Mill Mountain Incline
Encyclopedia
The Mill Mountain Incline was a 0.37 mi (0.60 km) funicular
, or inclined plane
, located on Mill Mountain
in Roanoke, Virginia that operated between 1910-1929. Costing $40,000 to complete, the incline took visitors from the base of the mountain where the present-day Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital
is located to the summit in the area where the Mill Mountain Star
is now located.
Today, the former location of the incline is visible in the form of a cleft in the trees on Mill Mountain, immediately behind the Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.
In late 1909, a pair of counterbalanced incline cars were ordered from the John Stevenson Company
, and were delivered in summer 1910. The incline celebrated its inaugural voyage on August 10, 1910, and saw 1,500 passengers on opening day. The roundtrip ride cost $.25 and took four minutes to complete each way.
To lure residents and tourists alike onto the incline, its owners installed walking paths, benches, a gift shop and telescopes on the summit. Although the incline saw a profit in its first year, it would sustain significant loses over the following years. Due to mounting losses, in 1919, the original investors sold the line to the local real estate magnate William Henritze. He would subsequently build a toll road
to the summit which would open in the early 1920s, and effectively result in the closure of the incline in 1929. The last remnants of the line were dismantled and sold off for scrap in 1934.
A July 2007 proposal was introduced by Roanoke City Councilmen to revive the Incline as an economic redevelopment tool. The new incline would be in the form of an automated people mover.
Funicular
A funicular, also known as an inclined plane or cliff railway, is a cable railway in which a cable attached to a pair of tram-like vehicles on rails moves them up and down a steep slope; the ascending and descending vehicles counterbalance each other.-Operation:The basic principle of funicular...
, or inclined plane
Inclined plane
The inclined plane is one of the original six simple machines; as the name suggests, it is a flat surface whose endpoints are at different heights. By moving an object up an inclined plane rather than completely vertical, the amount of force required is reduced, at the expense of increasing the...
, located on Mill Mountain
Mill Mountain
Mill Mountain is a large flat-topped mountain forming the eastern end of Festive Plateau in the Cook Mountains. This mountain was probably sighted by the Discovery expedition under Captain Robert F. Scott, who gave the name "Mount Mill," after British Antarctic historian Hugh Robert Mill, to a...
in Roanoke, Virginia that operated between 1910-1929. Costing $40,000 to complete, the incline took visitors from the base of the mountain where the present-day Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital
Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital
Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital is a hospital in Roanoke, Virginia, USA. The hospital has 825 beds, and is part of Carilion Clinic.-Services:Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital's emergency department is a certified level I trauma center...
is located to the summit in the area where the Mill Mountain Star
Mill Mountain Star
The Roanoke Star, also known as the Mill Mountain Star, is the world's largest freestanding illuminated man-made star, constructed in 1949 at the top of Mill Mountain in Roanoke, Virginia. It was the largest star ever assembled until the El Paso Star was completed in El Paso, Texas...
is now located.
Today, the former location of the incline is visible in the form of a cleft in the trees on Mill Mountain, immediately behind the Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.
History
The idea of an incline being developed for Mill Mountain was initially proposed in 1892, but was formally organized in November 1909 by a group of twenty-five local investors calling themselves the Mill Mountain Incline, Inc. For the investors, the incline was viewed as a major attraction for the burgeoning city.In late 1909, a pair of counterbalanced incline cars were ordered from the John Stevenson Company
John Stevenson Company
The John Stephenson Car Company was an American manufacturer of carriages, horsecars, cable cars, and streetcars, based in New York City. It was founded by John Stephenson in 1831. John Stephenson invented the first streetcar to run on rails, building this in 1832, for the New York and Harlem...
, and were delivered in summer 1910. The incline celebrated its inaugural voyage on August 10, 1910, and saw 1,500 passengers on opening day. The roundtrip ride cost $.25 and took four minutes to complete each way.
To lure residents and tourists alike onto the incline, its owners installed walking paths, benches, a gift shop and telescopes on the summit. Although the incline saw a profit in its first year, it would sustain significant loses over the following years. Due to mounting losses, in 1919, the original investors sold the line to the local real estate magnate William Henritze. He would subsequently build a toll road
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
to the summit which would open in the early 1920s, and effectively result in the closure of the incline in 1929. The last remnants of the line were dismantled and sold off for scrap in 1934.
A July 2007 proposal was introduced by Roanoke City Councilmen to revive the Incline as an economic redevelopment tool. The new incline would be in the form of an automated people mover.