Archival Collections The archives of Cumberland Gap National Historical Park cover hundreds of linear feet of documents pertaining to all aspects of the park and its history. Here's a brief synopsis of each collection. To schedule an appointment to view the archives, please contact the park. The Resource Management Collection contains records created during the pre-park planning for a national park that preserves and interprets the historic migration corridor of the Cumberland Gap, and park management of the resources protected within and region affecting the Cumberland Gap NHP. The Hensley Settlement Collection contains records created during the pre-park planning for acquiring the Hensley Settlement lands to be made part of the national park, family records and research, records created during park administration of Hensley Settlement, and historical research on the Settlement. The Kincaid Collection includes the correspondence, manuscripts, newspaper articles, photographs, brochures, and hand-written notes of Robert Kincaid, author of the classic history The Wilderness Road. The Tunnel Collection documents the entire administrative history of the construction of the Cumberland Gap Tunnel from the early planning stages in the late 1950s through the completion of the tunnel in 1996 and continues through the rehabilitation of the Gap after the tunnel opened to vehicular traffic. 
Photograph Collections Earl Palmer Appalachian Photograph Collection William A. Barnhill Collection: Historical Photographs of Pioneer Life in Western N. C. 1914-1917 Although the historic photo collection of the park is currently under the process of being digitized, hundreds are currently available to be seen.
For more information about historical photo collections at Cumberland Gap National Historical Park please contact the park archivist. |
Last updated: January 23, 2024