Cooperative Living August 2021 - 11

FieldTrip | by Amanda S. Creasey, Contributing Writer
Since its
Blue Ridge Tunnel Vision
History and mystery in reopened tunnel
F
or almost a century, trains
rumbled through the Blue Ridge
Tunnel, which opened in 1858
and closed in 1944 upon completion
of a new tunnel capable of
accommodating larger trains.
Today, the tunnel is once again
open to traffic, but the only wheels that
roll through its cool, damp corridor
belong to bikes and strollers.
On a sunny day inJune, my party
is in Afton, Va., at the mouth of the
tunnel's eastern entrance. I exchange
my sunglasses for a headlamp, and
85 degrees for 55. We step into the
dripping darkness, the light at the other
end no bigger than a pinhole. Outside
is bright and sunny. Inside is drizzle
and darkness. I feel like I am in a
planetarium.
The experience is full of
juxtapositions and paradoxes like this.
The backbreaking physical labor of
Irish immigrants and enslaved people,
and the more bureaucratic efforts of
dedicated county officials and
advocates over the past two decades,
have resulted in a place that stokes
wonder and awe.
" The groups that enabled Nelson
County's Tunnel Project to be realized
certainly different than the groups
that initially constructed the tunnel,
and the effort for both projects is
certainly different. However, the project
to restore the tunnel and establish the
Blue Ridge Tunnel Trail was in many
aspects equally challenging, " County
Administrator Steve Carter says.
According to
Maureen Kelley, Nelson
County director of
economic development
and tourism, between
its opening in
November 2020 and
June 2021, the tunnel
had already attracted
more than 50,000
co-opliving.com
West entrance
visitors. And it's no
wonder: There's something
for everyone.
" It showcases an
engineering wonder,
with appeal to lovers
of outdoor recreation,
history enthusiasts and
railroad buffs, wildlife
watchers, heritage tourists
and Virginia residents, "
Kelley says.
TIME TUNNEL
Mary Lyons, who has
written several books
about the tunnel, finds its
combination of history and recreation
unbeatable. Her first book about the
tunnel, " The Blue Ridge Tunnel:
A Remarkable Engineering Feat in
Antebellum Virginia, " details the
history of the tunnel's construction.
" What these men did by hand in the
pre-dynamite age is truly astounding, "
she says.
According to Lyons, still " the
longest hand-drilled tunnel in North
America, " the tunnel's completion in
the 1850s was a miraculous feat of
engineering. She has transcribed
more than 10,000 names from tunnel
payrolls; 13 of those men lost their
lives hand-drilling the tunnel.
The 4200-foot-long tunnel took
longer to reopen than to construct -
20 years, underscoring the remarkable
engineering feat. Upon first seeing the
tunnel in 2001, Carter was captivated.
Hand-laid
brick along
the walls
of the west
entrance
East entrance
" It was so remarkable. I was extremely
motivated with the challenge of enabling
this nationally significant structure to
be reawakened and available to everyone
to experience, " he says.
CHANGING LANDSCAPE
As I approach the western end of
the tunnel, raw rock gives way to brick,
dramatically altering the acoustics.
Sounds become softer, muted. I imagine
how many thousands of bricks each
pair of hands must have laid. I imagine
the men those hands belonged to.
And that is a word I keep hearing
in the tunnel: " Imagine, " fellow visitors
keep imploring each other.
Claire Richardson, director of Nelson
County Parks and Recreation, whose
department manages and oversees the
tunnel, imagines a future for the tunnel
as ambitious as its engineers did.
" Imagine, " she says, " being able to
ride your bike from Charlottesville all
the way to Waynesboro and beyond
by way of the Blue Ridge Tunnel Trail.
Preliminary efforts are underway to
connect the western trail to Waynesboro,
and on the east, the Three Notched Trail
would link Crozet and Charlottesville. "
I imagine I will have to come back.
(continued on page 29)
August 2021 | Cooperative Living | 9
opening in
November 2020,
the tunnel has
attracted more than
50,000 visitors.
PHOTOS COURTESY AMANDA S. CREASEY
http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living August 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living August 2021
