In this premiere episode of the Explore Virginia Podcast, host Lori Prima brings on guest Bill Henry of the Blue Ridge Heritage Project.

The project's vision is:

• Develop a memorial site in each of the eight counties where land was acquired to create the Shenandoah National Park; and
• Educate visitors about the lives and culture of the people who lived in the mountains through living history presentations, exhibits, and demonstrations.

In this informative episode you will learn more about the history of the project, the families who were removed from the land that is now Shenandoah National Park and how the chimney memorials came to be placed in eight counties where families called the mountains home.

You can learn more by visiting:

https://www.blueridgeheritageproject.com/

List of recommended books and other resources can be found here

Reach out to the podcast:

Loriprima@explorevirginiapodcast.com

Subscribe to the podcast at:

https://explorevirginia.buzzsprout.com/

Support the show

A new podcast that focuses on exploring Virginia is coming Summer 2025.

Virginia has 43 state parks with more than 700 miles of trails, 24 wilderness areas, 22 national park sites and over 100,000 miles of streams and rivers. Whether you hike, bike, camp, paddle or are looking for a day trip itinerary, this podcast will highlight the best of what Virginia has to offer the outdoor adventure seeker.

Coming to you from the experienced Host and Producer behind Hike podcast, episodes will share intimate interviews, stories of adventure, and hidden gems in the wild spaces of our beautiful Virginia landscape.

Virginia is for Explorers!

Music clip credit:
"Whiskey on the Mississippi" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/