Welcome to West Virginia

Welcome to West Virginia. National Coal Heritage Area. , Welcome centers are a familiar sight for American motorists today, located along major highways and serving as rest areas and sources of local information. But they were not always as common as they are now, and the first visitor information center in West Virginia was located here at East River Mountain., After a visit to New England, Bluefield resident Sallie Thornhill Stone challenged her fellow members in the Little Garden Club to create a welcome center for travelers along US Route 52-21. More than $6,000 was donated by individuals, businesses, civic groups, and the City of Bluefield to construct a pre-fabricated log structure at a scenic location atop East River Mountain., On October 18, 1960, the visitor center welcomed visitors to Bluefield, "Nature's Air Conditioned City." The building displayed West Virginia-made products such as glassware, coal and coal jewelry. Employees made hotel reservations for tourists, distributed local information, and sold film and soft drinks. While this visitor center eventually closed due to the opening of the East River Mountain Tunnel, this center inspired the construction of other new visitors centers throughout West Virginia., (Captions):, Groundbreaking Ceremony celebrating the construction of the visitors center, left., Below, with the help of local fundraising efforts, West Virginia's first visitor center opened on October 18, 1960., Bottom, the visitor center was a popular stopping point for travelers along US Route 52-21., The visitor center sold curios like this owl made of coal, and West Virginia glassware.