Blue Ridge Parkway 50th Anniversary Celebration, September 11, 1985

Ed Mabry's old mill - Mabry Mill on the Blue Ridge Parkway circa 1935 before restoration, as the Blue Ridge Parkway was under construction.By Bob Heafner © 1985

Issue: September, 1985

There are thousands of photographs taken each year of Mabry Mill. The chances are, you have taken one (or more) of them yourself. Chances are, also, that you have never seen a photograph of Mabry Mill like the one printed on this months front page. It was taken when work had just started on the Blue Ridge Parkway and before any restoration work was done. Notice the plowed-looking dirt in the foreground. That's the beginnings of the Blue  Ridge Parkway! The white house you see on the left of the photograph was Ed Mabry's home. Things sure have changed in 50 years.

We felt you would like to see Mabry Mill as it originally stood and this month, while the Blue Ridge Parkway is celebrating its 50th Anniversary, we thought it the perfect time to print this particular photo in order to give our readers the proper perspective when reviewing the accomplishments of the Blue Ridge Parkway over the past 50 years. Our thanks to John Hassell Yeatts, a native of Mayberry, Virginia, for letting us share this photo with you.

On September 11, [1985] there will be a 50th Anniversary celebration for the Blue Ridge Parkway at Cumberland Knob (Mile Post 217.5). This is the site where construction first began. The governors of North Carolina and Virginia will be on hand along with the 50th Anniversary band from the Galax Old Time Fiddlers Convention, which also celebrated its 50th Anniversary this year. Everyone is invited to come and enjoy this day of festivities and celebration.

A winter scene of Mabry Mill as it is today. Photograph by Jack T. Wilson.