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Moses H. Cone Memorial Park Added to the National Register of Historic Places

Jan. 14, 2014. The Moses H. Cone Memorial Park, a well-loved tourist destination on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Blowing Rock, has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.

According to the National Park Service website, “The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.”

“This is a milestone that makes official the significance of the estate and manor house” said Carolyn Ward, CEO of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. “We feel a great deal of satisfaction that after working with Parkway staff and leadership for more than 14 years toward this goal, the important historic and cultural significance of the estate has now been officially recognized. Of course, this is also a beginning. The Foundation will continue to work with the Parkway to protect and preserve this lovely estate. Because of the generosity of members of our Community of Stewards and the revenue from the NC Blue Ridge Parkway specialty license plate, the Foundation has already been able to invest more than $1 million toward preserving the estate.”

The historic district of Moses H. Cone Memorial Park is significant as an example of a Country Place era estate and because of its historic association with Moses Cone, who in partnership with his brother Ceasar Cone, revolutionized textile manufacturing and introduced denim production in the South. The landscape architecture, and in particular the extensive network of carriage roads and plantings, are among very few such systems that remain intact in private estates of this period in the entire country.

“Moses H. Cone Memorial Park is a significant recreational and cultural asset on the Blue Ridge Parkway and this important designation will help us fulfill our responsibility and desire to protect and interpret this beautiful estate as it deserves – as one of America’s important landmarks.”
said Mark Woods, Superintendent of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation encourages anyone who has an interest in the future of the estate to become a member of the Foundation’s Community of Stewards. For more information visit brpfoundation.org or call 866-308-2773.

About Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation:
The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, under a cooperative agreement with the National Park Service and the U.S. Department of the Interior, is the primary fundraiser and trusted steward of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Foundation is forever committed to preserving the past, enhancing the present, and safeguarding the future of America’s Favorite JourneyR. We are proud to serve and support this extraordinary environment that connects the spirit of countless people through a twisting ribbon of mountain road. We are a strong defender of the Parkway, funding needed projects that enhance and protect the natural, cultural, historic, and recreational qualities that make the Blue Ridge Parkway an American treasure. For more information visit our website: www.brpfoundation.org.