Shenandoah National Park presents crowdsourced ‘Then and Now’ photo gallery

From season to season and year to year, change is always a constant at Shenandoah National Park.

In 2016, to celebrate the centennial of the National Park Service, Shenandoah National Park asked local photographers to investigate the forces of change in the Park by reshooting a series of historic photographs. The result is a stunning glimpse into how the Park has changed and how it has remained the same since its establishment.

Over 50 volunteer photographers submitted photos after choosing from a gallery of historic images from all areas of Shenandoah to reshoot. They spent 2016 scouting, researching, and working to catch just the right moment to capture a modern-day companion for their chosen historic photo. The photos are presented on the Park’s website along with their historic counterparts. Where possible the two photos are shown with an overlaid slider to more clearly see the comparisons and contrasts of the contemporary and historic images. In some instances, the landscape is so changed that it was difficult to recreate. At times, the historic photographer’s position was impossible to access because of vegetation growth or other changes in the ensuing 80 years.

Participant Jacob Cross describes his work on the project: “I was honored and thrilled to be invited to take on the challenge of documenting the passage of time in Shenandoah National Park by finding and photographing the scene from a decades-old photo.  It was fun to use my knowledge of the park — along with help from NPS staff and members of the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club — to find the right spot, which proved more difficult than any of us expected.  I am excited to see the results of my work and that of my fellow volunteers, and I hope that park-goers and others will enjoy this unique way to see what’s changed — and what’s still the same — in the park that so many people hold dear.”

Park Superintendent Jennifer Flynn expressed her gratitude to the volunteer photographers. “Not only do these photos capture a moment in the Park’s history to compare to the past, but they also document the present for future generations. We appreciate these photographers’ commitment to Shenandoah National Park and their generosity in sharing their talent with others.”

The gallery can be visited on Shenandoah National Park’s website at http://go.nps.gov/ShenandoahThenAndNow