Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, September 11, 1995 TAG: 9509110146
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARY BISHOP STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Reginald Hancock built about 200 miles of fence along the Blue Ridge Parkway over 34 years.
Some of it was wire fencing, but much was split-rail. Now the Parkway is letting a lot of Hancock's fences fall by the wayside.
It makes him sad.
He's heard it's because the Parkway can't afford to maintain the fences. Parkway Superintendent Gary Everhardt says it's also because he can't replace the chestnut rails and because fences aren't needed in some places anymore. There isn't as much livestock as there used to be.
"Nobody has any desire to eliminate our rail fencing," Everhardt said. But the Parkway is rethinking its fences. Some of the old ones are off the road where people can't see them anyway. Everhardt said the Parkway could stockpile rails from those to repair fences closer to the road.
Hancock worked on the Parkway's ranger force, building fences, helping with fire control and leasing farmland acquired for the Parkway back to farmers.
Some of his fence-building, land-clearing, swamp-cleaning crews were college students who bunked at Ferrum College. Some were old farmers who needed work because they hadn't paid into Social Security. "The oldest I had was 82 years old, an old black man."
Some of Hancock's fences are on display at Groundhog Mountain near Meadows of Dan.
Hancock, 72, lives a mile from the Parkway in Floyd County, but don't look for him up there.
"I told the wife I was going to stay away," he said. "I don't go up there much."
by CNB