Summers County

Summers County. . On February 27, 1871, Summers County was formed from parts of Fayette, Greenbrier, Mercer, and Monroe counties. Summers County was named for George W. Summers, a prominent jurist and legislator from Virginia then West Virginia. Summers County was primarily agricultural and timber until the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad mainline was built in the early 1870's. The railroad became a major industry in Summers County with a division headquarters in Hinton. Today, the county is rich in history, culture, and outdoor recreation. , , Landmarks , , Graham House , Between 1770 and 1772, Colonel James Graham guilt a two-story house along the northward bank of the Greenbrier River in Lowell. The Graham House is the first permanent settlement in the region and is notably large compared to other log cabins of the period as it had been designed to serve as a fortress. At the time of their settlement, the region was subject to frequent attacks by Native Americans. In 1777, a band of Shawnee attacked and killed Graham's 10-year-old son, a visiting neighbor, and a young slave boy, and captured Graham's daughter Elizabeth, whom Graham ransomed in 1785. , The Graham House is believed to be the oldest two story log home in West Virginia still on its original foundation. The Graham House is located at Lowell, 13 miles east of Hinton. , , The Legend of John Henry , John Henry, a former slave, worked as a steel-driver for the C&O Railroad after the Civil War. He is the legendary "Steel Driving Man" and African-American folk hero and tall tale who defeated the the steam drill during construction of the Great Bend Tunnel. As the story goes, John Henry was the strongest, fastest, and most powerful man working on the rails. He used a 14-pound hammer to drill; some historians believe, 10 to 20 feet in a 12-hour day--the best of any man of the rails. , One day, a salesman came to camp, boasting that his stem-powered machine could out drill any man. A race was set: man against machine. John Henry won, the legend says, driving fourteen feet to the drill's nine. He died shortly after, some say from exhaustion, some say from a stroke. , Construction on the Great Bend Tunnel began in 1870 and was completed on September 12, 1872. The Great Bend Tunnel is 6,500 feet long (1.2 miles), 17 feet high, and 13 feet wide bored through shale and bedrock. Originally opened with bare rock, brickwork began in 1878 and completed 10 years later using over 6 million bricks. , A statue of John Henry is placed near the entrance of the Great Bend Tunnel in the John Henry Historical Park. The John Henry statue and Historical Park is located in Talcott 11 miles east of Hinton. , , Summers Memorial Building , The Summers County Memorial Building is a modified Greek revival style of architecture constructed as part of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects in 1938. A portion of the lower level of the Memorial Building houses Summers County's Enhanced 9-1-1 and Emergency Operations Center. , The Summers County Memorial Building provides our residents a place to come together, a venue to enjoy music and the performing arts, educational services that improve our community, workforce, and economy while honoring those who gave their lives defending America and serving our community. , , Bluestone Dam , Construction of the Bluestone Dam and Lake Project began in 1942 and was suspended in 1943 because of World War II. Word resumed in January 1946, and the dam was completed for operational purposes in January 1949, and totally completed in 1952. Bluestone Dam spans the New River at Hinton, West Virginia forming the Bluestone Lake, the third largest lake in West Virginia. At summer pool, Bluestone Lake covers 2,040 acres and is 10.7 miles long. Bluestone Dam is a concrete gravity dam, 165 feet high and 2,048 feet long. The dam was constructed as part of the Kahawha River Basin flood control system primarily to reduce major flood damages along the New, Kanawha, Ohio, and Mississippi Rivers. Bluestone Dam has prevented over 2.1 billion dollars worth of flood damage from occurring as of January 1, 2015. Ongoing construction at Bluestone Dam is designed to increase the capability of the dam to retain higher levels of water as part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Dam Safety Assurance Program. Bluestone Dam is located at Bellepoint three miles south of Hinton. For Bluestone Lake access, use WV-20, 7.5 miles from Hinton. , , Sandstone Falls , Sandstone Falls, also known as the "Great Falls of the New River," is the largest waterfall on the New River. This magnificent cascade flows over a 1,500 feet wide sandstone layer and falls 10 to 25 feet. The edge of this sandstone layer creates the falls and is exposed among the islands and shoals above and below. The ecology system of the Sandstone Falls Natural Area is classed as that of an Appalachian Flatrock Ecosystem. Sandstone Falls is located on New River 10.5 north of Hinton.