In honor of National Public Lands Day and a year of recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and National Park Service collaborated with Alpha Omega Painters to refresh the Museum of North Carolina Minerals, a popular destination for Blue Ridge Parkway visitors.
A crew with the Burnsville-based business spent three days prepping and painting the building that holds interactive exhibits portraying geological and mining history of the area. Over the years, harsh weather on the ridgeline left the building with peeling paint, faded siding, and rotten wood.
Perched atop Gillespie Gap at milepost 331, the museum sits at the crossroads of Spruce Pine and Burnsville, Marion and Morganton, Little Switzerland and Mount Mitchell, and Altapass and Linville Falls, all towns and areas hit hard by Helene.
By volunteering time and expertise, Alpha Omega Painters ensured that one of the Parkway’s beloved sites is protected against the elements for years to come.
“After Hurricane Helene, the only place we could get cell service was right there by the Blue Ridge Parkway near the museum. Every time I passed through, that memory came back,” said owner Brandon Laffer. “Now, instead of only remembering the storm, we get to remember recovery. To take part in making that area beautiful again turns a painful memory into a hopeful one—and that means a lot.”
Through funding by donors to the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation, the National Park Service began renovations at the museum last year, repairing rotten wood, replacing storm windows, rebuilding the structure’s wooden gutters, repainting the trim, and raising a new flagpole. However, impacts from Hurricane Helene delayed further work on the building. Painting was the final step in a rehabilitation of the exterior of the museum.
“Fresh paint does more than brighten a building—it protects it,” said Jason Urroz, Vice President of Education for the Foundation. “After what this community and the Parkway have been through, the work of the National Park Service and Alpha Omega Painters represents resilience and stewardship, ensuring this structure can withstand harsh winters, heavy rains, and the blazing summer sun for years to come.”
The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation is the nonprofit fundraising partner of the Blue Ridge Parkway, helping to ensure cultural and historical preservation, natural resource protection, educational outreach, and visitor enjoyment now and for future generations. Since 1997, the Foundation has provided more than $24 million in support for the country’s most visited national park unit. To learn more, visit BRPFoundation.org.
