Blue Ridge Parkway Oral History Project

Coyle, Philip

As part of its congressionally mandated mission, the Blue Ridge Parkway should "conserve, interpret, and exhibit the unique natural and cultural resources of the central and southern Appalachian Mountains.” Oral history research helps the Blue Ridge Parkway to complete this mission by providing first-hand testimony of the lives of people who sustain the local culture of the region. Thus, on-going oral history research should be central to the mission of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The project reported on here provides a foundation for that on-going research by providing a series of interviews that speak to key cultural and historical themes related to the Blue Ridge Parkway, and by detailing three logistical recommendations to implement such a program: • Build capacity to conduct and archive oral history interviews by purchasing digital recorders with funding provided by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation; • Encourage community-level involvement in oral history research as part of the Blue Ridge Parkway’s on-going connection with local people; and • Disseminate results of oral history research through audio programs at Visitors Centers, as digital audio for listening while driving the Parkway, and in other venues. These recommendations not only support the Blue Ridge Parkway’s mission of conserving, interpreting and exhibiting the cultural resources of the southern Appalachian mountains, but they also help to develop collaborative relationships with the traditionally associated people who are the focus of the Ethnographic Overview and Assessment that is a continuation of this project