Introducing Our Spring 2025 Issue đ
Meet Seagrove potters, pay tribute to forgotten landowners, visit a restorative mineral spring, and hike through Smoky Mountain waterfalls
Spring 2025 Issue Preview
Sweet spring blooms perfume the air as we introduce our Spring 2025 issue of Backroad Portfolio magazine! Print subscribers, you should receive your copy in a couple of weeks. Weâll update you as soon as we get the issues back from our printer.
Here are the features youâll find in our newest issue!
Unearthed
Discovering the tradition of Seagrove pottery
By Jenna Biter
Halfway between Charlotte and Raleigh, N.C. 705 winds its way through the Piedmont in the shadow of the Uwharrie Mountains. The two-lane roadâwhat seems a highway in name onlyâwanders past farms and longleaf pines to connect the small towns home to an esteemed community of artists who carry on a pottery tradition that dates to the 1700s.
The Blue Ridge Heritage Project
Honoring âThe Children of Shenandoahâ
By Beth Peterson
In 1934, a farmer in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia read an eviction notice. He read it againâjust to be sureâbefore silently laying it on the kitchen table. âThere must be some confusion,â he said to his wife. ⌠In the fervor to produce their coveted national park, the Public Lands and Surveys Committee had begun buying up parcels of land from families willing to sell. However, a stubborn contingent of mountain folk refused to leave.
The Elixir of Life as Therapy
Healing Springs, Mineral Springs, and Hot Springs
By Tom Poland
Old Jed Clampett was shootinâ at some food, and up through the ground came a-bubblinâ crude. Well you canât drink crude and you sure donât want to soak in it. Water, the elixir of life, however, was made to drink and bathe in and, in so doing, reputed health cures bubble up from the earth. When modern medicine fails many people turn to springs hoping to heal various ailments.
There and Back Again
Wondrous Waterfalls
By the Backroad Portfolio staff
Inspired by a Wandering Smoky Mountains article, weâre hiking through the scenic Great Smoky Mountains to see some of its breathtaking waterfalls. Thereâs no better time than spring to enjoy this majestic area. Home base is Gatlinburg. From there, you can hike trails lined with lustrous vegetation to spectacular waterfalls.
Plus:
South Carolinaâs treasures, the forgotten rain porch, the history of Irish Soda Bread, and a refuge for retired research chimpanzees.
Welcome New Subscribers!
Whether youâre a free or upgraded subscriber, youâll receive our weekly post. A portion of each email will be available to all subscribers, but only Explorers and upgraded digital subscribers will be able to read past the paywall.
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Backroad Portfolio is a new quarterly magazine for explorers.
Travel down roads marked by endless fields, immaculate vistas, and small, cozy towns. Discover the history behind how these backroads came to be for future generations. Meet people who breathe life into the landscape, sharing stories, traditions, and artisanal endeavors that make each stop along the way unforgettable. Escape from the busyness of life on the main thoroughfares.
Take the long way home.
This issue is a great way to kick spring into high gear!