The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation is leading a campaign to pay for key restoration work at Flat Top Manor, aka Cone Manor, at the Moses H. Cone Memorial Park./NPS

Moses H. Cone Memorial Park is one of the spectacular places on the Blue Ridge Parkway where history and recreation meet. The 3,500-acre park is crisscrossed by carriage trails, which are frequented by hikers and horseback riders alike, and features lakes, gardens, and orchards.

The centerpiece of the landscape is Cone Manor, a spectacular 20-room Colonial Revival-style mansion built by textile magnate Moses H. Cone in 1901. Much of the decades of work and care put into the landscape and home by its former owner have faded over the years due to shortfalls in federal funding for maintenance.

Recognizing that the future of the estate is at stake, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation is kicking off a multi-year campaign to address the numerous needs at this popular destination in the nation’s most-visited national park unit. The effort received its first boost with the announcement that an initial project at the park has been named a 2016 Centennial Challenge initiative by the National Park Service.

The Centennial Challenge program, created in honor of the National Park Service’s 100th anniversary in 2016, pairs funds allocated by Congress with commitments by private organizations and donors to help parks across the country improve visitor services and support outreach to new audiences. Many of the projects tackle deferred maintenance.

This year, Congress provided $15 million for Centennial projects, which will be matched by almost $33 million from more than 90 park partners. It is the second year the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation has risen to the challenge, having raised funds for five projects in 2015.

The 2016 Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation fundraising effort starts with a goal of $412,000 to update the fire suppression system inside the manor, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The long-range work will be guided by the Developed Area Management Plan recently completed by the Parkway and a steering committee of local volunteers. The work will include additional repairs to the Manor, the Apple Barn, carriage trails, gardens, and more.

“We are thrilled and honored to play a role in ensuring a bright future for this beloved estate,” said Carolyn Ward, CEO of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. “Moses H. Cone Memorial Park tells an important story in the history of the High Country and North Carolina, and we are looking forward to partnering with the community to address the repairs this cherished site deserves.”

For more info, visit brpfoundation.org.