History rolls along!
Connect with special places that helped form the character of the State of West Virginia. From architecture and design, community spirit, and battle sites that shaped the formation of the 35th state in these United States of America, West Virginia, you’ll find lessons in history – and like they say at Cass Scenic Railroad: ‘Preserving America’s Past for the Future.'”
Extensive information on the historical aspects of many of the West Virginia State Parks and Forests.
Includes:
- Architecture
- The 18th Century Frontier (1774)
- Civil War Sites (1860’s)
- The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)
- The Works Progress Administration (WPA)
- USDA Farm Security Administration Resettlement Project
<<Information from the deactivated website for each of these topics is in the sections immediately below>>
(1) “Architecture”
(from “West Virginia State Parks – Special Places – Past, Present & Future”)
“Palladian style architecture in the late 1700’s is showcased by the mansion at Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park.”
“The Bauhaus movement and its influence is found at three West Virginia state parks: Hawks Nest State Park, Pipestem Resort State Park, Twin Falls Resort State Park.”
Topics: A Mansion on an Island; Lodge Architecture in West Virginia State Parks; Architect, Walter Gropius; Modernist Movement–Bauhaus; TAC-The Architects Collaborative; Lodge Architecture–A Trio; Historic Photos
Explore Information from WV State Parks and Forests’ “Special Places. . .Architecture” Website (deactivated) (pdf)
(2) “The 18th Century Frontier (1774)”
(from “West Virginia State Parks – Special Places – Past, Present & Future”)
Prickett’s Fort State Park
“Interpreters recreate late 18th century lifestyle through period attire, demonstrations of a variety of colonial crafts, and the fort.”
Tu-Endie-Wei State Park
“At the junction of the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers in what is now West Virginia, this area commemorates the frontiersmen who fought and died at the Battle of Point Pleasant.”
(3) “Civil War Sites (1860’s)”
(from “West Virginia State Parks – Special Places – Past, Present & Future”)
Carnifex Ferry Battlefield
September 10, 1861
“Nestled on the rim of the Gauley River Canyon near Summersville, West Virginia, Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park is an important Civil War battle site.”
James Connell, a 2011 summer intern at the Nicholas Chronicle, researched and wrote about the history of the Battle of Carnifex Ferry in a series of 5 articles:
Explore Nicholas Chronicle’s “A Battle Series” (pdf)
Droop Mountain Battlefield
November 6, 1863
“Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park is located in the Greenbrier River Valley north of Lewisburg and is the site of West Virginia’s last significant Civil War battle.”
“A neat little booklet” about the Battle at Droop Mountain:
Explore “Booklet about the Battle at Droop Mountain” (pdf)
(4) “The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)”
(from “West Virginia State Parks – Special Places – Past, Present & Future”)
“Many of West Virginia’s state parks and forests were conceived and constructed by the labor and skill set of an American work force known and respected as the Civilian Conservation Corps from 1933 – 1942. (Camp references taken from The C.C.C. Camps in West Virginia A Record of the Civilian Conservation Corps in the Mountain State 1933-1942 by Milton Harr, 1992.)”
Babcock State Park
SP-3, Camp Beaver – 1934, Co. 1522
SP-6, Camp Lee – 1935, Co. 532
Cabwaylingo State Forest
S-61, Camp Anthony Wayne – 1935, Co. 3532
S-71, Camp Twelvepole (or Aracoma) – 1935, Co. 3540
Cacapon State Park
SP-4, Camp Morgan – 1934, Co. 1523
Coopers Rock State Forest
P-73, Camp Preston – 1935, Co. 3527
S-75, Camp Rhododendron – 1937, Co. 3527
Droop Mt. Battlefield State Park
P-68, Camp Price – 1935, Co. 2598
Greenbrier State Forest
SP-67, Camp White Sulphur – 1935, Co. 549
Hawks Nest State Park
See camps under Babcock
Kanawha State Forest
S-76, Camp Kanawha – 1938, Co. 2599
Kumbrabow State Forest
S-62, Camp Bowers – 1935, Co. 2594
S-72, Camp Randolph – 1935, Co. 3520
Lost River State Park
SP-2, Camp Hardy – 1934, Co. 1522
Seneca State Forest
S-51, Camp Seneca – 1933, Co.1537
Watoga State Park
SP-1, Camp Seebert – 1934, Co. 1535
SP-5, Camp Watoga – 1934, co. 1525
SP-7, Camp Will Rogers – 1935, Co. 3537
S-52, Camp Watoga – 1933, Co. 1525
<<More information about CCC projects in WV is in the “West Virginia Historic New Deal / CCC Trail” brochure below>>
(5) “Other Work Programs of the 1930s – 1940s Influencing Development of West Virginia State Parks.”
(from “West Virginia State Parks – Special Places – Past, Present & Future”)
The Works Progress Administration (WPA)
“Located along Route 52, near historic Bramwell in Mercer County, Pinnacle Rock State Park is one of the more interesting day use parks operated by the West Virginia State Park system.”
“Located near the tip of the Northern Panhandle along the Ohio River, Tomlinson Run can claim the title of West Virginia’s ‘top park.’ ”
USDA Farm Security Administration Resettlement Project
“The dense forests of Holly River State Park provide guests with a natural feeling of peaceful solitude.”
(6) “History Rolls Along”
(from “West Virginia State Parks – Special Places – Past, Present & Future”)
Babcock State Park
Berkeley Springs State Park
Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park
Cass Scenic Railroad State Park
