWhorter, Kaye Meyers, and Tom Holder. Another position, which was originally filled by Ron Ruehl and later by Jerry Tate, has been vacant for all of 2009. Read more »
Soon after my wife and I were married in 1993, one of the first things that we did together was attend the “Naturalist Weekend” at Wildacres Reteat near Little Switzerland on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Imagine a weekend nature learning camp for adults and children where adults could be a child again? We were devotees for several years and life got busy and we ceased going. Read more »
