On Dixie Highway (West Virginia Route 16) just south of Sangamore Fork Road, on the left when traveling south.
Clay County. Formed in 1858 from Braxton
and Nicholas. Named for the
great Kentuckian, Henry Clay
who was so popular in western
Virginia that in 1820 a monument was erected to him for
his part in bringing the
National Road to Wheeling.
. . . — — Map (db m137998) HM
On Old Turnpike Road (County Route 19/40) at Laurel Run Road, on the right when traveling north on Old Turnpike Road.
Nicholas County. Formed in 1818 from Kanawha, Greenbrier, and Randolph. Named for Wilson C. Nicholas, the governor of Virginia, 1814-1817. In this county in 1861 sharp engagements were fought at Carnifex Ferry and at Kessler's Cross Lanes.
. . . — — Map (db m173356) HM
Off Young's Monument Rd. (.3M) is grave site of Henry & Lucinda Young. A Confed. militiaman or sympathizer, he was killed by Union troops nearby on 8 Sept. 1861. Details of Young's life and death are scant and confused, symbolizing divided . . . — — Map (db m60368) HM
On Strouds Creek (County Road 11) 0.1 miles north of Webster Road (State Route 20), on the left when traveling north.
1831 - Land made available for a Methodist church.
1867 - Building built on this site as Stroud's Creek Methodist Episcopal Church. Later named for Reverend Samuel Black.
1892 - Church building repaired and enlarged. . . . — — Map (db m178866) HM
On Craigsville Road (West Virginia Route 20) 2.2 miles south of West Webster Road in Craigsville (West Virginia Route 55).
Scenic view of Gauley River which rises in Pocahontas County at elevation of 4100 feet and flows southwesterly to join New River, forming Great Kanawha. Cranberry, Cherry, Meadow, Williams Rivers are its tributaries. — — Map (db m179421) HM
On Turnpike Road (West Virginia Route 39) at West Virginia Route 129, on the right when traveling east on Turnpike Road.
At Kessler's Cross Lanes
(5 miles east), Aug. 26, 1861 and
at Carnifex Ferry (7 miles west)
Sept. 10, 186l, battles occurred
between Confederates under
Gen. J. B. Floyd and Union
troops under Col. E. B. Tyler
and Gen. W. S. Rosecrans. — — Map (db m138036) HM
On Carnifex Ferry Crossing (County Route 23) 1 mile south of Summersville Lake Road (West Virginia Route 129), on the right when traveling south.
The Patterson family kept a large cornfield just north of their
house. It was in the cornfield that U.S. Colonel John W. Lowe was
struck and killed by rebel gunfire while shouting his final order
to the men of the 12th Ohio. His death while . . . — — Map (db m164998) HM
On Carnifex Ferry Crossing (County Route 23) 1.1 miles south of Summersville Lake Road, on the left when traveling south.
"We promptly returned the fire, at this time our cannon sent a fearful shot amongst them… Then commenced the fight in earnest. Boom went the cannon of our enemy, the large balls whistling over our heads, our men flat on the ground,… Then came a . . . — — Map (db m165006) HM
On Carnifex Ferry Road (County Route 23) 1.1 miles south of Summersville Lake Road (West Virginia Route 129), on the right when traveling south.
This knoll is believed to be one of the Northern artillery positions. With possibly as many as seven artillery pieces each, the two armies engaged in a fierce bombardment for several hours. The blasts were heard as far away as Summersville. Although . . . — — Map (db m146330) HM
On Carnifex Ferry Crossing Road at County Route 23, on the right when traveling south on Carnifex Ferry Crossing Road.
Used in battle reenactments, these log breastworks stand near the site of the original Confederate entrenchments designated by General Floyd as Camp Gauley. The rebel fortifications consisted of several thousand feet of log breastworks, trenches, . . . — — Map (db m21188) HM
On Carnifex Ferry Crossing Road, 1.3 miles south of State Route 129, on the right when traveling west.
The Civil War battle fought here on September 10, 1861 was named by the Union army after a nearby river ferry. Even though it was over a mile downstream, the ferry was the closest well-known landmark. Constructed by William Carnefix in the early . . . — — Map (db m20845) HM
On Carnifex Ferry Crossing Road, 1.3 miles south of West Virginia Route 129, on the right when traveling west.
Scene of battle, Sept. 10, 1861, between Federal army of Gen. W.S. Rosecrans and Confederate army of Gen. John B. Floyd. Engagement followed defeat of Federals at Cross Lanes, Aug. 26, 1861. State acquired site, Oct. 29, 1935. — — Map (db m169492) HM
On Summersville Lake Road (West Virginia Route 129) at Whitewater Road (County Route 9), on the right when traveling south on Summersville Lake Road.
Site of surprise attack by the Confederates under General John B. Floyd on the early morning of Aug. 26, 1861 against Federal troops of the 7th Ohio Inf., led by Colonel E.B. Tyler. The Federal soldiers were badly defeated and scattered. They lost . . . — — Map (db m76621) HM
On Carnifex Ferry Crossing (County Route 23) 1 mile south of Summersville Lake Road, on the left when traveling south.
Late in the afternoon, as part of an attempt to make a coordinated attack on the Rebel line, several Federal units under the command of Col. William S. Smith were ordered deep into this ravine known as Pierson Hollow. The plan was called off though . . . — — Map (db m169490) HM
On Carnifex Ferry Crossing (County Route 23) 1 mile south of Summersville Lake Road (West Virginia Route 129), on the right when traveling south.
Granville Blevens of Grayson county, Virginia, joined the Confederate Army with his brother, Haywood, and some friends on 5/29/1861 at Wytheville, Virginia. Like many other soldiers, both North and South, Granville died of sickness. He was buried . . . — — Map (db m164999) HM
On West Virginia Route 129 at Whitewater Road (County Route 9), on the left when traveling south on State Route 129.
Keslers Cross Lanes. Here at the crossroads was an area of early settlement and growth. In 1854 Fred Kessler & John Vaughan opened store; Vaughan appointed postmaster. Site of first meeting of Nicholas County Court; significant Civil War . . . — — Map (db m76618) HM
On Summerville Lake Road (State Highway 129) 0.6 miles south of Whitewater Road (County Route 9), on the left when traveling south.
In 1861, both Union and Confederate forces vied for control of Western Virginia. By July, Union Gen. Jacob D. Cox had driven Confederate Gen. Henry A Wise’s army out of the Kanawha Valley and was advancing east on the James River and Kanawha . . . — — Map (db m59197) HM
On Carnifex Ferry Crossing (County Route 23) 1.1 miles south of Summersville Lake Road, on the left when traveling south.
This sunken pathway is a remnant of the old Carnifex Ferry road. The road was an important travel route before the Civil war and into the early 1900's. Under the cover of
darkness, the Confederate army was able to retreat on this narrow trace . . . — — Map (db m165005) HM
Seeking to gain a foothold in Western Virginia from which to conduct military operations, Gen. John B. Floyd, C.S.A. with approx. 1,800 troops established Camp Gauley here on the Patterson Farm about one mile from Carnifex Ferry.
Gen. William . . . — — Map (db m20876) HM
On Carnifex Ferry Crossing (County Route 23), on the left when traveling north.
Most of the lumber used
for the rebuilding of this well
house came from a large
white oak tree that uprooted
during a windstorm in 2000.
The tree grew near the edge of
the woods behind the Patterson
House and was determined to
be . . . — — Map (db m165002) HM
On Summersville Lake Road just west of Carnifex Ferry Crossing Road (County Route 23), on the left when traveling east.
Ramsey’s Fort was a small Union
garrison located on a hill west of
Kessler’s Cross Lanes during the
Civil War that was named for the
commander of the local militia,
Capt. J.R. Ramsey. A large number
of Confederates with Thurmond’s
Partisan . . . — — Map (db m138068) HM
On Summersville Lake Road (West Virginia Route 129) 0.2 miles west of Whitewater Road (Local Route 9), on the right when traveling west.
Organized on April 17, 1824 by twelve
members from the Hopewell Church in
Fayette County at the home of Henry
Morris on Peter’s Creek. The first
building of frame, constructed in
1840, was destroyed by Union soldiers
in 1861. The building was . . . — — Map (db m138064) HM
On West Virginia Route 20, on the right when traveling south.
The village of Leivasy, formerly known as Meadowvale, was established
with post office and general store Oct. 3, 1879. Valentine Leivasy was
the first postmaster and merchant. Surnames of early settlers include
Bennett, Callison, Davis, . . . — — Map (db m165008) HM
On West Virginia Route 20 just south of County Road 13, on the right when traveling north.
On May 6, 1968, the Gauley Coal and Coke Company's Saxsewell No. 8 mine, located along Hominy Creek, flooded when a continuous miner accidentally cut into an abandoned mine full of water. Eli E. Walkup, Renick F. McClung, Claude R. Dodd Jr., and . . . — — Map (db m201018) HM
On Turnpike Road (West Virginia Route 39) east of Euclid Avenue, on the right when traveling east.
Scene of massacre, 1792, of daughters of Henry Morris,
early settler and son of first permanent settler
in Great Kanawha Valley. Graves of Henry Morris
and the Indian victims may be seen from the road. — — Map (db m165010) HM
On Old U.S. 19 just east of U.S. 19, on the left when traveling south.
Site of first ferry in Nicholas County to
cross Gauley River nearby. Owned
first by William McClung; lost in court
case to Ed Hughes. Family operated
until 1903, when county built bridge
for $7,200. Vital transportation link
for settlers and . . . — — Map (db m138101) HM
On Mountaineer Expressway (U.S. 19) near Whippoorwill Road, on the right when traveling south.
While digging Hawks Nest Tunnel in early 1930's, hundreds of the mostly black, migrant workforce contracted acute silicosis from silica dust and later died. Many were buried in secret, unmarked graves to the north. In 1971, the bodies were reburied . . . — — Map (db m78389) HM
On Hilltop Drive, 0.1 miles west of Mountaineer Expressway (U.S. 19), on the right when traveling north.
This Memorial honors an estimated 764 tunnel workers who died from mining a 3.8 mile tunnel through Gauley Mountain to divert water from the New River to a hydroelectric plant near Gauley Bridge in 1930-31. The tunnel cut through almost pure silica . . . — — Map (db m78390) HM
On Summersville Lake Road (West Virginia Route 129) 2.6 miles east of Turnpike Road (West Virginia Route 39), on the left when traveling east.
Oldest church in Nicholas County. Founded
by Backus, Walker, Johnson, Linager,
Brown, Nutter, dorsey, Simms, Gross
& Hamrick families. Served by circuit
rider meeting in homes until log church
built, 1810. Blacks attended; services
alternated . . . — — Map (db m138060) HM
On West Virginia 41, on the right when traveling north.
World War I
Samuel W. Britton •
Andy S. Brown •
Clay Roy Brown •
A. Jackson Chapman •
James Crabtree •
Otha Everett Creasy •
Ezra E Cruse •
James Cicurry •
Elliot A. Donelson •
George Douglas •
Paul Dupuy •
Joe Hamilton • . . . — — Map (db m203934) WM
Born: August 27, 1972
End of Watch: September 11, 2000
Of the Nicholas County Sheriff's Department, whose life was given in the service of his community, county, and state. His sacrifice was made to ensure that we could live our lives in . . . — — Map (db m143113)
On Main Street (West Virginia Route 41), on the right when traveling east.
In memory of the Morris Children Betsy 14 Peggy 12 Daughters of Henry Morris
Killed on Peters Creek May 1792 last victims of Indian treachery in W.Va.
Erected 1916 by the efforts of Geo. H. Alderson in his 72nd. year.
Dedicated to the . . . — — Map (db m203940) HM
On Main Street (West Virginia Route 41) at Church Street, on the right when traveling east on Main Street.
Nancy Hart, noted, beautiful Confederate spy, was seized July, 1862, leading attack in which most of Summersville was burned. She killed her guard with his pistol and escaped. She was buried on Manning Knob. — — Map (db m78393) HM
On Main Street (West Virginia Route 41), on the right when traveling east.
This Property Has Been
Placed On The
National Register
Of Historic Places
By The United States
Department Of The Interior
Nicholas County Courthouse
1898 — — Map (db m203937) HM
On Arbuckle Road (West Virginia Route 39) 0.1 miles west of U.S. 19, on the right when traveling east.
In the early morning of July 25, 1862, Confederate cavalry under Maj. Robert Bailey, accompanied by noted spy Nancy Hart, attacked two companies of the 9th WV Infantry stationed at Summersville. Catching the Federals by surprise. Bailey's men met . . . — — Map (db m173148) HM
On Main Street (West Virginia Route 41), on the right when traveling north.
Summersville was established in 1820 and made the county seat. Nicholas County, which was settled about 1785, was crossed by the Pocahontas Trail which led from the Greenbrier Valley to the valley of the Great Kanawha. — — Map (db m78392) HM
On Summersville Lake Road (West Virginia Route 129) 0.3 miles west of Reservoir Street, on the right when traveling west.
Summersville Reservoir
Constructed
Under the Supervision
of the
United States Army
Corps of Engineers
Huntington District
1960 - 1966
District Engineer: Col. S. Malevich 1959-1962
District Engineer: Col. H. W. . . . — — Map (db m165258) HM
The George C. Bell Post No. 6106
Veterans of Foreign Wars of
Summersville, West Virginia
Dedicate this memorial to the veterans of all
wars who have served their country on foreign soil.
May 30, 1962
Charler N. Adkins, Commander • . . . — — Map (db m203938) WM
On Summersville Lake Road (West Virginia Route 129) 2.6 miles west of U.S. 19, on the right when traveling east.
As the primary purpose of the Summersville Lake
Project is flood control, the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers continuously monitors rainfall and stream
flow conditions. To prevent downstream flooding, the
USACE monitors stream gauges in both . . . — — Map (db m138072) HM
On Summersville Lake Road (West Virginia Route 129) 2.6 miles west of U.S. 19, on the right when traveling east.
1) Only a relatively small force is required to move the valve.
2) Excellent flow regulation over a wide range of discharges can easily be obtained.
3) Ability to oxygenate water, benefiting downstream ecosystems.
At the time of . . . — — Map (db m138069) HM
On Main Street (State Highway 41) at Church Street on Main Street.
The story of Nancy Hart is a blur of fact and legend. Born in Virginia in 1843, she settled with her family first in southwestern Virginia and then in Roane County by the mid-1850s. There, she grew to young adulthood and learned to ride and shoot as . . . — — Map (db m124928) HM
On Turnpike Road (West Virginia Route 39) at Country Road (Route 19/28), on the left when traveling east on Turnpike Road.
Here on Peter’s Creek, mouth
of Whitewater, was a log school
with greased paper windows
dirt floor and split log seats
for Nicholas County students from Bucks Garden to Meadows (Keslers Cross Lanes). Opened 1809, teacher Joseph Pierson. — — Map (db m138039) HM
