This nodemap, based on the Heriot Clarkson and Francis O. Clarkson Papers at the Southern Historical Collection at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, presents the Clarksons' view of the development of the Blue Ridge Parkway in Little Switzerland.

Please also visit Sarah Forzetting's blog about her field experience creating this page

The documents presented in this nodemap are part of a collection of Francis O. Clarkson’s papers that was closed to the public pending archival processing. The Clarksons' correspondence and collection of newspaper clippings related to Little Switzerland and the Blue Ridge Parkway were spread across various boxes in the collection and were not in any chronological order. The digitization of these documents not only makes them available to the public for the first time, but it also allows readers to view them as a complete set of documents, accessible in a single location.

As politically engaged citizens of Little Switzerland, Heriot and Francis O. Clarkson were well informed about their community; the Switzerland Company, which managed the community; the State Highway Commission; and the media's portrayal of Little Switzerland's conflict with the State Highway Commission. The nodemap presents these entities along with some of the significant people and events associated with them. Documents from the Clarkson Papers from the Southern Historical Collection appear at the end of each string of nodes. The National Park Service, which held the deed to the land for the Parkway, did not figure into the Clarksons' interpretation of the conflict and is notably absent from the nodemap.

Click and drag anywhere within the nodemap to arrange the map. It is ideal to view this in full screen mode. The “full screen” button (the second button on the bottom left) enlarges the map. Plus signs indicate that the text can be expanded into a larger information window. Within this window, use the scroll bar to scroll text. The “zoom” and “focus” buttons arrange and enlarge the nodes. Click the “home” button to close the nodes and return to the original view.