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This
park is located off Milepost 115 and has room for RV parking at
the Visitor's Center. We stayed at nearby Roanoke Mountain Campground
to explore this attraction. The center itself is large and comfortable
with a sitting area where you can relax before, during and after
your adventures in the park. Although the paths are mostly shaded
and quite beautiful, my mother never could have made it to each
exhibit if she had to walk it. She was very grateful for the staff
who picked us up in golf carts and took us around whenever we were
ready to go on to the next feature. She remarked that far too few
places take "us old folks" into consideration and she
was very impressed - not only with the park but with the friendly
and dedicated people who made it possible for her to see it all.
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The
first stop was the 17th Century Totero Village. These people
and their woodland settlement were here in 1671 when English
explorers arrived. It was very interesting to see and hear how
they lived and thrived long before setting sight on white settlers. |
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Next
stop - the 1750's where you'll find a recreation of Ephraim
Vause's Fort. He and his family raised horses and cattle, cultivated
wheat and built a grist mill on 620 acres on Meadow Creek. Following
an Indian attack in 1755, he built a fort around his house and
cabins, but in 1756 was dispossessed by a combined force of
Canadians and Indians. |
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were intriqued by Eddie Goode's demonstrations of life during
this time period. His enthusiasm and knowledge made this stop
particularly interesting. He started as a volunteer in 1994
and built this fort himself with only the help of a couple of
buddies. He started harvesting timber in the winter of 2002
and it went under roof in May, 2004. He said he was inspired
by his own interest in local history and wanted to clear up
some common misperceptions. Since Virginia was a British colony
for 169 years before independence in 1776, he remarked "We
don't give enough credit to the settlers; we thought they were
far cruder than they were....they weren't out here rubbing sticks
together." He then proceeded to show us how they did live,
light fires, load muskets, and where the phrase "lock,
stock & barrel" came from. He thoroughly researched
Mr. Vause and based the fort on fact as much as possible. |
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We
met Kimberly here knitting beside the fireplace and really enjoyed
this tour of the Hofauger Farmstead, an original and authentic
structure built in 1837. |
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are other outbuildings original to the house as well as an heirloom
garden where veggies and herbs common to the period are grown. |
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We
really enjoyed sitting on the front porch being treated to a
Dulcimer concert and just soaking in the surroundings. |
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We
got a kick out of meeting Miss Rachel in the Kemp's Ford School,
a one room structure moved to the park from Franklin County's
Blackwater River. It shows school life in the 19th century when
children attended school only when they were not needed on the
family farm. |
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she shows a not-so-willing young boy how teachers got your attention
back then, either with a switch or the paddle. Besides arithmetic
lessons, a timeless blackboard message reminded, "You are
now becoming what you are going to be." |
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From
Blue Ridge Parkway: Milepost 115; halfway between U.S. 220 and
SR 24 Parkway entrances; 7 miles from downtown Roanoke. RV Parking
available. Open from the 1st Wednesday in April through the
3rd Sunday in November. Wed-Sat open from 10 am to 5 pm; Sunday
from noon to 5 pm. |
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Click
arrow to return to the Parkway
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