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Near Ansted in Fayette County, West Virginia — The American South (Appalachia)
 

Hawk’s Nest

 
 
Hawk’s Nest Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, August 11, 2010
1. Hawk’s Nest Marker
Inscription.
Once called Marshall’s Pillar for Chief Justice John Marshall, who came here, 1812. U.S. engineers declare the New River Canyon, 585 feet deep, surpasses the famed Royal Gorge. Tunnel for river makes vast water power here.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Natural Features. In addition, it is included in the West Virginia Archives and History series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1812.
 
Location. 38° 7.376′ N, 81° 7.668′ W. Marker is near Ansted, West Virginia, in Fayette County. Marker is on U.S. 60, 1.7 miles west of Fox Avenue, on the right when traveling east. It it at the Hawk’s Nest State Park overlook parking area. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Ansted WV 25812, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Hawk's Nest Tunnel Disaster (within shouting distance of this marker); Hawk’s Nest Tunnel (within shouting distance of this marker); Salt Sand (approx. half a mile away); "Contentment" (approx. 1.2 miles away); a different marker also named Contentment
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(approx. 1.2 miles away); New Haven Veterans' Memorial (approx. 1.8 miles away); Jackson's Mother (approx. 1.8 miles away); Hawks Nest Strike (approx. 1.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ansted.
 
More about this marker. This marker was erected before 1937.
 
Regarding Hawk’s Nest. Hawk’s Nest, the site of Hawks Nest State Park, is a peak on Gauley Mountain in Ansted, West Virginia, USA. The cliffs at this point rise 585 feet (178 m) above the New River [which itself is about 1900 feet above sea level]. Located on the James River and Kanawha Turnpike (the road that served as an extension of the canal across what is now West Virginia), many early travelers on this road stopped to see the view of the river below. In modern times, the Midland Trail carries U.S. Highway 60 through the same general route. Ample parking at the overlook in the state park provides tourists with free access to the views.

The
Midland Trail US Rt 60 (facing east) image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, August 11, 2010
2. Midland Trail US Rt 60 (facing east)
name Hawk’s Nest derived from the many fish hawks [also known as ospreys] which inhabited the massive cliffs at this point. When the railroad began blasting in the area between 1869 and 1873, the hawks left the site and never returned. The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was completed through the area on January 29, 1873, and a ceremony was held at Hawk’s Nest Station. —excerpted from Wikipedia entry.
 
Also see . . .  Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad Hawks Nest Subdivision. Abandoned website entry (Submitted on September 26, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.) 
 
Hawk’s Nest Marker image. Click for full size.
J. J. Prats Postcard Collection - Photo Card Unattributed
3. Hawk’s Nest Marker
Midland Trail US Rt 60 (facing west) image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, August 11, 2010
4. Midland Trail US Rt 60 (facing west)
Hawk’s Nest Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By George Russell Hale, circa 1950
5. Hawk’s Nest Marker
George Ronald Hale with the Hawk's Nest Marker, ca. 1950.
New River (looking upriver) image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, August 11, 2010
6. New River (looking upriver)
New River (looking downriver) image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Bernard Fisher, August 11, 2010
7. New River (looking downriver)
Hawk’s Nest Overlook (Looking Upriver) image. Click for full size.
Photographed By J. J. Prats, December 1, 2019
8. Hawk’s Nest Overlook (Looking Upriver)
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on June 22, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 9, 2009, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 2,328 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on August 14, 2010, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.   3. submitted on July 9, 2009, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.   4. submitted on August 14, 2010, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.   5. submitted on June 20, 2023, by Angel Langston of Atlanta, Georgia.   6, 7. submitted on August 14, 2010, by Bernard Fisher of Richmond, Virginia.   8. submitted on December 4, 2019, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.
 
Editor’s want-list for this marker. Photo of the brass plaque at the overlook, perhaps on its own page if it qualifies as a historical marker • Can you help?

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Mar. 29, 2024