Appalachian Trail Histories

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Center Point Knob was the original half way point of the Appalachian Trail when the Trail was first completed in 1937. The plaque pictured here commemorates that fact. The halfway point is now approximately 15 miles south, just south of Pine Grove Furnace State Park, the home of the Appalachian Trail Museum.

Collection: Iconic Locations
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Nantahala Gorge, photographed by George Masa in the early 1930s. The Appalachian Trail crosses the Nantahala River in the Gorge, before climbing back up to a series of 5,000 foot summits on either side of the river.

Collection: Iconic Locations
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Mount Katahdin viewed from Daicey Pond, Baxter State Park, Maine, in July 1939 during the annual meeting of the Appalachian Trail Conference.

Collection: Iconic Locations
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The original southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail was at the summit of Mount Oglethorpe in Georgia. Shortly after the decision was made to extend the Trail to this mountaintop, a monument was constructed at the terminus in memory of Jame Oglethorpe, the founder of the Georgia colony. Dedicated in 1930, the monument was moved about 20 miles to the northeast to the town of Jasper, Georgia in 1958 after the terminus of the Trail was moved to Springer Mountain in order to avoid the encroachment of several large chicken farms on the Trail.

Collection: Iconic Locations
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The original southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail was at the summit of Mount Oglethorpe in Georgia. Shortly after the decision was made to extend the Trail to this mountaintop, a monument was constructed at the terminus in memory of Jame Oglethorpe, the founder of the Georgia colony. Dedicated in 1930, the monument was moved about 20 miles to the northeast to the town of Jasper, Georgia in 1958 after the terminus of the Trail was moved to Springer Mountain in order to avoid the encroachment of several large chicken farms on the Trail.

This photograph was taken by Japanese-American George Masa (1881-1933), one of America's most important outdoor photographers. Masa Knob in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is named for him.

Collection: Iconic Locations
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Mount Katahdin as seen from Daisy Pond (now Daicey Pond), photographed by Myron Avery. This image is from the Myron Avery Scrapbook Collection at the Maine State Library.

Collection: Iconic Locations
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This quaintly named point on the Appalachian Trail -- four miles northeast of Newfound Gap -- is the destination of many hiking trips in the Great Smokies. This jagged point is no more rugged than other near-by peaks along the Sawtooth section of the Great Smokies. Its extreme ruggedness, however, was exposed to view when that spot was swept by fire in 1925.

Collection: Iconic Locations
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Postcard image of McAfee Knob in Virginia. Image is undated, but attire of the men in the image indicates pre-World War II, and likely 1930s. McAfee Knob is one of the most visited and iconic locations on the Appalachian Trail and is located near Roanoke, Virginia.

Collection: Iconic Locations
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Postcard image of a large group of hikers on Virginia's iconic McAfee Knob, circa 1930s. At this time the Knob was not part of the Appalachian Trail.

Collection: Iconic Locations
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View of Harpers Ferry at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers

Collection: Iconic Locations
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Lloyd Tutt, a Manager at Lewis Mountain Campground

Collection: Iconic Locations
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Ms. Tutt was a manager at Lewis Mountain Campground, the Negro Campground in Shenandoah National Park. She worked there with member of her family serving African American visitors.

Collection: Iconic Locations
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