Repairs to Mabry Mill were completed and celebrated with a ribbon cutting Aug. 25, just in time for the start of leaf peeper season along the Blue Ridge Parkway and in Meadows of Dan.
Patrick County Economic Development and Tourism Director James Houchins said the repairs, which included the installation of a shake roof, allowed Mabry Mill to return to its original condition.
“We have had a lot of concerns from the public about the way Mabry Mill was starting to look. So the (Blue Ridge) Parkway Foundation through generous donors and then through their philanthropy efforts took up the cause of getting the shaker roofs reapplied and reinstalled back on it, so that’s going to improve the aesthetics of the building and make it more, of course, appealing to not only the community citizens but also the regular tourists that are visiting the Parkway,” he said.
Repairs on the mill began in June.
The Parkway Foundation contributed more than $100,000 to the project. Other costs were covered by the National Park Service.
Houchins noted Mabry Mill is one of the most photographed and iconic sites on the Parkway and in the world.
“It’s really going to help us out in that department,” he added.
Once word gets out that the mill has reopened, Houchins believes it will have a significant impact on tourism to the area, especially in Patrick County’s gateway community of Meadows of Dan.
“I know they really do appreciate what we’ve done there. There’s still a lot of work to be done at Mabry Mill, however this year I think they should see an increase since they’ve got most of the Parkway back open and they’ve got it cleaned up from the Hurricane Helene and the ice storm that we had not long after that as well,” he said.
Houchins said he also believes the construction being done as part of the U.S. 58 project in the Vesta area has—and will continue to have—an impact on local tourism.
“It already has an impact on the county, and I think it’s going to have a greater impact once they get the other parts of it opened up,” he said. “I know that several of the stores there have already seen an increase—Poor Farmers’ Market and Poor Farmers’ Farm—so I think that it’s definitely going to have an increase in tourism traffic in general and it’s going to have an economic impact for the county.”
Houchins said the success of leaf viewing season is always dependent on the weather.
“Hopefully we get some cool days and not too much rain. Of course, that always has an impact on the way the leaves come in and their color, but I think this year we should see a significant increase in traffic due to the opening up of the highway and as well as Mabry Mill coming back to its former glory,” he said.
Business owners contacted for their input were either not available or did not return calls for comment.
