The Park Plan & Suggested Phasing
By: Mary B. La Lone
This chapter presents ideas for a park design and phasing recommendations for
a Coal Mining Heritage Park on the 17-acre property at Merrimac owned by Montgomery
County. The Huckleberry Trail runs
the full length of the park, with park land lying on both sides of the trail.
THE CONCEPTUAL PLAN
The conceptual plan lays out a model for park design at Merrimac. This plan
is shown in Figure 2.1. The model was developed based on
our research of the site itself, its history, citizen input through the community
meetings and survey, and brainstorming sessions with specialists and representatives
of park user groups.
There are three entrances into the park -- two entrances into the park for walkers
and bikers of the Huckleberry Trail coming from the west, Blacksburg side and
the east, Christiansburg side, and a main entrance off of Merrimac Road for
visitors who will be driving to the park. We expect that a large number of park
visitors will wish to drive to the park. This includes people who are using
the park as their starting point for a walk along the Huckleberry Trail, visitors
who are coming specifically to visit the park as a destination for family and
community outings, and school groups who are coming to the park for heritage-based
and environmental-based educational activities. The park needs a parking lot
of sufficient size to accommodate cars and school buses, and to enable these
vehicles to turn around. The present access road into the park does not provide
room for park visitor parking. However, an adjoining site, currently used as
a Consolidated Waste Site, would be an excellent location for visitor parking.
We recommend converting the current Consolidated Waste Site into a parking lot
for the Coal Mining Heritage Park for a number of reasons: it is already leveled
and graded; it is of sufficient size to handle parking for the park; its location
is away from and above the sight lines of Huckleberry Trail users, so it would
not be an intrusive parking lot; and its location provides good access to the
"Community Recreation Area" planned for the park so that elderly visitors
will not have far to walk. Another recommendation is to place good welcoming
signage and landscaping at the east entrances to the Coal Mining Heritage Park,
those in sight of Merrimac Road, so that people can easily locate the park and
will feel invited in. In the plan, we created "Merrimac Junction"
as a welcoming station on the east side for two reasons: it creates an attractive
landscaped entry to the park and it disguises an unattractive row of exposed
metal drainage pipes currently visible at the entry to the park. Further discussion
of the parking lot and welcoming signage appear in the body of this report.
THREE INTEGRATED THEMES IN THE PARK PLAN: HERITAGE, COMMUNITY,
AND ENVIRONMENT
The park design for Merrimac incorporates three integrated themes:
heritage, community, and environment. These themes emerged
as central emphases during the three months of discussions and interaction with
the community.
The park provides a great opportunity for county heritage preservation and
education. Coal mining clearly was an important part of Montgomery County’s
history. What makes the Merrimac site so unique is that it was the actual location
of a once-booming coal mine and mining community. As the county progresses into
the 21st century, it can recognize and honor its mining heritage
through this park. The Coal Mining Heritage Association of Montgomery County,
area school teachers and principals, and Huckleberry Trail users are among the
county citizens who expressed interest in seeing heritage-based education at
the park.
The heritage theme is incorporated throughout the park design. Signage will
inform and educate visitors of the county’s mining history. The sites of former
mining buildings and miners houses will be identified in ways that educate visitors
and that promote historical and archaeological appreciation. A miner’s house
can be reconstructed and furnished to give visitors a more tangible three-dimensional
look back in time, and a mining museum can serve as the focal point for the
park and its educational activities. The heritage theme spans the park layout.
As visitors walk along the Huckleberry Trail, signs will identify the historic
locations of Bunker Hill, the tipple, the hotel and commissary -- drawing visitors
along from one end of the park to the other end. The "Tipple Heritage Area,"
located in the middle of the park, will serve as an initial visitors information
center, with exhibits of mining equipment and kiosk-style signage under a covered
display area. This area will serve as a central meeting point for school and
community groups to start a heritage tour of the park. In addition, low-impact
side trails, on either side of the Huckleberry Trail, will take visitors to
other points of heritage interest at the park. The "Mule Trail" and
"Drift Mouth Trail" will take them by some of the industrial buildings
and the mine entrance. The "Miner’s House Trail" will take them from
the reconstructed miner’s house up to examine the archaeological remains of
an actual miner’s house. The "Bunker Hill Trail" will take visitors
past the hoist house sites, up toward the area known as Bunker Hill, where many
of the mining families lived, and will enable visitors to view the entire park
from a scenic overlook. The "Merrimac Loop Trail" provides an ADA
accessible loop around the park. Benches placed along these trails will allow
visitors to rest while contemplating the historic settings.
Community recreation is a second theme in the park design. People expressed
interest in having a portion of the park be a place where parents could take
their children to play, families could hold family reunions, and community events
could be held on a open-air stage during the summer months. We incorporated
a "Community Recreation Area" into the design, on the east end of
the park. This section of the park is selected because it is the only part of
the park providing a large, open space and, since the area has already undergone
disturbance, developing and containing the Community Recreation Area in this
section should not threaten the archaeological integrity of the park. It is
located near Merrimac Road and it provides easy access to both the Huckleberry
Trail and the parking lot. The Community Recreation Area has two picnic shelters,
a playground, and a grassy area on which community families could spread blankets
to sit and listen to music, storytelling, or other events occurring on the open-air
stage of the "Front Porch Pavilion." The picnic shelters can be built
to provide some of the park facilities highly requested by the community and
Huckleberry Trail users: attached restrooms, water fountains, and picnic tables.
Parents can sit in the shelters to watch their children playing at the nearby
playground, families can eat their lunches at the shelters, and Huckleberry
Trail users will be able to take cover from rainstorms under the shelters. All
of the structures in the Community Recreation Area, as throughout the park,
would be built in a rustic manner in keeping with the heritage theme of the
park.
A third theme of the park is environmental education. Interest in the environment
comes directly from the community. During the community meetings, exciting discussions
occurred about the potentials for developing nature-based educational activities
at the park. Teachers and parents brainstormed a wide range of ideas for using
the park as a location for teaching children about plants and wildlife. It is
clear that school teachers and their classes will form a larger user group for
the park, and that area schools will be willing to work cooperatively with the
county in developing nature-based educational activities. People also expressed
interest in protecting the environment and in having activities that focus on
identification of wildflowers, birds, and plants in the park. This theme of
environment is incorporated in the park design by having signage along the park’s
low-impact trails to help visitors identify native and introduced plants, and
by recommending that trail benches be situated so that visitors can rest and
enjoy the wildflowers and natural features of the park. The "Wetlands Conservation
Area" at the west end of the park provides an area specifically for nature
education. A structure will be placed in this area, close to the creek (we hope
it can be arranged for this structure to be a caboose like one used on the old
Huckleberry Train). The inside of this structure can be converted into a classroom
for nature education, and will provide a location where educational materials
can be stored in a locked structure. So, while the east end of the park will
provide a playground area for children (directing louder play activities toward
that end of the park), the east end of the park will provide a "Wetland
Conservation Area," where the environment along the creek will be protected
and where classes and community groups can come for more serious nature education.
These three themes--heritage, community recreation, and environment--are incorporated
into the plan graphically presented in Figure 2.1.
SUGGESTED PHASING
The conceptual plan presents a model for a total
park design at Merrimac. Of course, the full plan cannot be put in place overnight.
Instead, the park will need to be developed in a series of stages. Some things
can be put in place fairly easily to launch the park, other features may follow
as joint county-community efforts, and yet other features will require more
extensive fund raising. To make the plan realistic, we have developed a set
of recommendations for phasing the development of the Coal Mining Heritage Park.
The premise behind the phasing is to identify things that could be done early
with limited resources to establish the park and a community base of support,
then to follow with successive stages requiring greater commitments of resources
from the county and community groups.
Phase One
Phase One contains two different types of activities that should take place
early in the park development: 1) initial planning activities that need to be
undertaken; and 2) some things that could be done soon to launch the park and
establish its presence.
Phase One
- Initial planning activities:
- Funding search.
- Grant-writing.
- Assessing community resources (e.g. potential contributions of labor).
- Conducting surveys (needed for park development).
- Archaeological survey on the north side of the Huckleberry Trail.
- Environmental/vegetation survey.
- Safety survey(s) to determine appropriate treatment of the mine entrance
and related safety concerns.
- Develop a park maintenance plan: to include systematic trash removal and
maintenance of grass/trails/structures/restrooms as developed.
- Address security concerns for the Coal Mining Heritage Park in coordination
with the county Sheriff’s office: develop a systematic plan for daily patrols
of the park.
- Consideration about expanding the current park boundaries in order to
protect and preserve the historic site of Merrimac (by bringing Bunker Hill
and the hotel site within the park) and to create a buffer zone between
the park and housing developments (current or future; especially along the
northern edge of the park).
- Things recommended to be done soon to launch the park and establish its
presence:
- Develop a parking lot for the Coal Mining Heritage Park by moving the
Consolidated Waste Site and converting that site into a parking lot.
- Close the current access road between the park parking lot and the Huckleberry
Trail. Designate it as the upper section of the Merrimac Loop Trail. (Later,
in Phase Two, it will be recommended that the whole Merrimac Loop Trail
be made ADA accessible.)
- Clean up and remove trash from the park site, perhaps as a coordinated
effort with community/church/civic/school groups (except for the mine entrance
itself).
- Establish the park presence by:
- Placing welcoming signage at the three entrances to the park: from the
parking lot, and from the two directions that walkers enter the park on
the Huckleberry Trail (welcoming signs, plus information such as park
hours). Including:
- Developing the "Merrimac Junction" entrance feature at Merrimac
Road: consisting of a Coal Mining Heritage Park welcoming sign, deck-style
seating designed to conceal the currently exposed drainage pipes, and
some landscaping (e.g. shrubbery), to create an inviting entry from
Merrimac Road.
- Developing the "Tipple Heritage Area" as an initial visitors
information area and heritage focal point. Features to develop include:
- Kiosk-style signage to include:
- Map of mines in the NRV; text on the importance of mining in the
region.
- Historic map of Merrimac circa 1937; accompanying text on the Merrimac
mine and community.
- Text and photos of the tipple and surrounding mine buildings that
once stood at the site.
- Visitor information.
- Information on future park development plans (things to come) to
keep the public informed and interested.
- An exhibit of mining equipment and explanatory signage.
- The currently existing hoist.
- Other relatively non-destructible pieces of equipment acquired through
donations: for example, coal cars and track.
- Construction of the "Heritage Bridge," a covered and railed
bridge using the concrete foundations of the tipple as its base. The
structure functions to make the tipple foundation site safe for children,
as an observation platform, and as an initial information center focal
point for the park (to be incorporated into the Mule Trail in a later
phase). Possibly built as a county-community cooperative effort.
- Placing heritage signage along the Huckleberry Trail to identify additional
key features of the historic Merrimac site, especially the hotel, commissary,
and Bunker Hill.
- Placing benches along the Huckleberry Trail at the Tipple Heritage Area
and elsewhere (near signage) so that trail users can stop and rest. Similarly,
place trash cans nearby.
Phase Two
Phase Two contains two activities: 1) development
of the park infrastructure; and 2) development of the "Community Recreation
Area." Based on our discussions with Steve Phillips and Tom Bain (the county's
Directors of Facilities and Recreation), we recognized that laying the groundwork
of the park infrastructure (water, sewage, electricity, security) is something
that needs to be done early in park development. We feel that development of
the Community Recreation Area (with picnic shelters and areas for play and community
events) is also something that needs to be done quite early in order to create
a park landscape that will draw the community in to use the park.
Phase Two
- Development of park infrastructure.
- Place water and sewage lines for drinking fountains and restrooms (which
will be located initially at the picnic shelters; later at the museum).
- Place electric lines and establish lighting (for a line of service linking
the main areas of the park including the parking lot, future museum, pavilion
and picnic shelters, Tipple Heritage Area, to the reconstructed miner’s
house and the nature education structure at the west end of the park.
- Installation of park security systems. Recommended:
- All-night lighting: for the parking lot, structures, trails, exhibit
and recreation areas (planning for future building also).
- Alarm systems for structures (motion and infrared detection), tied into
the county Sheriff=s
office.
- Emergency call boxes (on the Huckleberry Trail and in parking lot).
- Create the Merrimac Loop Trail as an ADA accessible loop going around
most of the park property. Do this by grading and paving the upper portion
(the old access road) from the parking lot down to where it links with the
Huckleberry Trail and, on the eastern side, building the ADA accessible
bridge over Lick Creek between the Huckleberry Trail and the Community Recreation
Area to complete the loop back up to the parking lot.
- Development of the "Community Recreation Area."
- Establishing a Community Recreation Area landscape, involving:
- Clearing the brush from this area.
- Planting grass at the pavilion and picnic shelter sites.
- Development of natural vegetation sites along the creek and along the
margins of the pavilion/picnic area (based on the vegetation survey).
- With explanatory signage and accompanying development of school/community
educational activities focused on these vegetation areas.
- Construction of the pavilion, which will provide a focal point for entertainment
and community events at the park. The pavilion features a stage and has
the capacity for accommodating public address/music sound systems and stage
lighting.
- Construction of two picnic shelters, with attached restrooms and drinking
fountains. At least two shelters are recommended, to accommodate multiple
family reunions or community activities during the summer months.
- Construction of a playground near the picnic shelters.
- Mark the end of Phase Two, emphasizing the opening of the pavilion/picnic
area for the public, by organizing a summer music/storytelling/event series
that will draw the community to the park (organized in cooperative sponsorship
with community church/heritage/civic organizations).
Phase Three
Phase Three targets park development on the south side of the Huckleberry Trail:
development of the low-impact trail system (Mule Trail, Drift Mouth Trail, and
Nature Trail), and development of heritage and environmental features associated
with those trails on the south side of the Huckleberry Trail. The south side
contains the historic industrial mine buildings that will be of special interest
to visitors, and development of the south side trails will link the historic
industrial area to the Community Recreation Area and the Tipple Heritage Area
Phase Three
- Development of the low-impact trail system on the south side of the Huckleberry
Trail: The Mule Trail, Drift Mouth Trail, and Nature Trail.
- Heritage and environmental points of interest are marked along the trails,
and keyed to a trail flyer which explains the mine=s
industrial sites (e.g. the boiler, shops, mine entrance) and plants in the
landscape.
- Trail benches are situated along the low-impact trail system.
- Clean up and development of the mine entrance (in accordance with safety
regulations), with the possibility of capping the mine in a manner allowing
visitors to see a short entryway.
- Locating the Huckleberry Caboose (across the Huckleberry Trail from the
hotel/commissary sites), and outfitting it to be an educational classroom.
These activities could be done in cooperation with the railroad club donating
the caboose and with community school teachers.
- Develop programs to involve target user groups to co-sponsor educational
and community activities at Coal Miners Park. These activities help develop
a sense of Aownership@
and support for the park among community groups, and help develop volunteer-supported
activities leading to further park development.
- User groups would include: schools (e.g. field trips), church fellowship
and youth groups, Coal Mining Heritage Association and other heritage interest
groups (e.g. railroad, civil war), seniors, recreational groups, special
interest environmental groups (e.g. possibilities might focus on bird watching,
wildflowers, horticulture, among others).
Phase Four
Phase Four targets park development on the north side of the Huckleberry
Trail: development of the trail system (Bunker Hill Trail and Miner’s House
Trail) and development of heritage features associated with those trails.
Phase Four
- Development of higher-challenge trails on the northern side of the Huckleberry
Trail.
- The Bunker Hill Trail going up past the lower houses toward Bunker Hill
and ending at a scenic overlook point (and continuing along the tram road
on Bunker Hill, if additional Bunker Hill land is purchased by the county
for incorporation into Coal Mining Heritage Park). Features include:
- Heritage signage about mining family life in the Bunker Hill community,
and identifying specific houses along the way.
- A scenic overlook that allows park visitors to look down over the entire
park.
- The Miner’s House Trail leading from the Huckleberry Trail up to the archaeological
ruins of an actual house site (# 12 on the Kennedy/Lawson circa 1937 map;
the trail follows the old driveway) that would be featured as an archaeological
education site. Development of the house site, including:
- Development of a platform structure over the house site, which would
protect the archaeological site yet allow visitors to view the house remains.
- Signage focused on archaeological education, as well as the heritage.
- Clearing the area around the house, and marking out the locations of
the garden and outbuildings; signage explaining about the daily livelihood
activities of mining families living in houses such as this one.
- Development of outdoor education activities for school and university
classes focused on learning about archaeology.
Phase Five
Phase Five focuses on construction of a first heritage-based building,
a replica of a miner’s house that would be authentically furnished and used
for interpretive history exhibits and educational activities.
Phase Five
- Construction of a replicated miner=s
house along the Huckleberry Trail, near the site of the former commissary.
- Replicated in a historically accurate manner.
- Designed with a sophisticated security system to protect it from vandalism
(possibly partially funded by donations from building contractors and building
supply firms).
- Furnished to look like the inside of a miner=s
house (carried out in cooperation with the Coal Mining Heritage Association
and local universities, with consultation by the Roanoke Regional Preservation
Office and Explore Park).
- Could be staffed with volunteer interpreters (volunteers from the Coal
Mining Heritage Association, Merrimac community and church, schools, etc.),
dressed as members of a miner=s
family, and interpreting the stories and way of life of the New River Valley
mining families.
Phase Six
Phase Six continues the park development by adding a combined Mining Museum
and Visitors Center, which would provide the park with a focal point -- a structure
where visitors would first enter to get an orientation to the park and heritage,
an indoor site for educational activities, and a center where materials on the
county’s mining heritage will be collected, preserved, and accessible for learning.
Phase Six
- Construction of a combined Mining Heritage Museum and Visitor=s
Center. Recommended that this be undertaken as a cooperative venture between
the county and the Coal Mining Heritage Association, with academic direction
and assistance (faculty and students) in developing the museum and its exhibits
from Radford University’s Anthropology Program. Greater discussion of the
museum appears in Chapters 3 and 4.
Phase Seven
At this point in the park development, when the park presence and community
support are well established, consideration can be given to constructing additional
heritage structures at the park. Specific developments will depend on the types
of community interest expressed at that time and the availability of funds from
grants and/or private donations. Some possibilities are briefly listed below
and are discussed in greater detail in Chapter 3.
Phase Seven
- Consideration of possibilities for additional heritage structures at Coal
Mining Heritage Park. Some of the possibilities are:
- Rebuilding an authentic New River Valley mining house (a cooperative endeavor
with the Coal Mining Heritage Association)
- Other possibilities: replication of the commissary, tipple, and other
buildings originally at the Merrimac Mine
|
|
