Skip to main content

Mill Mountain Star - Roanoke, Virginia

Image
By

 


Shining atop Mill Mountain in Roanoke, Virginia is an enduring beacon for the Star City of the South and surrounding areas. The Roanoke Star, or the Mill Mountain Star, as it is affectionately known, overlooks the largest city in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains region and is a welcome sight to both residents and visitors. It is the world's largest man-made star and was erected in 1949, but was originally meant to be a temporary fixture during the holiday season. The Mill Mountain Star is a set of three stars, with a small star in the center, enveloped by a larger, mid-sized star, and surrounded by the largest outer star, each containing three to five sets of clear neon tubes. The Mill Mountain Star is quite big. It is 88.5 feet tall and weighs 10,000 pounds, which includes 2,000 feet of neon tubing between the three stars, which you can see within 60 miles from the air. It has a lofty perch, towering 1,045 above the City of Roanoke at an elevation of 1,847 feet above sea level. Built by Roy C. Kinsey of the Kinsey Sign Company for $28,000, Roy Kinsey's sons Bob and Warren designed and built the neon tubing that is still used for the Mill Mountain Star today.

The purpose for erecting the Mill Mountain Star was to serve as a seasonal, Christmas decoration to shine over the City of Roanoke during the Christmas season of 1949. The star project was sponsored by the Roanoke Merchants Association. John Payne, a Roanoke native and Hollywood leading man of the time, was on hand at the formal lighting ceremony on November 23, 1949. Less than 100 people braved the cold late November night to stand under the star when it was first switched on. Originally, the plan was to dismantle the star when the holiday season ended. However, by the end of the 1949 Christmas season, the Mill Mountain Star became so popular that the star was never taken down. The star was originally illuminated white, but there have been a few instances in the star's history where the colors of the star have been red, white, and blue, in tribute to the response to the terrorist attacks that happened on September 11, 2001.

Mill Mountain has had a long history of people trying to get up the mountain to see the incredible views from the overlook next to where the Mill Mountain Star is today. At the turn of the 20th century, a trip to the mountain's summit meant a bumpy ride in a horse and carriage or a daunting trip up stone steps on foot. Later, the Mill Mountain Incline Railway was in operation between 1910 and 1929. Remnants of those steps are still visible on the steep mountain slopes, as are portions of the incline railway. The old carriage road that went up the mountain was widened to accommodate automobiles during the early 1920s so people could enjoy the scenic views. Today, you can drive up to the Mill Mountain Star by way of the J.P. Fishburn Parkway from downtown Roanoke or take the Mill Mountain Parkway from Milepost 120 of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Of course, you can still hike up the mountain, as there is a 3.3-mile trail that is part of the Roanoke Greenway system.

The future of the Mill Mountain Star can go in a few directions. As the star gets closer to its 75th anniversary, the City of Roanoke found serious deficiencies in the star's structure that could require millions to address. While it doesn't appear that the star will be removed completely, options for renovation or a replacement are on the table. Because of the star's iconic status in Roanoke, the city will be seeking input from residents to see if the star should be restored and keep the neon or pursue something different like LED, or completely rebuild the structure.

I visited the Mill Mountain Star in November 2022 and was able to enjoy the views from the adjacent overlook. It is certainly worth the detour if you are in Roanoke or even if you're just passing through.

The Mill Mountain Star also serves as an overlook for the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains along with the Roanoke Valley below.

Waiting for the clouds to lift over the Roanoke Valley on this early November morning.

Even with the clouds, the views are incredible. You can see some mountains in the distance.

Downtown Roanoke.

Historical plaque for the Mill Mountain Star (a/k/a Roanoke Star).

The Mill Mountain Star in its glory. Unfortunately, I didn't have a chance to see the star at night.

But I came back to see Roanoke under a veil of fog from the top of Mill Mountain. At least I could see the tops of some of the nearby mountains.

One way to get to Mill Mountain is by taking the Mill Mountain Parkway, which is a spur of the Blue Ridge Parkway.



How to Get There:



Sources and Links:
WJDB7 - Roanoke considers restoration or replacement of Mill Mountain Star
Virtual Blue Ridge - Roanoke Mountain, Milepost 120.4
Virginia Outdoors Foundation - Mill Mountain, City of Roanoke
City of Roanoke - Roanoke Star
Go Hike Virginia - Roanoke Star: Hike the Star Trail to Spectacular Views Across Virginia’s Blue Ridge
Labels:
Location: 2000 Jb Fishburn Pkwy SE, Roanoke, VA 24014, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Former US Route 101 through Sargent

By
  Sargent is a ghost town and siding of the Southern Pacific Railroad located in southern Santa Clara County.  The original alignment of US Route 101 was aligned through Sargent via what is now known as Old Monterey Road.  Sargent was bypassed gradually due to shifts of the alignment of US Route 101 which occurred during 1941 and 1950.  Pictured as the blog cover is a view on Old Monterey Road which is now no longer accessible to the general public.  Below is a scan of the 1935 Division of Highways Map of Santa Clara County which depicts the original alignment US Route 101 through Sargent.   Part 1; the history of US Route 101 in Sargent Sargent lies on land which was once part of Rancho Juristac.  During 1856 James P. Sargent purchased Rancho Juristac and plotted what was known as Sargent Ranch.  By 1869 the Southern Pacific Railroad coast line reached the relocated town site of Gilroy.  The Southern Pacific Railroad coast line would be constructed through Chittenden Pass by 1871 whic
Post a Comment
Read more

Tulare Lake returns

By
During the winter of 2023 California experienced one of the wettest seasons in recent decades.  Enough snow and water were deposited into the Sierra Nevada Mountains that the runoff was enough to partially reform Tulare Lake within San Joaquin Valley.  Tulare Lake was once the largest lake west of the Mississippi River by surface area.  Tulare Lake has been largely dried for the past century due to irrigation divisions and upstream impoundments.  This blog will examine the history of Tulare Lake and its recent return.  Pictured as the blog cover is Tulare Lake from 19th Avenue in Kings County during early May 2023.  Tulare Lake can be seen near its maximum extent below on the 1876 P.Y. Baker Map of Tulare County .   Part 1; the history of Tulare Lake Tulare Lake is the largest remnant of Lake Corcoran.  Lake Corcoran once covered much of the entire Central Valley due to being it being located at a in natural low point from where mountain run-off would accumulate.  Lake Corcoran is thou
1 comment
Read more

US Route 95 in California

By
US Route 95 within California exists within San Bernardino County and Riverside County.  US Route 95 within California is approximately 130 miles factoring multiplexes along Interstate 10 and Interstate 40.  US Route 95 in California begins at the Arizona state line along the Colorado River near Blythe in Riverside County.  US Route 95 follows the general course of the Colorado River north through the Sonoran Desert to the Mojave Desert towards Needles of San Bernadino County.  US Route 95 enters Nevada north of Interstate 40 and the historic alignment of US Route 66.  US Route 95 was extended to Blythe, California during July 1939.  Upon US Route 95 entering California during 1939 it overlapped and deleted much of the original California State Route 195.  US Route 95 was extended from Blythe into Arizona during June 1960.   Part 1; the history of US Route 95 in California The corridor of modern-day US Route 95 in California first came to prominence during the run-up to the creation of
Post a Comment
Read more