062-5105

Blue Ridge Tunnel

VLR Listing Date

09/15/2022

NRHP Listing Date

04/25/2023

NRHP Reference Number

RS100008324

Located in the Greenwood-Afton Rural Historic District, the Blue Ridge Tunnel (also commonly known as the Crozet Tunnel) is a single-track railroad tunnel constructed between 1850 and 1857 that was opened for use in 1858.  It is located 500 feet below the Rockfish Gap and straddles the county line between Nelson and Augusta counties. The gap was historically and remains a well-used area to cross the Blue Ridge Mountains between the Piedmont and Shenandoah Valley. Carved from greenstone, the tunnel was designed and its construction was overseen by engineer Claudius Crozet. Crozet, the best known Chief Engineer of Virginia, contributed to the formation of the curriculum at the United States Military Academy and the creation of the Virginia Military Institute. The tunnel was constructed by a labor force of primarily Irish immigrant labor, supplemented for a short time with hired-out enslaved African Americans. The Blue Ridge Tunnel remains the longest tunnel that was hand-dug using black powder blasting, and dug without the use of ventilation shafts. In 1944, it was replaced with a larger tunnel that runs parallel to the original. The tunnel was recognized by the American Society of Civil Engineers as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 1976. At the time of its listing, the Blue Ridge Tunnel was the centerpiece of a 2.25 mile recreational hiking and biking trail.

Last Updated: January 30, 2024

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Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark

For additional information Read

Nomination Form

062-5160

Warminster Rural Historic District

Nelson (County)

007-6089

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Augusta (County)

007-0147

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Augusta (County)