Built, 1830, on the old James River and Kanawha Turnpike. Restored antebellum home of Colonel George W. Imboden, on General Lee's staff, C.S.A. Property and headquarters of the Fayette County Historical Society, organized in 1926. — — Map (db m50392) HM
Regular stop on the James River and Kanawha Turnpike. The original building, dating from before the Revolution, was rebuilt by William Tyree, 1810. During the winter of 1861-62, it was headquarters for Chicago Gray Dragoons. — — Map (db m252549) HM
After the Civil War, George W. Imboden lived here with his wife, Mary Tyree, the daughter of William Tyree of Tyree Tavern. When the war began, Imboden enlisted in the Staunton Artillery in Augusta County, Virginia, where he then resided. He . . . — — Map (db m34371) HM
The Birdman of West Virginia
When thinking of the early aviation history of the United States, many times we think of Dayton or Kitty Hawk. However, the town of Ansted also holds a very special place in the story, as it was the birthplace of . . . — — Map (db m173335) HM
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. — — Map (db m20675) HM
Mouth of the great Hawk's Nest Tunnel, three miles long, which diverts water of New River from its five-mile long gorge. The tunnel, a mile of which is through solid rock, and a 50-foot dam give waterfall of 160 feet for electric power. — — Map (db m34421) HM
Like many other areas of West Virginia, coal mining has played an important role in the history of Ansted and the surrounding area. Soon after the 1873 completion of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, coal mines began springing up in the New River . . . — — Map (db m173339) HM
In 1930 the Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation was in the process of building its new electrometallurgical plant in nearby Boncar (later known as Alloy). It was decided a hydroelectric power station would be constructed near Gauley Bridge with a . . . — — Map (db m173337) HM
Construction of nearby tunnel, diverting waters of New R. through Gauley Mt. for hydroelectric power, resulted in state’s worst industrial disaster. Silica rock dust caused 109 admitted deaths in mostly black, migrant underground work force of . . . — — Map (db m34417) HM
Eight panels mounted to the inside of the town gazebo depict some historical and notable features of the town.
Panel 1 - Town of Ansted
The town of Ansted, West Virginia chartered in 1891, was created because of coal. The town's . . . — — Map (db m173340) HM
In Westlake Cemetery is the grave of the mother of General Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson. The monument at the grave was placed by Captain Thomas Ranson, who had fought in Jackson's old brigade in the War between the States. — — Map (db m34376) HM
The sheer cliffs of Nuttall sandstones forming the walls of the New River Gorge are the "Salt Sands" of the driller. These sands produce oil and natural gas in West Virginia and commercial brines on the Kanawha and Ohio Rivers.
Sponsored . . . — — Map (db m34420) HM
First mentioned by Captain Thomas Battes as he and others surveyed the area in 1671, the first settlers in what is now Ansted can be traced to 1790 when the families of James Lykens, James Taylor, Bailey Wood, and William Parrish arrived. The . . . — — Map (db m252552) HM
During his and Gen. Henry Alexander Wise’s unsuccessful Kanawha Valley campaign, Confederate Gen. John B. Floyd made his headquarters here, August 17-18, 1861, while Wise camped on the top of Big Sewell Mountain. In 1862, according to an inscription . . . — — Map (db m59937) HM
This is one of the earliest identified cemeteries west of the Allegheny Mountains. William Tyree, owner of nearby Tyree Tavern, and Confederate Col. George W. Imboden, brother of Gen. John D. Imboden, are buried here. The cemetery is best known, . . . — — Map (db m253567) HM
William Nelson Page became one of the leading managers and developers of West Virginia's coalfields in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with much of his time being spent here in Ansted. While president of the Gauley Mountain Coal Company, . . . — — Map (db m173338) HM
Nearby is grave of Seaberry Osborne (circa, 1815-66), daughter of Chief Running Bear. She married Solomon Osborne in Cherokee, N.C. and in 1838 fled to escape “Trail of Tears.” The Native American pioneers found sanctuary in the mountains and land . . . — — Map (db m138009) HM
On a ridge between Armstrong and Loop creeks across the river are extensive prehistoric stone ruins whose walls are several miles long, and enclose a large area. Many of these stones are from the valley below the old wall. — — Map (db m20820) HM
On July 26, 1942 the first African American 4-H camp in the United States was opened here in Fayette County. A 1929 report showed that 44 of the state’s 55 counties had 4-H camps for white children, hut none for black children. Fleming Adolphus . . . — — Map (db m138104) HM
Camp named for Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) and George Washington Carver (1864-1943). Land deeded for sum of $5.00 by Charles and Kathryn Midelburg. Constructed 1939-1942 by local WPA labor with materials found on site including stone and native . . . — — Map (db m138103) HM
Plaque One
Abraham Vandal
1758-1848
* Born in Dutchess, NY
* Soldier in the American Revolutionary War 1776-1781
* Married Mary Dillon 1780
* Father of Eight Children
* Early Fayetteville Settler
* In 1812 Abraham . . . — — Map (db m55816) HM
This torch has been erected
by
American Legion Post 149
Fayetteville. West Virginia
as a tribute to
the veterans of all wars who
by their patriotism and loyalty
served God and Country — — Map (db m203948) WM
During the Civil War, Fort Scammon stood in front of you on the hill behind the courthouse. There, on September 10, 1862, Union Col. Edward Siber and the 1,500 men of his 37th Ohio Infantry defended Fayetteville against Confederate Gen. William . . . — — Map (db m59214) HM
Battle of Fayetteville (1862)
On September 10, 1862, soldiers under the command of Confederate Gen. W.W. Loring attacked Union forces in Fayetteville under Col. Edward Siber, driving them out of the town towards Charleston, where fighting . . . — — Map (db m120516) HM
In early September 1862, Union Col. Edward Siber and about 1,500 men of the 34th and 37th Ohio Infantries garrisoned Fort Scammon, built on the hill behind the courthouse in front of you. From there, Siber prepared to defend Fayetteville as . . . — — Map (db m262680) HM
Early travelers here found a natural forest with huge trees that covered the landscape. The industrial coal and railroad boom that changed the gorge began in the 1870s and the area's big trees provided lumber during those prosperous times. This . . . — — Map (db m292754) HM
You are in the New River watershed, a place where streams and rainfall drain to a common outlet. Here that outlet is the New River. This 320 mile river is the main stem of a 7,000 square mile watershed that starts in the western mountains of North . . . — — Map (db m179414) HM
At the top of the hill here a community came together to help Jewish soldiers
keep their faith in the midst of war. In early April 1862, Pvt. Joseph A. Joel
and 20 other Jewish soldiers in the 23rd Ohio Infantry asked Col.
Rutherford B. Hayes, . . . — — Map (db m297181) HM
(Side A)
I have taken an oath
To serve and protect my fellow man
Guide me safely in my duties
To do the very best I can
Give me the ability
To stop those things that are wrong
To bring comfort and safety by restoring it to . . . — — Map (db m262710)
In the attack on Federal forces here, 1863. Milton W. Humphreys, the educator and soldier, gunner of Bryan's Battery, 13th Virginia Light Artillery, C.S.A., first used “indirect firing,” now in universal military use. — — Map (db m55815) HM
Left Marker
Fayetteville Town Park
Memorial Park was presented to citizens of Fayetteville to honor all veterans who served to defend their country. LaFayette Post No. 149, The American Legion, obtained lease for this property on August . . . — — Map (db m161226) WM
Memorial Park was presented to citizens of Fayetteville to honor all veterans who served to defend their country. LaFayette Post No. 149, The American Legion, obtained lease for this property on August 4, 1958 from the New River Pocahontas Coal Co. . . . — — Map (db m76724) HM WM
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve runs through the western edge of the central Appalachian Mountains, an area changed over time be natural growth, disease, insect invaders, weather, fire, and human activities. One species, the American . . . — — Map (db m292755) HM
The same geological process that produced the region's coal seams
also resulted in a layer of sandstone perfect for rock climbing
This layer, called Nuttall Sandstone, has its origins in the ancient
formation of the Appalachian Mountains. As . . . — — Map (db m165212) HM
Mining towns sprang up along the
banks of the New River when, in 1873,
the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway created
a pathway for transportation through the
region. Thurmond, Kaymoor, Nuttallburg,
Fayette, and other communities formed due
to the . . . — — Map (db m165210) HM
Nearby on May 19-20, 1863, Corp. Milton W. Humphreys, gunner in Bryan's Battery, 13th Virginia Light Artillery, C.S.A., made first use of indirect artillery fire in warfare. Target was Union fort in Fayetteville. — — Map (db m217549) HM
Presented to
Lafayette Post 149 American Legion
by
Scotia Coal & Coke Company
in recognition
of the services rendered by
our employees who
served in World War II — — Map (db m203953) WM
Front Plaque
French Statesman
Friend of the American Revolution
“...The new County so to be formed be called Lafayette or Fayette County to perpetuate a remembrance of his virtues and philanthropy through future ages of our . . . — — Map (db m55817) HM
Morris Harvey House
has been placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
1902 — — Map (db m204329) HM
The gorge, like all
environments, is continually
changing. Change peaked in
the late 1800s when logging,
mining, and the railroad
converged to play a vital role
in the industrialization of the
United States. By the 1960s,
industrial . . . — — Map (db m165213) HM
New River Gorge Bridge
has been placed on the
National Register of
Historic Places
August 14, 2013
by the United States Department of the Interior — — Map (db m165219) HM
With the opening of the iconic New River Gorge Bridge on October 22, 1977, the challenge of getting
across the 876 foot deep gorge was solved. The bridge dramatically decreased travel time. A 45 minute
winding drive down and back up suddenly . . . — — Map (db m165211) HM
The primary goal of most coal mining companies in New River Gorge was to maximize profits and decrease costs. It was common for coal companies to put physical and social needs of their workers and families last. Safety, health, social service and . . . — — Map (db m179418) HM
John Townsend bought a large tract of land here in 1841, an area that became Lansing, Ames Heights and Canyon Rim Park. Operated a ferry that provided commercial transport across the river at site of present bridge until the civil war. Grandson . . . — — Map (db m78288) HM
Masonic group owned property in 1854. Baptists worshipped here prior to Civil War, but building destroyed during the conflict. Contains 29 marked graves, including town's early settlers and soldiers of the Civil War. A number of graves are marked . . . — — Map (db m76708) HM
Imagine shoveling coal all day while balanced on your knees! In the coal mines of the gorge, the height of the mines corresponded to the height of the coal seam, in some cases just three feet tall. To loosen the coal, explosives were set of at the . . . — — Map (db m179416) HM
When the war began, most residents of this part of present-day West Virginia were Confederate in their sympathies. Both Confederate and Union forces considered the wooden covered bridge here strategically important because the James River and . . . — — Map (db m34373) HM
Christopher Q. Tompkins
Born 1813 in Matthews County, VA.
Tompkins was an 1836 graduate of
West Point. A prominent industrial
businessman in the Kanawha Valley
before the Civil War, from May to
November 1861 he was colonel of
the . . . — — Map (db m138027) HM
Here New and Gauley rivers unite to form Great Kanawha River. Piers still stand of old bridge destroyed by the Confederate troops in 1861. Here Thomas Dunn English, author of the ballad, "Ben Bolt," wrote "Gauley River". — — Map (db m20818) HM
Smoke filled the sky over Gauley Bridge on July 26, 1861, as Confederate Gen. Henry B. Wise's soldiers torched the Kanawha River bridge that stood on the piers directly in front of you. That destruction, however, did not prevent Union Gen. Jacob . . . — — Map (db m242422) HM
Today we stand on a silent battlefield. The smoke of guns long since cooled hangs densely about our feet. Thousands of white crosses honor the noble dead. The wars are over. And the empty echoes of yesterday’s cannons ring dimly in our ears.
. . . — — Map (db m138034) WM
This monument erected in honor of the brave and courageous men and women who have served our country, in time of war and peace, thus helping to preserve freedom for this community, state and great nation of the United States of America and . . . — — Map (db m242420) WM
Located across Kanawha River from this point was Civil War camp for Union Army, 1862-64. Site had 56 cabins and parade grounds for 23rd Ohio Vol. Inf. commanded by Col. Rutherford B. Hayes and Lt. William McKinley, future United States presidents. — — Map (db m50397) HM
From 1909 to 1939, the Bank of Glen Jean provided financial power for the mines, towns, and people along Dunloup
Creek, shaping the lives of many in the New River coal fields. William McKell served as president for the bank's entire
existence . . . — — Map (db m165214) HM
The town of Glen Jean-and a small empire-began as a wedding gift. In 1870, Thomas McKell of Ohio received about 12,500 acres of
West Virginia land from his father-in-law. After geologists confirmed the presence of coal, McKell purchased another . . . — — Map (db m165216) HM
Directly across the street stood the Glen Jean Athletic Club. Alongside it was the ball bark. These, along with tennis and croquet courts, made Glen Jean a center for indoor and outdoor sports.
In New River’s coal towns, baseball was a major . . . — — Map (db m99966) HM
In New River coal towns, baseball was a major part of social life. Fierce competition sometimes prompted coal companies
to hire workers, or pay them more, based upon athletic ability. Glen Jean teams played against other company town teams . . . — — Map (db m167363) HM
The nearby highway is part of route traversing W. Va. from Lewisburg to Point Pleasant memorialized by the state to commemorate the march of the American Colonial army of 1,200 men led by Andrew & Charles Lewis. After a month's march this army . . . — — Map (db m33809) HM
This tight workspace (bench) was carved out of the mountainside to support the movement of mined coal. From 1899 to 1962, thousands of miners and over 16 millions tons of coal passed through these drift mine openings along this edge. With space at a . . . — — Map (db m242497) HM
Driving on Fayette Station Road is like traveling back in time. This one hundred year- old road of hairpin turns was the only way to cross the New River in this area before the New River Gorge Bridge was built in 1977.
New River Gorge National . . . — — Map (db m242425) HM
Kaymoor One Mining Complex (1899 - 1962) stretched the height of the gorge, one of over 80 industrial towns in the gorge during the early 1900s. Big mines like Kaymoor fueled the nation's demand for coal and its byproduct coke, a more efficient . . . — — Map (db m242502) HM
Kaymoor's headhouse stood directly in front of you. This structure was used to start the movement of coal from the mine to the market. A loaded coal car was weighed in the headhouse at the top. Its contents were then dumped into a storage bin in . . . — — Map (db m242501) HM
Remnants of Kaymoor's transportation system, the mountain haulage, are visible beneath this boardwalk. Nearly one mile of cable was used to raise and lower the car that was loaded with supplies or people. By early accounts, the scariest part of . . . — — Map (db m242503) HM
Welcome to Kaymoor Bottom! The structures around you are all that remain of Kaymoor One's coal processing plant (metal remains) and power station (stone/brick walls). The coke ovens and former town are upstream to the right of the boardwalk, running . . . — — Map (db m242504) HM
Kaymoor was one of the largest coal mine complexes in the New River Gorge.
You are at Kaymoor One. Here workers mined over 16 million tons of coal and
processed one million tons of coke between 1899 and 1962.
Kaymoor was a company town, built . . . — — Map (db m165222) HM
Kaymoor was one of the largest coal mine complexes in the New River Gorge. You are two miles from Kaymoor One. Here workers mined over 16 million tons of coal and processed one million tons of coke between 1899 and 1962.
Kaymoor was a company . . . — — Map (db m242426) HM
Getting around at Kaymoor was a challenge. Workers and their families either lived at Kaymoor Top, where you are standing now, or 900 feet
below at Kaymoor Bottom. Company employees either worked in the middle of the gorge (bench) where the coal . . . — — Map (db m165221) HM
Bats play a critical role in the health of ecosystems and human economies worldwide. Globally, bats provide pollination, seed dispersal, and control insect populations. The 10 subterranean bat species of the New River Gorge are insectivores. Many . . . — — Map (db m242499) HM
These stone and brick walls are remains of the fan house used to ventilate Kaymoor One Mine from 1919 to 1928. The confined spaces inside mines required extra ventilation to avoid the buildup of explosive gases and dust. Large fans moved air through . . . — — Map (db m242498) HM
On opposite sides of the New River, the twin mining towns of Fayette and South Fayette were established along the tracks of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway. The company town of Fayette provided miners with housing, a company store, a school, post . . . — — Map (db m179372) HM
The original Fayette Station Bridge built in 1889 provided a much needed way to reach the other side of the gorge. No longer did people have to take a dangerous and time-consuming ferry to get across the river.
The bridge you are standing on . . . — — Map (db m179369) HM
The New River has been both an obstacle to travel and an avenue for transportation.
Declared “too wild” for commercial navigation by early explorers, New River Gorge later became a major corridor for east/west travel after completion of the . . . — — Map (db m287586) HM
Welcome to New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, a place where bridges link landscapes, rivers connect watersheds, past meets present, and recreation unites people with land and water. This 53 mile stretch of the New River became part of . . . — — Map (db m287584) HM
In the early 1900s, over 80 coal mines and towns lined this gorge and were connected by the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) Railway. Freight trains ran every 15 minutes and a dozen passenger trains ran daily during those busy times. The area's industrial . . . — — Map (db m243360) HM
New River coal, the natural resource that created the gorge's boom and bust economy, is the product of a geologic process millions of years in the making.
300 million years ago, the landscape here was a tropical swamp covered with vegetation. . . . — — Map (db m242423) HM
Nine hundred feet below, New River flows north. North? Odd in the American east where rivers don’t flow north. Oddities seem common at New River.
The river’s name and age are both unusual. No one knows the name’s origin: some say explorers found . . . — — Map (db m99982) HM
You may find it hard to believe that the New River Gorge was once teeming with activity. Coal mining dominated the economy and social structure of the state of West Virginia between 1875 and 1950. During this time over forty coal mining towns were . . . — — Map (db m165274) HM
In the early 1900’s, mines and mining towns lined New River Gorge. One such town, Kaymoor, stood in the distance where the river disappears from view. Kaymoor typified New River’s mining era.
For years New River Gorge’s rugged remoteness defied . . . — — Map (db m99988) HM
Completed in 1977, New River Bridge is the world’s longest single-arch steel span bridge. At 876 feet above the river it is American’s 2nd-highest bridge.
Features to Notice Color. The steel used here, Cor-ten steel, rusts slightly on the . . . — — Map (db m99996) HM
When the New River Gorge Bridge
was completed on October 22, 1977,
a travel challenge was solved. The
bridge reduced a 45-minute drive
down narrow mountain roads and
across one of North America's
oldest rivers to less than a minute
drive. . . . — — Map (db m165220) HM
When the New River Gorge Bridge
was completed on October 22, 1977,
a travel challenge was solved. The
bridge reduced a 45-minute drive
down narrow mountain roads and
across one of North America's
oldest rivers to less than a minute
drive. . . . — — Map (db m223789) HM
Notice the tree-covered slopes of the Gorge—they are not as they appear.
From here the solid forest cover from riverbottom to ridgetop all looks pretty much the same, but, a close look reveals great differences. The forest varies with slope, . . . — — Map (db m99980) HM
This walkway leads to views of the New River Bridge. An easily-accessible upper overlook provides a scenic view framed by trees. From there the walkway descends 200 feet down a steep stairway to a broad view of the bridge, gorge, and New River 600 . . . — — Map (db m99993) HM
What is so special here? Why did the United States Congress in 1978 add New River Gorge to America’s system of National Parks? Because at New River Gorge National River there is:
(Inscriptions under the images-left to right, top to bottom) *An . . . — — Map (db m99975) HM
Site of largest mine disaster in Fayette County history. On 2 March 1915, coal dust in Layland #3 ignited, killing 112 men; 42 of 53 survivors were rescued 6 March, one mile inside 10th left section behind barricade they built. — — Map (db m140484) HM
Sandstone formation at 2510 feet is landmark known for view of Sewell Mt. range to SE. Known as "Rock of Eyes" by Native Americans and dubbed "Spy Rock" by Civil War soldiers. Sept. 1861, Gen. J.D. Cox and 5,000 Union soldiers camped here to oppose . . . — — Map (db m34430) HM
Born in slavery in Monroe Co., Sept. 7, 1848, he worked as servant in the Confederate army. Served as teacher and ordained Baptist minister; estab. West Virginia Enterprise, Pioneer, & Mountain Eagle papers; later a lawyer. First . . . — — Map (db m252544) HM
Fayette County
Formed in 1831 from Nicholas, Greenbrier, Kanawha, Logan. Named for General Lafayette. On New River, 1671, Batts and Fallam officially claimed Mississippi Valley for Great Britain in opposition to the claim of France. . . . — — Map (db m76931) HM
Settled before the Revolution by Levi Morris, whose father, William Morris, made the first permanent settlement in the Great Kanawha Valley. Named Coal Valley in 1879. Renamed when incorporated in 1891 for James C. Montgomery. — — Map (db m138010) HM
Settled before the Revolution by Levi Morris, whose father, William Morris, made the first permanent settlement in the Great Kanawha Valley. Named Coal Valley in 1879. Renamed when incorporated in 1891 for James C. Montgomery. — — Map (db m138013) HM
State institution established in 1895 as Preparatory Branch of West Virginia University. In 1931, name was changed to New River State College. Became a multipurpose college in 1941, known as West Virginia Institute of Technology. — — Map (db m76933) HM
With railroads came thousands of workers looking to make a new life in the coalfields. In the late 1800’s and well into the mid-1900’s, many Appalachian miners lived in company towns called “Coal Camps”.
Mine operators built . . . — — Map (db m34443) HM
1913-Union organizer Mary "Mother" Jones imprisoned in Pratt.
1913-Approximate location of the striking miners tent colony that was fired on by mine guards wielding a machine gun mounted on the "Bull Moose" special train
1919-7 miners are . . . — — Map (db m34438) HM
Soon after settlers arrived in Paint Creek, the landscape and population changed forever with the discovery of coal. Within just a few years, mines began operating at Paint Creek under the ownership of New York businessman William Henry Greene. . . . — — Map (db m34436) HM
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