Virginia Creeper Trail

Virginia Creeper Trail. . The Virginia Creeper Trail was born from conflict. When the last train ran on March 31, 1977, three factions quickly emerged. One group wanted to continue the operation of the railroad as a passenger and freight line; another group, primarily adjacent landowners, wanted to acquire the right-of-way through their properties; and a third group, led by the Drs. French Moore and David Brillhart, had the vision of a recreational trail., What is now the Creep Trail was originally the Abingdon Coal and Iron Railroad. In 1898 this became the Virginia-Carolina Railroad through the work of Wilton Mingea, who wanted to use the line for hauling timber. In 1906 the Hassinger Brothers came down from Pennsylvania and the massive timber industry began. (See the informational sign on the Hassingers in the Damascus Town Park.) In 1919 Norfolk and Western Railroad bought the line and it became N&W's "Abingdon Branch"., In the mid-1920s the timber industry was diminishing and the railroad primarily carried passengers and light freight. In 1962 the last passenger trail ran and Norfolk and Western started looking for a buyer for their unprofitable railroad. In 1974 N&W got permission to abandon the line, to be effective April 1, 1977. That's when the conflict began., Several hostile actions occurred on the rail line between Abingdon and Damascus as attempts were made to block the conversion to recreational use. A trestle was burned, large physical items such as logs were used to block the trail, and gates across the track were chained shut. But Norfolk and Western owned the right-of-way, ad a corporate decision was made to not sell to individual landowners. However, the North Carolina portion of the railbed reverted to adjacent property owners, making an extension of today's Creeper Trail into North Carolina highly improbable., Slowly and in spite of opposition the idea of a recreational trail gained support. In Damascus some of the strongest support came from Joe Bert Rhea and Albert K. Mock, Jr., Because individuals could not buy sections of the rail line, the US Forest Service got involved and purchased 18 miles of the abandoned right-of-way from east of Damascus to Whitetop. That left the crucial and contested Abingdon-Damascus section to be purchased. A salvage contractor, Chicago Salvage, had already begun tearing up the rails and was ready to start removing the trestles, which would have prevented the trail from being built. In an unusual twist the owner of the salvage company was a client of local attorney Jim Elliot who along with local historian Gibson Vance was doing deed research on behalf of the town. Elliott's client did not insist on the immediate removal, giving Dr. Moore time to put together an investment group and pay the company for the trestles., A major factor in the acquisition and development process was the involvement of Congressman Rick Boucher, whose father and paternal grandparents were from Damascus. Congressman Boucher worked to acquire the crucial funding as the trail was developed and maintained, including funding from the TVA for the initial decking and guard rails on the trestles, plus $2 million in federal grants for redecking of the trestles and the construction of the Alvarado Station and Whitetop Station., In 1982 Abingdon and Damascus had the entire right-of-way appraised and purchased it from N&W using grant money from various sources, with N&W forgiving part of the cost. Then the work of decking the trestles and grading the right-of-way began, done to a great extent by Jacobs Creek Job Corps and Flatwoods Job Corps. Work was largely finished in 1984 with some sections open, and the trail was completely opened in 1989, twelve years after the rail line was abandoned., Today the Virginia Creeper National Trail, named both for the slowness of the uphill train and a vine crowing along the tracks, draws over 200,000 visitors a year. It is one of the top, economic engines for both Damascus and Abingdon and the surrounding region, and increased in popularity each year., Information taken from numerous sources, including an interview with Dr. French Moore, Jr., an article by Al Bradley and a history posted on the Virginia Creeper Trail Conservancy website., (captions) , Congressman Rick Boucher (rt) talks to a friend while hiking the Creeper. , Trestle 6 on fire - it was burned by persons unknown on August 14, 1985. , The train crosses trestle 12 over South Holston Lake in 1965. , Volunteers help maintain and improve the trail. , A biker stops on trestle 46 to enjoy the scenery. , Lawrence Dye, Legend of the Trail, with194,600 miles logged. , A jogger and her dog on the Creeper. , Autumn aerial. Photo courtesy of the Virginia Tourism Corporation. Photographer is Sam Dean.