Now part of the Blue Ridge Parkway and the National Park Service, Moses Cone Park of Watauga County, North Carolina, was once a working estate with considerable apple orchards. Many Appalachian State University students visit the park because it is a popular hiking destination, yet few have probably given much thought to signs along the trails that warn visitors of contaminated soils. They soon learn that like other sizable agricultural operations in the early twentieth century, the orchards at Moses Cone were sprayed heavily with lead arsenate to reduce pests, most notably the codling moth. Unfortunately, these chemicals had a residual effect, and over one hundred years later, Moses Cone soils are still affected. The legacy effect of the contaminated soils on the park's surrounding areas is still unknown, yet this story illustrates soils' ability to preserve histories of human interactions with the landscape, both good and bad.1...

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