A Glimpse Into an Earlier Time

Our second day of travel from Asheville to Woodbridge, Virginia allowed us to enjoy two special parks that provided more history than hiking. Even though we had quite a few hours of driving to get to our next overnight stay, we didn’t rush. We wanted to experience all we could at each stop.

As we entered the Blue Ridge Parkway we also entered a lot of dense fog. We didn’t mind though because it was actually quite pretty, and fortunately today’s activities focused on historic locations rather than scenic vistas.

Here are the highlights of that day’s journey.

Brinegar Cabin

The Brinegar Cabin, which was purchased by Martin Brinegar and his wife Caroline in 1876, provides a view of middle class Appalachian farming and family life from 1885 to 1935. Dale and I took our time looking at the cabin, granary, springhouse, and outhouse.

We were very fortunate to have the park ranger all to ourselves. She went into detail about the buildings and lives of the Brinegar family. The Brinegars were part of a larger community. It’s amazing to me that people lived in such remote, hilly areas.

Mabry Mill

Mabry Mill is one of the most picturesque places on the Parkway. Ed Mabry built the mill where he and his wife Lizzy ground corn, sawed lumber, and did blacksmithing for three decades. The original sawmill and blacksmith shop still stand as well. 

Blue Ridge Music Center

Timing couldn’t have been more perfect for our stop at the music center. They have live music from 1-4pm every Sunday. The first thing Dale and I did was sit and listen. The musicians asked where we were from and then played an odd version of the song Yellow Rose of Texas. (Listen to the audio below.) We enjoyed it anyway. Ha! They are North Carolinians, so we cut them some slack. We also toured the museum which was also very interesting.