Book, Wine and Time: Exploring West Virginia One County At A Time (Part 5

Mid-Ohio Valley
Calhoun, Jackson, Pleasants, Ritchie, Roane, Wood and Writ

This is part 5 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.

Calhoun County

Calhoun County was established in 1856 and was named after John C. Calhoun, a South Carolina Politician. The county seat is Grantsville. This is the home of the WV Wood Festival and the WV Molasses Festival. Also, the Calhoun City Library has the largest genealogy collections in the state.

This was a quick stop at the Calhoun County Park which was created in 1980 and sits on 200 acres of land which features trails, ballfields, geocaching, picnic shelters, ponds historical village and camping. I stopped here during my travels to get out and walk around the grounds but forgot to take my camera so there isn't that many pictures to share.

Jackson County

Jackson County was established in 1831 and was named Andrew Jackson who was the 7^th President of United States. The county seat is Ripley. On July 19, 1863, the Battle of Buffington Island happened in this area which is the only naval action in WV American Civil War.

For me Jackson County is all about the West Virginia Writers Conference at Cedar Lakes Conference Center each year. It is a weekend long event that I wrote a detailed blog about a while ago. You can head on over there and read it for more information. It is a great place to take some writing classes, get to know authors, walk away with some great autographed books and just a great weekend with fellow book lovers.

Pleasants County

Pleasants County was established in March 29, 1851 and was named after James Pleasants, Jr who was a US Senator and Virginia Governor. The county seat is St. Mary’s.

I stopped at Pressed Coffee House early one morning while traveling to grab that much needed coffee. I found this cut little coffee shop right in downtown St. Mary's that makes a pretty good cup of joe. While there I also picked up a bag of Butterscotch Energy Balls to eat on the road. They were fantastic and came in handy when I found myself starving with no place to eat on one of those long backroads later that day. I also loved that the little town was decorated for Halloween with cute little displays all over town.

Ritchie County

Ritchie County was established in 1843 and was named and named after Thomas Ritchie who was a Richmond Newspaper Publisher. The county seat is Harrisville.

You must visit the Berdine’s Five & Dime when in this area. The business opened in 1908 by brothers K.C. Berdine and Lafayette and moved to the current location in 1915. 1909 Lafayette left and K.C. and his wife took over, guaranteeing no price would be higher than ten cents. New owners took over in 1983 after purchasing from Fred W. Berdine. This store is West Virginia’s oldest Five and Dime store still filled with stuff you used to see back in the day. And when I say filled, I mean FILLED! You can spend a lot of time in there without seeing everything. They also sale fudge. It still has its original antique counters, oak shelves and tin ceilings. It is a fun place to shop but remember to bring cash as that is the only thing they take.

The Pizza House Family restaurant is a business that opened March 1985 by owners Tim and Jackie Webber. Besides the food, you can also find a huge collection of over 900 pieces of Coca-Cola memorabilia which have been donated by customers from all around the world. Unfortunately, I did recently run across an article that said this placed closed its doors after 40 years.

Roane County

Roane County was established in March 11, 1856 and was named after Judge Spencer Roane. The county seat is Spencer.

The Robey Theatre is a favorite for history lovers. It was built in 1907 and is three stories high with ticket booth flanked by two double doors. The most noticeable is the marquee anchored to the 2^nd floor with a working neon sign. This movie theatre is the oldest continuously operating theater in the United States. It is owned currently owned by Aaron and Melissa Richardson and was placed on the National Register of Historical placed on March 29, 1989. Today one movie is played at a time and prices range from $7 to $10.

Heritage Park is a short walk from the Robey Theatre. It was created in the mid-1980s as a public park and community center. The grounds have a 1988 restored railroad depot and a one-room schoolhouse constructed in the early 1900’s.

While walking around town and doing a little shopping in the cute antique stores, stop on by the Brick & Mortar Coffee Co. for a nice iced coffee. I noticed while waiting for my coffee that there was a large table in the back of the cafe that looked like a bunch of locals meeting to have their coffee for the day. I thought THIS is what small towns should be like everywhere. They also had a farmers market going on in a local parking lot which made this a really great day well spent.

Fun find at a thrift shop in town.

Wood County

Wood County was established in December 21, 1798 and was named after James Wood a Governor of Virginia 1796-1799. The county seat is Parkersburg.

Blennerhassett Island Historic State Park is not like your normal parks. This one is on an island and you must take a 20-minute riverboat across to enjoy its beauty. The property is home to the Palladian Mansion which was owned by Harman Blennerhassett who settled here in 1789. In 1811 the original mansion burned but a detailed replica was built on its foundations in the 1980’s. The mansion became famous in 1805 when the Blennerhassett’s allowed Aaron Burr’s military to use it as their headquarters. The Burr conspiracy, which was said to be a plot to create a new country separate from the United States, has been the subject of many authors. Blennerhassett’s fled the island when word got out about Burr.

Today you can enjoy the historical tour by volunteers wearing period-accurate costumes or take a self-guided walk around the grounds. They also offer horse-drawn carriage rides around the island. You can rent a bike or bring your own to explore more. It is open May through October with one of their premiere events being “Mansion by Candlelight.” The park sees an average of 40,000 visitors each year. Tickets for a full package (museum, boat, mansion, wagon) will run between $22-$33 each. Bike rentals is an extra $2 for ½ hour. I had the unique opportunity to spend the night with a group but this isn’t open to the public.

Writ County

Writ County was established in 1848 and was named after William Wirt a US Attorney General. The county seat is Elizabeth.

I had a hard time finding something in this county to visit but I did find the historical area of California. It is now a ghost town but it was once known as California Historic Boomtown. In 1800’s oil was drilled in the area to be used as commercial lubricant. The California House was built in 1851 because of the need from travelers who lodged there on their way to strike it rich in the California Gold Rush. During the Civil War, the California House was also used by troops from both North and South. The house is no longer there and nature is taking back the area so not much to see now. Hopefully someone will get in there and cut all the weeds down and do a restoration in the area. It is right on the side of the road and would be a great place to stop and have a meal while traveling.

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.

Part 1 - Eastern Panhandle: Berkely, Jefferson and Morgan

Part2 - Potomac Highlands: Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Mineral, Pendleton, Pocahontas, Randolph and Tucker

Part 3 - Mountaineer Country: Barbour, Doddridge, Harrison, Marion, Monongalia, Preston and Taylor

Part 4 - Northern Panhandle: Brooke, Hancock, Marshall, Ohio, Tyler and Wetzel

Part 6 - Mountain Lakes: Braxton, Clay, Gilmer, Lewis, Nicholas, Upshur and Webster

Part 7 - Metro Valley: Cabell, Kanawha, Mason and Putnam

Part 8 - Hatfield-McCoy Mountains: Boone, Lincoln, Logan, Mingo, Wayne

Part 9 - New River/Greenbrier Valley: Fayette, Greenbrier, McDowell, Mercer, Monroe, Raleigh, Summers and Wyoming

YouTube - Exploring West Virginia One County At A Time

YouTube - Malden to Belle, A West Virginia Historical Tour

YouTube - The Historic Itmann Company Store in Itmann, West Virginia