Mabry Mill Roof Upgrade Celebrated
-The following first appeared in the Floyd Times.
Caroline Ward, CEO of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation welcomed a crowd of supporters for a ceremonial ribbon cutting, marking the installment of a new shake roof on Mabry Mill.
She gestured to the historic Mill, visible in the background, and led a round of applause.
Speaking on behalf of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, the nonprofit fundraising partner of the Parkway, Ward said, “The Blue Ridge Parkway is one of the most visited National Parks in the country with more visitors than Yellowstone, Yosemite and the Grand Canyon combined. Mabry Mill is one of the iconic locations along the 469 miles of Parkway, but it’s in our backyard. It’s our home.”
Ward noted that the Mill’s new roof, made possible by donors and funding through the National Park Service, represents the Foundation’s longstanding investment and ongoing commitment.
“In 2017 we fixed the flume, the mill wheel in 2016, dredged the pond in 2017… It takes the community, the Park Service and all of us to make sure it stays in good shape,” she said.
“Mabry Mill, I’ve heard, is one of the most photographed places in the entire country, in the whole National Park System, and you can see why,” she said as the crowd looked out to the iconic water-powered grist mill, built in the early 1900s.
Ward introduced Patrick County’s Director of Economic Development and Tourism, and BRPF board member James Houchins, who addressed the crowd and thanked local community members for their support.
He gave a shout out to Floyd’s Tourism Director Kathleen Legg and, noting that the Mill is located in Floyd County, joked that the only part of Mabry Mill that’s in Patrick County is part of the parking lot. “But it’s a shared resource,” he said.
Jim Grant, acting Superintendent of the Parkway and Chief of Maintenance and Engineering also spoke to the crowd of about 25 supporters.
“We’re here to celebrate the installation of the new shakes on top of the Mill, but what you didn’t realize is that you’re also here for a birthday party,” Grant said, announcing that the National Park Service turns 90 this year.
Grant read the NPS’s mission statement “to preserve unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the National Park System for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations.”
He stated that he was pleased to work in partnership with the BRPF, who have given their support since 1997, and with the National Park Service Historic Preservation Training Center based in Fredrick Maryland.
He also thanked the craftsmen who “authentically created
the historic shakes,” individual roofing tiles made from natural wood, such as cedar, that are created by splitting logs rather than fully sawing them.
When asked about the re-opening of the restaurant adjacent to the Mill, Jordan Calaway, chief development officer with the Foundation said, “We put it up for bid. The Park Service held a meeting and about 20 people showed up to bid on operating it,” she said, adding that “They’ll be more meetings to come.”
Refreshments for the celebration were provided by Poor Farmers Market, a Country Store just off the Parkway in Meadows of Dan. -Colleen Redman