Overview

Pres. Franklin Roosevelt's establishment of the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933 had lasting conservation impacts across the nation. Virginia joined this effort when Will Carson of the Virginia Conservation Commission convinced Roosevelt to use the Civilian Conservation Corps to build a state park system. Virginia is distinguished as the only state in the nation to open a system of state parks on one day. On June 15, 1936, the first six state parks--Douthat, Seashore (present day First Landing), Hungry Mother, Fairy Stone, Westmoreland, and Staunton River State Parks--were opened. From these humble beginnings, the commonwealth has developed over 35 diverse, award-winning state parks. From seashore to mountains, take a journey across Virginia through a vast array of landscapes and unrivaled natural and cultural resources.

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Title: Park manager releases book on state parks history <br>Author: Joe Tennis <br>Publisher: Tri-Cities News <br>Date: 6/16/2011 <p><br>For Sharon Ewing, compiling a book on the state park history in Virginia turned out to be truly a labor of love. <p><br>Ewing manages Virginia's smallest state park: Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park in Big Stone Gap. Here, a couple of years ago, she compiled a pictorial history on Big Stone Gap. <p><br>Now, as the state park system in Virginia turns 75 years old, Ewing is back with Images of America: Virginia State Parks (Arcadia Publishing, $21.99), featuring photos from all of Virginia's state parks. <p><br>And that includes a wealth of places in Southwest Virginia: Wilderness Road State Park; Natural Tunnel State Park; Claytor Lake State Park; Grayson Highlands State Park; Hungry Mother State Park; Breaks Interstate Park; and the Southwest Virginia Museum. <p><br>Currently, the Southwest Virginia Museum is showcasing an exhibit on Virginia State Parks history. <p><br> Basically, what we're trying to do as a state park system is preserve our own internal history, Ewing said. We are the first state park system to open all on the same day. <p><br>That was done on June 15, 1936. And the first six state parks were established in a way to be geographically spread out across the state and also feature bodies of water, Ewing said. <p><br> Hungry Mother is unique in that it was already a recreation area, Ewing said. It was a private recreation area, and there was a small lake there. <p><br>On Saturday, June 18, Ewing is joining the 75th anniversary celebration at Hungry Mother State Park and conducting a book signing to benefit the Friends of Hungry Mother State Park. <p><br> There's a lot going on with the 75th anniversary of the state park system, Ewing said. And it's important to celebrate milestones like this, to stop a

Title: Park manager releases book on state parks history Author: Joe Tennis Publisher: Tri-Cities News Date: 6/16/2011 For Sharon Ewing, compiling a book on the state park history in Virginia turned out to be truly a labor of love. Ewing manages Virginia's smallest state park: Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park in Big Stone Gap. Here, a couple of years ago, she compiled a pictorial history on Big Stone Gap. Now, as the state park system in Virginia turns 75 years old, Ewing is back with Images of America: Virginia State Parks (Arcadia Publishing, $21.99), featuring photos from all of Virginia's state parks. And that includes a wealth of places in Southwest Virginia: Wilderness Road State Park; Natural Tunnel State Park; Claytor Lake State Park; Grayson Highlands State Park; Hungry Mother State Park; Breaks Interstate Park; and the Southwest Virginia Museum. Currently, the Southwest Virginia Museum is showcasing an exhibit on Virginia State Parks history. Basically, what we're trying to do as a state park system is preserve our own internal history, Ewing said. We are the first state park system to open all on the same day. That was done on June 15, 1936. And the first six state parks were established in a way to be geographically spread out across the state and also feature bodies of water, Ewing said. Hungry Mother is unique in that it was already a recreation area, Ewing said. It was a private recreation area, and there was a small lake there. On Saturday, June 18, Ewing is joining the 75th anniversary celebration at Hungry Mother State Park and conducting a book signing to benefit the Friends of Hungry Mother State Park. There's a lot going on with the 75th anniversary of the state park system, Ewing said. And it's important to celebrate milestones like this, to stop and remind ourselves of how we got to this point.

Title: Park manager releases book on state parks history Author: Joe Tennis Publisher: Tri-Cities News Date: 6/16/2011 For Sharon Ewing, compiling a book on the state park history in Virginia turned out to be truly a labor of love. Ewing manages Virginia's smallest state park: Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park in Big Stone Gap. Here, a couple of years ago, she compiled a pictorial history on Big Stone Gap. Now, as the state park system in Virginia turns 75 years old, Ewing is back with Images of America: Virginia State Parks (Arcadia Publishing, $21.99), featuring photos from all of Virginia's state parks. And that includes a wealth of places in Southwest Virginia: Wilderness Road State Park; Natural Tunnel State Park; Claytor Lake State Park; Grayson Highlands State Park; Hungry Mother State Park; Breaks Interstate Park; and the Southwest Virginia Museum. Currently, the Southwest Virginia Museum is showcasing an exhibit on Virginia State Parks history. Basically, what we're trying to do as a state park system is preserve our own internal history, Ewing said. We are the first state park system to open all on the same day. That was done on June 15, 1936. And the first six state parks were established in a way to be geographically spread out across the state and also feature bodies of water, Ewing said. Hungry Mother is unique in that it was already a recreation area, Ewing said. It was a private recreation area, and there was a small lake there. On Saturday, June 18, Ewing is joining the 75th anniversary celebration at Hungry Mother State Park and conducting a book signing to benefit the Friends of Hungry Mother State Park. There's a lot going on with the 75th anniversary of the state park system, Ewing said. And it's important to celebrate milestones like this, to stop a

Title: Park manager releases book on state parks history Author: Joe Tennis Publisher: Tri-Cities News Date: 6/16/2011 For Sharon Ewing, compiling a book on the state park history in Virginia turned out to be truly a labor of love. Ewing manages Virginia's smallest state park: Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park in Big Stone Gap. Here, a couple of years ago, she compiled a pictorial history on Big Stone Gap. Now, as the state park system in Virginia turns 75 years old, Ewing is back with Images of America: Virginia State Parks (Arcadia Publishing, $21.99), featuring photos from all of Virginia's state parks. And that includes a wealth of places in Southwest Virginia: Wilderness Road State Park; Natural Tunnel State Park; Claytor Lake State Park; Grayson Highlands State Park; Hungry Mother State Park; Breaks Interstate Park; and the Southwest Virginia Museum. Currently, the Southwest Virginia Museum is showcasing an exhibit on Virginia State Parks history. Basically, what we're trying to do as a state park system is preserve our own internal history, Ewing said. We are the first state park system to open all on the same day. That was done on June 15, 1936. And the first six state parks were established in a way to be geographically spread out across the state and also feature bodies of water, Ewing said. Hungry Mother is unique in that it was already a recreation area, Ewing said. It was a private recreation area, and there was a small lake there. On Saturday, June 18, Ewing is joining the 75th anniversary celebration at Hungry Mother State Park and conducting a book signing to benefit the Friends of Hungry Mother State Park. There's a lot going on with the 75th anniversary of the state park system, Ewing said. And it's important to celebrate milestones like this, to stop and remind ourselves of how we got to this point.

Author Information

A native Virginian, author Sharon B. Ewing is manager of the Southwest Virginia Museum Historical State Park, one of the park system's diverse offerings. She is a member of the Virginia Association of Museums and has served on various organizations to preserve the commonwealth's history. In Images of America: Virginia State Parks, Ewing celebrates 75 years of the park system and beyond, sharing photographs and stories of Virginia's treasures.

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