Building the Blue Ridge Parkway (NC) (Images of America)

The Blue Ridge Parkway began as a dream in the late 1800s and became reality in 1983 when the 469-mile scenic highway was completed. Heavy construction was done by contractors who won bids for the different projects along various sections of the parkway.

Construction of the Blue Ridge Parkway began in September 1935 at Cumberland Knob. Civilian Conservation Corps troops took care of the roadsides, landscaping, and structure building. As part of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, this project was intended to provide jobs throughout the region. Images of America: Building the Blue Ridge Parkway contains approximately 200 construction photographs of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Karen J. Hall grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and has visited the parkway often over the years. She is the author of Postcard History Series: Blue Ridge Parkway. FRIENDS of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Inc., is a nonprofit corporation, organized and existing under the laws of the State of North Carolina and the Commonwealth of Virginia. FRIENDS raises funds for parkway projects. Very understaffed and underfunded, the National Park Service cannot preserve the original splendor of all of the viewsheds; FRIENDS is committed to raising the necessary funds and providing the volunteers for trails and viewshed restoration.