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Back of fire warning sign. Note the beginning of message lettering

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The fire warning sign was chiseled into a block of sandstone in 1938. It measures eight feet tall by six feet wide. The message delivered by the sign aligns well with the CCCs mission of preserving natural beauty for future generations and encouraging responsible stewardship. Curiously, it appears that the creator(s) made a mistake while making the sign, as the backside also displays the start of the message found on the front. Other than erosion from natural forces, the sign remains exactly as it was when it was first created.

Fire Warning Sign

This tour covers every building constructed for Coopers Rock State Forest by the Civilian Conservation Corps camp of Camp Rhododendron. The best way to experience the tour is to park in the main Coopers Rock parking lot and visit stops 1-10 before using Rattlesnake Trail to visit stop 11. Rock City Trail meets stop 12 at Eagle Trail, which leads back to the parking area. The complete tour covers approximately a mile and a half. Be sure to also consult Clio for information and directions to the former Superintendent's home.

Approximately 250 million years ago, sandstone deposits were thrust upward forming the sandstone cliffs now known as Coopers Rock. The erosion resistant sandstone weathered the flow of the Cheat River while it cut through softer rocks, leading to the deep gorge in front of the cliffs. By the 1700s, the unparalleled views of the area these cliffs offered were known to local settlers – and to George Washington, who surveyed the Cheat River area. During the 1800s, people began referring to the formations as Coopers Rock. The name purportedly comes from the profession of a fugitive who hid near what is now the main overlook. The fugitive was a cooper – someone who makes barrels by trade. The fugitive continued to make barrels from their forest hideout and sold them to the burgeoning iron industry that was appearing in the area. Remnants of the iron industry appear throughout the park, most famously at the Henry Clay Iron Furnace.As far back as the 1800s, Coopers Rock served as a sort of local tourist attraction. Morgantown residents frequently chose to travel to Coopers Rock as an adventurous activity. This entailed a seven-mile ride on horseback from Morgantown to Ice’s Ferry – near where the I-68 bridge spans Cheat Lake now. After crossing the water, the horses would have been left at the edge of the lake while adventurers began their climb past the Henry Clay Iron Furnace and eventually up to the cliffs. Once at the base of the cliffs it would have been necessary to scale them by hand. Despite the grueling journey to Coopers Rock from Morgantown, it would be a mistake to think that the area was sparsely inhabited. In fact, the Cheat Mountains were heavily populated by iron workers and Ice’s Ferry was a major industrial hub. However, the iron industry rapidly declined after 1850 and the last iron in the area was smelted in 1868.In 1925, the West Virginia Game and Fish Commission began purchasing land throughout West Virginia to secure scenic places before they were despoiled by profitable ventures. Two years later, the West Virginia legislature acted on the commissions’ recommendation and secured extensive tracts of land throughout the state. The land Coopers Rock sits upon was owned by the Lake Lynn Lumber and Supply Company, but they initially refused to sell the land to the state. It was not until 1936 that the land was acquired and Coopers Rock State Forest was established. Following the park’s creation, many structures were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) under Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal. These include the main overlook, picnic shelters, and superintendent’s residence.These days, Coopers Rock offers a variety of outdoor activities including fifty miles of trails, climbing and bouldering sites, cross-country ski trails, trout fishing, rafting, camping, and hunting. The park, like all WV state parks, is free for day use thanks to Kermit McKeever. As chief of the West Virginia Division of Parks and Recreation from 1948-1977, McKeever fought tirelessly to keep WV parks free for all. In addition to serving as a recreational site, Coopers Rock State Forest is the site of forestry research, timber management, and watershed and wildlife protection through West Virginia University (WVU). The forest also hosts three eco-sculptures made by WVU BFA sculpture graduate Ben Gazsi. Giant, Bear and Turtle, are made of wild grapevine, leaves, hay, chicken wire, and hypertufa, and were constructed between 2012 and 2014. They have been left to naturally degrade and be consumed by the forest.

Established in 1936 and boasting over 12,000 acres of land, Coopers Rock State Forest is the largest state forest in West Virginia. It spans parts of both Monongalia and Preston counties and offers panoramic views of the region. The park is rich in national, local, and geologic history. These days, Coopers Rock is a popular destination for iconic Appalachian vistas and a variety of recreational pursuits. It is one of West Virginia's most valuable state parks in terms of revenue generated and sees almost 300,000 visitors a year.  It is also host to research and conservation efforts through West Virginia University. 

Introduction to Coopers Rock State Forest

The pumphouse is a small circular building with a conical roof tapering to a point. It is constructed of sandstone with a wooden door and open iron-barred windows. The roof was once wood shake but was replaced with asphalt shingles in the 1970s. This building varies slightly from other CCC constructed buildings at Coopers Rock. The stone construction is tighter and more precise. The iron hinges, latch, and window bars that must have been Blacksmithed are also a departure from convention. No other Camp Rhododendron building – with the exception of the superintendent's garage – displays iron elements. Finally, even the curvilinear form of the pumphouse is unique. Other Camp Rhododendron constructed buildings show a heavy emphasis on emphatic straight lines. The pumphouse was originally built to provide water to Camp Rhododendron, but is no longer in use.

Pumphouse

The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was born from the brutal economic downturn experienced across America in 1933 that left one in four men unemployed. Franklin Roosevelt – already quite interested in conservation and preservation of natural resources – saw the need for both employment opportunities and stewardship of the land. In a proposal to Congress on March 21, 1933 he advocated for the CCC, “to be used in complex work, not interfering with normal employment and confining itself to forestry, the prevention of soil erosion, flood control, and similar projects. I call your attention to the fact that this type of work is of definite, practical value, not only through the prevention of great financial loss but also as a means of creating future national wealth.” By July of the same year there were over 1400 functioning camps and over 300,000 enrollees. These enrollees were primarily male, unmarried, unemployed, and between eighteen and twenty-five.The Camp Rhododendron CCC organization was an evolution of an earlier camp in Preston County named Camp Fairfax. Camp Fairfax had the opportunity to complete none of its prescribed road and telegraph line construction before being moved to the Cheat Lake area, near Sunset Beach, in 1936. The reason for relocation was the acquisition of the land around Coopers Rock by West Virginia with the intention of establishing a state park. In addition to securing the land, the state also managed to procure funding for a CCC company to complete work on the new park. Approximately 135 men made this move to become Camp Rhododendron.Improvements to the Coopers Rock area commenced by May of 1936. The first order of business involved constructing makeshift bridges to the rock formations that compose the overlook. Camp Rhododendron then created a path from Route 73 (now Interstate 68) to the newly accessible overlook. Over the next five years, Camp Rhododendron created a variety of administrative and recreational facilities for Coopers Rock State Forest. These include picnic pavilions, a remote shelter, and a first-aid building. They also completed a variety of landscaping tasks such as trailblazing forest paths, delineating the park perimeter with wire, and creating stone retaining walls and runoffs. Construction on one of the most important Camp Rhododendron buildings, the superintendent’s house and garage, began in 1938 and was completed in 1940. The site chosen for these two buildings is on the opposite side of Route 73 from the other Camp Rhododendron structures.Camp Rhododendron was not limited only to labor activities. Members were one of twenty CCC camps selected to participate in an experimental educational program; the National Forum. Each week, a scholar visited the camp and spoke before opening the floor to questions and debate. Camp members were also involved in state-wide recreational pursuits, such as baseball. Additionally, in 1936, the camp took first-prize at the Mountain State Forest Festival in Elkins, WV for their model of Coopers Rock State Forest and the planned improvements.Though June 30, 1942, marks the end of CCC operations, the impact of the program and Camp Rhododendron is difficult to overstate. A 2015 economic significance study estimates that the Coopers Rock park directly and indirectly generates almost 7.1 million dollars for the state each year. This makes it the second most valuable state park in West Virginia – it generates only 300,000 fewer dollars than first-place Kanawha Forest. Camp Rhododendron was critical to placing northern West Virginia on a national map as a tourist destination. The camp itself was disassembled in 1942, but the Camp Rhododendron legacy remains visible in the impact on the landscape and the buildings that sit upon it.

Camp Rhododendron was a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp from 1936-1942. The CCC was a government employment program for young men that focused primarily on preserving natural resources and landscapes. Camp Rhododendron was instrumental in establishing and constructing Coopers Rock State Forest. Camp members built a variety of structures including the overlook, picnic pavilions, information stations, administrative buildings, staff residences, and many landscape infrastructure features. Beyond working, Camp Rhododendron residents also participated in educational and recreational pursuits. Though Camp Rhododendron itself was temporary, the structures created and the impact on the landscape of Coopers Rock are still visible today. 

Camp Rhododendron (Civilian Conservation Corps camp, 1936-1942)

The Robert Fechner Monument was carved out of a single piece of sandstone and stands nearly ten feet high and six feet wide. The monument commemorates Robert Fechner, the first director of the CCC. Fechner was a lifelong blue-collar worker, union organizer, and labor negotiator. The CCC program was initially met by opposition from labor leaders who feared that the program would be detrimental to workers across the board, which is why why Franklin Roosevelt appointed Fechner. Fechner proved to be largely adept at both assuaging labor fears and capably handling the administration of the CCC program. However, he was also the target of criticism for his reluctance to promote African-American CCC opportunities and for his stance that education in the CCC program should be a tangential benefit only. Fechner served as director from 1933 until his death in 1939. The monument to Fechner has experienced some environmental erosion, but otherwise remains in good condition.

Robert Fechner Monument

The information booth is a small roughly square shelter constructed with sandstone and wood. The structure features a counter on the front and is open on the rear to allow entry and exit. Two benches span the interior side walls. Like with all Camp Rhododendron constructed buildings, the original wood shake roof was replaced with asphalt shingles in the 1970s. Additionally, a sign saying "Information Booth" and a sign detailing hours of operation have been removed. The building originally served as the primary point of contact between park staff and visitors, providing camping and hunting licenses, directions, and park information. The information booth is no longer used in any official capacity.

Information Booth

Pavilion 1 is a sandstone and poplar log picnic shelter measuring fifty-five feet long and thirty-eight feet wide. Massive sandstone columns support the corners of the building. These columns are roughly piled, larger at the bottom and tapering as they approach the roof. Approximately three-foot high stone walls connect the pillars, though a multitude of breaks in the walls help open the space to the natural surroundings. A solid wooden roof is composed of whole poplar logs. The symmetrical structure is split by a large sandstone fireplace with a chimney. The pavilion is almost identical to its original construction. The only changes have been the replacement of picnic tables over the years, and a 1970s asphalt roof to replace the previous wood shake shingles. 

Pavilion 1

Pavilion 2 is an almost mirror image of Pavilion 1. However, the slight variations in size – Pavilion 1 is fifty-five by thirty-eight feet while Pavilion 2 is fifty-four by thirty-nine feet – help to illustrate the lack of professional architectural oversight that went into these building's constructions. The only major difference between the two pavilions is the stone wooden mantelpiece found in Pavilion 2, as opposed to the stone mantelpiece from Pavilion 1. Like Pavilion 1, a new roof was installed on Pavilion 2 in the 1970s. 

Pavilion 2

Towering over 1,000 feet above the Cheat River, the Coopers Rock Overlook surveys one of the most quintessential West Virginia panoramas. The sandstone outcroppings that comprise the overlook were initially accessible to only the most physically fit and daring, as enjoying the view required scaling the rock by hand. The construction of the Coopers Rock Overlook was one of the first tasks Camp Rhododendron set out to complete. CCC members created a temporary bridge to the rock and erected barriers around the edges of it. These barriers still stand today and are composed of sandstone pylons connected by locust logs. After the overlook was made safe, a permanent bridge was constructed. It was similarly constructed using locust logs as supports with oak planks for the walkway. This bridge was maintained and repaired for several decades until it became untenable to ensure the safety of users. In the late 2010s, the bridge was largely replaced with a new walkway, though the support pylons and railings remain original.

Coopers Rock Overlook

The Overlook Trading Post is a symmetrical roughly t-shaped building of wood and sandstone. Originally, the lengthwise front of the building was an open-air picnic area. The back extension of the building was a two-room log cabin occupied by a park staff member. It also doubled as a first-aid station. In the 1950s, the cabin was converted to a concession stand. Sometime after 1980, the entire structure was renovated again to become a completely enclosed building. These days, the building hosts a gift shop. Thanks to the various renovations, the Overlook Trading Post is the most heavily modified CCC structure at Coopers Rock. However, CCC construction is still readily visible in the sandstone foundation and parts of the ceiling and walls that were left intact. 

Overlook Trading Post

Pavilion 3 is constructed similarly to Pavilions 1 and 2. The scale is slightly smaller however, as Pavilion 3 measures forty feet long by twenty-five feet wide. The structure is enclosed with approximately three foot tall log walls. The enveloping nature of the thick walls is offset by entrances on three sides of the shelter. The cut stone fireplace and chimney help the building feel comfortable in its environment. The front of the building provides a simple but grand facade to those ascending the steps to it from the parking lot. From this angle, the chimney appears shorter and only minimally accentuates the pavilion's height. For those descending to Pavilion 3 via the Rock City Trail or the Eagle Trail however, the chimney lends height to the structure. This prevents the building from becoming lost in landscape or appearing too low to the ground. The overall impression of Pavilion 3 is welcoming; even the entrances invite people in from each angle of approach.

Pavilion 3

The Rock City Trail Chalet is a moderately sized building near the start of the Rock City section of Coopers Rock. Its name comes from the sharply sloped roof that is reminiscent of Swiss mountain chalets. The building has a large open section facing the trail and two windows on the back wall, but is otherwise completely enclosed. It is composed of a large central room flanked by a smaller room on each side. These smaller rooms were likely intended for wood storage to fuel the fireplace on the back wall. The chalet is the most isolated structure Camp Rhododendron built. The closest road access to the building still requires a half-mile hike. The structure is unmodified, though it has been heavily graffitied and vandalized over the years.

Coopers Rock State Forest Civilian Conservation Corps Structures Tour

Fire Warning Sign

Introduction

Images

Additional Information