Department of Conservation and Recreation
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Department of Conservation and Recreation
Media inquiries: Please contact Dave Neudeck, dave.neudeck@dcr.virginia.gov, 804-786-5053.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: January 10, 2019
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Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail Interpretive Center in Scott County is now open
The $5.3 million tourism gateway connects historical and cultural sites across the region
DUFFIELD -- The new Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail Interpretive Center in Duffield opened recently, injecting a $5.3 million investment in the region’s tourism community.
Virginia State Parks, managed by the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), operates the center as a satellite of Natural Tunnel State Park.
“The front of the building offers a beautiful overlook of Kane Gap, and the back has a small amphitheater for programs, demonstrations and events,” said Natural Tunnel State Park Manager Robert Chapman. “We expect the center to play an important part in the community.”
The facility is more than 10,000 square feet and includes a theater and museum displays highlighting the story of early settlers who made their way westward. The building also hosts a research library, conference room and gift shop.
The center serves as a regional tourism gateway connecting visitors to other historical and cultural stops, such as Natural Tunnel State Park, Wilderness Road State Park and Cumberland Gap National Historical Park. The center will impact other area attractions, including Sycamore Shoals State Historic Park, the Long Island of the Holston in Tennessee, Fort Boonesborough and other points of interest along Boone’s Trace in Kentucky.
The project, a partnership between the Scott County Economic Development Authority, the Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail Association and DCR, is the result of a broad spectrum of state and local support.
“The Daniel Boone Wilderness Trail Interpretive Center is a terrific cultural and historical asset to our region. It is my hope that this complex will serve as an educational outlet for people across Southwest Virginia to learn of its great historical significance.” – Sen. Bill Carrico
“I am honored to have been able to assist in bringing this facility to Southwest Virginia through the Tobacco Commission and many other funding agencies. This project will serve in multiple capacities. And we are confident that it will be utilized to the fullest extent.” – Del. Terry Kilgore
“After years of planning, hard work and anticipation, Scott County is proud to welcome this project for the education and enjoyment of our citizens and visitors, both young and old. This facility will showcase some of the history and people that made the Appalachian region the beautiful place to live that we enjoy today.” – Scott County Supervisor David Redwine
Construction funding grants came from the Virginia Department of Transportation, the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Scott County Economic Development Authority, the Virginia Coalfield Economic Development Authority, and the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development.
“This center is a significant one-time investment into the community, by the community, that will pay dividends for decades,” said Virginia State Parks Director Craig Seaver. “Virginia State Parks generate more than $239.4 million in tourism spending across Virginia each year. For every dollar in state tax money invested in park operations, more than $13 is injected into the economy by millions of annual visitors. This center will be part of the tourism economic engine that impacts so many communities.”
Grants totaling $1 million from the Virginia Department of Transportation Scenic Byways Program, Eastman Credit Union and the Virginia Tobacco Region Revitalization Commission funded the exhibits.
“This region has a rich history of hosting visitors, from the tens of thousands of pioneers who passed through on their way to settling the American frontier to the carloads of visitors today,” said Seaver, who was the Natural Tunnel State Park manager from 1989 to 2012. “The partnership will make a difference in the future of Scott County.”
Principle work on the project was handled by Quesenberry’s Construction of Big Stone Gap, and Thompson & Litton of Bristol, Tennessee.
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