New River/Greenbrier Valley
Fayette, Greenbrier, McDowell,
Mercer, Monroe, Raleigh, Summers and Wyoming
This is the 9 of 9 in the exploring all West Virginia's 55 counties series. You can find links to the rest at the bottom of this blog as well as a few YouTube videos.
Fayette County
Fayette County was established in February 1831 and was named after Marquis de la Fayette who helped the continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. The county seat is Fayetteville. Fayette has a ton of history as well as lots of places to visit. It is home to Bridge Day which brings in lots of tourists. In fact, this area has become overrun with tourists these days. I decided to pick some of my favorite things rather than what most people come to visit.
Marian McQuade is from this area and the founder of Grandparent’s Day which Governor Moore proclaimed this day in 1973. A year later, President Carter adopted this day a few years later.
Hawks Nest is one of those must see places if you love a good view at 585 feet above the New River.
If you love kayaking then a good place to go would be Plum Orchard Lake to see the American White Water Lilies.
If you are boy scout then chances are you will find yourself at the Summit Bechtel Reserve. My brother helped building part of this park. White Water Rafting is always a fun way to spend the day.
If you like history then take a drive to have lunch or stay the night at the Glen Ferris Inn while enjoying the Kanawha Falls. This Inn has been serving guests since 1839 and may have even deeper history going back to 1815. You might even run into a ghost or two during your visit.
You can also enjoy exploring the museum and ghost town of Thurmond. This town was dates back to 1903 and still holds the Guinness Book of World Records for hosting the longest poker game as well has one of America’s favorite ghost towns. It is also one of the Amtrak train stops between Chicago and New York.
If you are a Hank Williams fan then you might want to check out Skyline Drive-In which really is just a tiny bar where Hank Williams passed away on New Years Day in 1953 at 6:30 am. Story has it, his driver stopped at this location to use the bathroom, only to find that Hank had passed away sometime during the night. This place has also been featured in the Brad Paisley’s song, Son of the Mountain. I had the hamburger but after talking to the owner, I wished I would have bought the hotdog or BBQ as she makes the slaw herself. Place was clean, although small and cozy.
Greenbrier County
Greenbrier County was established in 1778. The county seat is Lewisburg. This land was used by the Shawnee and Cherokee as hunting and was once called Can-tuc-kee.
It is also the home of the oldest golf course dating back to 1884 which used traditional hickory-shaft clubs and sand tees, in the United States.
It is also home to the Greenbrier Ghost which is the only known case in which a ghost testimony convicted her murder.
It is also known for the Meadow River Lumber Company, the word’s largest hardwood sawmill in the 20th century.
And everyone now knows it was once the location of the underground bunker where the presidents and staff would came in case of emergencies.
For my stop, I picked The Pomona Salt Cave and Spa for its Salt Cave experience. For $20 per person, you can spend 45 minutes in a 70 degree gravity chair inside a cave breathing in salt pumped into the air. It is great for many different health symptoms. I always feel great after one of their sessions. If this is not to your liking then you can partake in one of their many different spa treatments.
Every year
this is also the location of the Lewisburg Chocolate Festival. Who doesn’t want to try lots of chocolate
samples?!?! Purchase your ticket books
early as they do run out. Then enjoy
walking around town at the different shops and using your tickets to purchase
samples of chocolate treats. I recommend
taking some zip lock baggies with you so you can take some of those samples home
instead of eating it all at one time.
Every year this is also the location of the WV Renaissance Festival. It is one of my favorites. Enjoy lots of vendors and well as trying a turkey leg!
If hiking is your thing, pack a backpack and enjoy the Greenbrier Trail that runs 78 miles one way. There is 37 bridges and two tunnels along the route. You can find plenty of camping sites along the way as well as passing little towns and even the prison.
Another favorite place to hike would be the Beartown State Park. This is a short and fun half-mile boardwalk hike around large rock formations. It was donated from Edwin G. Polan in 1970 in the memory of her son, Ronald Keith Neal, a local soldier who was killed in the Vietnam War.
If you find yourself hungry, stop on by Stuart’s Smokehouse andSeafood for a great burger and fries. Stuart Brugh has been serving food here
since 2005. His custom smoker and live
entertainment makes this a fun place to stop by.
McDowell County
McDowell County was established in February 20, 1858 and was named after James McDowell a Virginia Governor. The county seat is Welch.
First world war one memorial to honor black soldiers built in 1928. More than 1500 black soldiers served in the “War to End Wars” came from this region. Unfortuanlly a fire in 1991 left the building in ruin and only a few documents, photographs remain. A “Forgotten Legacy” exhibit was opened in 2010 as a permanent reminder of this time.
In 1950, McDowell was “leading coal producing county” in US. However, major breakthroughs in mechanization in coal industry resulted in job declines and population went from 100,000 to around 20,000 today. John F. Kennedy’s first executive order created the Food Stamps program and McDowell was the first recipients. His May 1963 speech “I don’t think any American can be satisfied to find in McDowell County, West Virginia, 20or 25 precent of the people of that county out of work, not for 6 weeks, or 12 weeks, but for a year, 2, 3, or 4 years”. The first recipients of food stamps was to a family in the city of Paynesville on May 29, 1961 with a total of $95 for a family of fifteen.
In 1913, West Virginia's first public children’s playground was built using private donations. It was used until 1930 when the land was turned into a Post Office.
Note worthy people from this area would be Homer Hickam who wrote October Sky book made into movie; Melville Davisson Post wrote about McDowell (setting) for his short story “Once in Jeopardy” 1890’s tale; Matthew T. Whittico editor and publisher of McDowell Times which is said to be the first African American paper in WV.
Coalwood Rocket Memorial monument to the Rocket Boys.
City of Welch Municipal Parking
Building (Garage) – On September 1, 1941, the first municipally owned parking
garage was opened. It is a four level
concrete parking structure and accommodates 232 cars and showed a profit its
first year in operation. The architect was Hassel T. Hicks and contractor was
Virgil Stowe. In 1960, JFK gave a speech in front of it. It was renovated in 2005 and you can still
park in it today.
Mercer County
Mercer County was established in March 17, 1837 and was named after General Hugh Mercer a American Revolutionary. The county seat is Princeton.
LakeShawnee Amusement Park is was once home to Native Americans for more than 2,000 years and today you can visit a burial ground, ancient artifacts and photos from an archaeological dig. The Mitchell Clay Family was the first known English settlers on the land in 1775. They had sixteen children with three buried on the land. Two were killed and scalped by Shawnee Indians while doing chores. The third was taken captive, later burned at the stake.
In 1926, Conley Trigg Snidow, Sr. purchased the land and turned it into an amusement park for coal miner families. It featured a Ferris wheel, swing ride, race track, concession stands, dance hall and cabins for overnight stays. There was also a man-made lake lined with concrete turned into a swimming pool. There were two drownings’ deaths as well as a young girl dying on the swing ride in 1966. The park had to close its doors in 1967 when it couldn’t pass the health inspection.
A former employee of the park, Gaylord White, purchased the land in 1985 and opened the park again in 1987. However, the cost of insurance made him close the park again in 1988. White started using the land for other events. During construction on a new off-road section on the land, numerous Native American artifacts was discovered which prompted the Marshall University Archeologists to start doing a dig on the property. A total of 13 Native American skeletons were uncovered, most being elderly and children.
Today you can visit the grounds or attend one of their Halloween or guided paranormal tours. It has been featured on Scariest places on Earth in 2002; Most Terrifying Place in America in 2010; Ghost Lab in 2010; Most Terrifying Places in 2019; Portals to Hell in 2021 and Alone Paranormal Edition in 2023.
Bramwell or “Town of Millionaires” was once the location of the highest number of millionaires per capita in the United States during the late 1800s with as many as thirteen living within the town. The town was built up in 1873 thanks to the Pocahontas coalfields which employed 100,000 miners as well as lots of wealth to the area. It was just a popular place that the Norfolk & Western Railroad stopped there fourteen times a day with the towns bank janitor regularly transporting bags of money using a wheelbarrow down the streets to the train. The small town at one time had over 4,000 residents and three post offices within the city. However, the Great Depression of 1929 changed everything.
Today you can visit the museum and walk around the small town to admire some of the beautiful homes that used to house those once millionaires. Throughout the year the town hosts Tour of Homes events to allow visitors inside to enjoy the craftmanship of these historical old homes. While there you can also grab some lunch at one of the small restaurants. I had lunch at the Honeycomb Café and the Corner Shop Diner is said to have one of the old fashioned soda fountains so make sure to grab one of those.
Monroe County
Monroe County was established in January 14, 1799 and was named after James Monroe who was the 5th president of the United States. The county seat is Union. This area is known for its annual Farmers’ Day event the first Saturday of June to recognize the farming families that do so much with town dance, 3k run, pancake breakfast, parade and many more activities.
Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory is a one-mile hike up a steep 3,800 feet mountain sits a beautiful 360 degree view of Peters Mountain on the Eastern Continental Divide. It was built in 1956 as a fire tower until 1972 when planes became the new fire spotters. Now it is used as a perfect place to watch the migrating raptors at eye level in autumn. It is the best spot in the state to get a good view of hawks, eagles, falcons and osprey between August and November with September being the best month. There is no electricity or running water at the top but there is a good old-fashioned outhouse if needed.
Raleigh County
Raleigh County was established in January 23, 1850 and was named after Sir Walter Raleigh. Today the county seat is Beckley.
WinterplaceSki Resort opened in 1983 and voted the best place to learn to ski by Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine as well as voted the Top 5 Snowtubing Parks in the United States by Newsweek. I have been taking my kiddo here for many years and it is always a fun time. He has been riding down the snow tube since he was kid and it is always a fun family time. I have also taken a snowboard down the slopes a time or two as well.
Sandstone Falls at 1,500 feet across, is the largest waterfall on the New River. There is nice wooden boardwalk attaching several small islands letting visitors explore the area. The overlook gives a nice aerial view of the falls 600 feet below.
Summers County
Summers County was established in February 27, 1871 and was named after Geroge W. Summers. Today the county seat is Hinton
Wyoming County
Wyoming County was established in 1850 and was named after the Indigenous people of Northeastern Woodlands Lenape word meaning “Large Plains”. Today the county seats Pineville.
I couldn’t not visit the abandoned Itmann Company Store and Office as it has been on my bucket list for many years. Even though the building has seen better days, it still is a beautiful place to visit. It was built between 1923-1925 by Italian Stonemasons using the native sandstone. The architect was Alex B. Mahood and the building is very elaborate with its arches and stone work. It is broken into four sections surrounding an open courtyard which gives it a feel of something you would see in New Orleans.
It was designed for Pocahontas Fuel Company for President Isaac T. Mann to be his office and mining store for employees. Pocahontas was the most productive coal mining company in the United States at one time. Miners lived, worked and spent their money right all in one area.
In 1987, WV Senator Billy
Wayne Bailey purchased the property. It
was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. Over the years it has been used as a post
office and several beneficent organizations.
However now it remains empty. I
personally think it would be a wonderful place for a Hotel and Spa with a
restaurant on the property.
If you want to learn about the other 8 areas of West Virginia, you can find a link here. I have also created a few YouTube videos that goes with this series.
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