- Thornton Gap
Infobox Mountain Pass
Name = Thornton Gap
Photo =
Caption =
Elevation = 2,460ft/750m
Location =Virginia USA
Range =Blue Ridge Mountains
Coordinates = coord|38|39|40|N|78|19|12|W|type:pass
Topographic
Transversed by =Thornton Gap is a
wind gap located in theBlue Ridge Mountains inVirginia separating theShenandoah Valley from the Piedmont region of the state.History
Thornton Gap was named for Francis Thornton (1711–April 14, 1749), owner of the land to the east and the "F.T. Valley". In
1740 , he built a mansion in the Piedmont region near Nethers in Rappahannock County. [http://syndication.getoutdoors.com/npca/destination_regions/5609.html]The privately-owned Thornton's Gap Turnpike Company was formed to build a road over the mountains at Thornton's Gap. The
toll road opened in1806 . Thornton Gap was one of the passages through the Blue Ridge Mountains between the Shenandoah Valley and the Piedmont region of Virginia used by Confederate GeneralStonewall Jackson to move his famous "foot cavalry " troops during theAmerican Civil War .Prior to the building of the
Shenandoah National Park and theSkyline Drive by the federalWorks Progress Administration (WPA) during theGreat Depression , the lost town of Beahm was located at Thornton Gap.Current information
Thornton Gap is the site of the mountain crossing of
U.S. Highway 211 . It is located at the border of Page County and Rappahannock County. At Thornton Gap, there is an entry point for the bucolicSkyline Drive , which runs between Front Royal and the northern terminus with theBlue Ridge Parkway atRockfish Gap . The Skyline Drive generally following the mountain ridge tops through theShenandoah National Park , which has its headquarters near Thornton Gap in the Town of Luray. TheAppalachian Trail also passes through Thornton Gap.External links
*Geographical coordinates: coord|38|39|40|N|78|19|12|W|type:pass (click for maps and satellite photos of Thornton Gap)
* [http://www.virginiaplaces.org/transportation/traveast.html Virginia Places web site] a large site with lots of educational information about the Geography of VirginiaReferences
Internet
* [http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/va/fredericksburg/cemeteries/thornton.txt Francis Thornton's tombstone]
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