Beartown State Park best-known for its peculiar rock formations that make it unique. The rock formations are made out of Pottsville and Sandstone that have eroded due to natural factors giving them their shape. Many of the rocks have pit-like cavities that are due to erosion. The park is open to visitors of all sorts to enjoy a day out in the wild. Beartown State Parks origins can be traced back to its creation in 1970. Through the funds from Nature Conservancy, and a considerable donation from Mrs. Edwin G. Polan, in the memory of her son, Ronald Keith Neal, who perished in the Vietnam War. The name Beartown originated from local residents who believe the cave-like formations of the rock would be a suitable den for Black bears. From above, the narrow divisions in the rock give off a pattern that reminded locals of streets going through a small town.The state park has restricted the amount of development throughout the park to preserve the beauty of nature. However, the park has basic facilities, and a large boardwalk that brings visitors right up to the rock formations. There are also signs throughout the park to guide visitors. The park is open from April to October each year, although off-season access is permitted by appointment.

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Beartown State Park is a 110-acre state park located on Droop Mountain.  Droop Mountain is located in Pocahontas County, seven miles southwest of Hillsboro, West Virginia.  The park is known for its rock formations that draw visitors from all over each year to marvel at the spectacle.  A boardwalk was constructed to allow visitors an easy access directly up to the rock formations.  The park is open from April-October, with the availability to schedule a visit outside seasonal hours. 

Beartown State Park

Instructor

This driving tour includes several scenic and historic sites in southern Pocahontas County that are also near to Highway 219. The tour includes sites that are also within a short drive of the Pearl S Buck Birthplace in Hillsboro, West Virginia.

Both of the buildings were built in 1901 and featured vertical
board batten siding and decorative brackets in the wide eaves of their gable
roofs. While the station was in use, there was a loading platform that extended
across the west and south sides. The station is brightened by beautiful Victorian
millwork and has two brick chimneys that were used with wood and coal burning
stoves. 

The foundations of the buildings are big, wooden piers that
are set on concrete footers and hidden from view by vertical boards skirts at
the building’s sides and rear. This kind of supporting structure was highly
uncommon for the time period in which the station and bunker were built. A
gabled bay embellished with wood tracery and fitted three windows formed the
station agent’s office. It once contained a colored semaphore which was used to
help the trains navigate. It was in use until the advent of electricity, when a
lighted semaphore was put into place to better serve the engineers trying who
were navigating their way towards their destination.

The station is no longer in use today and is one of the few
remaining buildings of sort that were built throughout the C&amp;O Railroad
system. The company built many of these structures for terminals, passenger
use, and freight depots in populated areas. These buildings were a necessity
for traveling people and served as a trademark of the railroad company. The
station, once a trademark for the C&amp;O Railroad, still stands today as a
symbol of the company’s willingness to bring commerce and business to the area.

&nbsp;

The Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad Station and Bunkhouse are located at the corner of 8th Street and 4th avenue, in the town of Marlinton, West Virginia. The station is a small rectangular one story building that measures 76 by 16 feet; built for the handling of freight and for passenger use. The bunkhouse, a dependent building of the railroad station, is located a short distance to the northeast and is also a one story building that measures 24 by 16 feet. The buildings were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 because of their architectural features which were new for their time and for their importance to the town of Marlinton.

Marlinton Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad Station and Bunkhouse

&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;The Pocahontas County Opera House, once called the Marlinton Opera House, was built in 1910 and opened in 1911. The Opera House was intended to replace one of Tilton's earlier projects which he built and opened in 1907. This first opera house was called The Grand and offered plays, movies, and&nbsp;other theatrical acts. Just three years after The opening of The Grand, Tilton felt he needed more space and started plans for the Marlinton Opera House. Built and owned by J. C. Tilton, the building's concrete walls are 25 feet high. It was one of the first structures in West Virginia to use reinforced concrete and railroad rails were used as the supporting material. &nbsp; &nbsp; The theater had a main floor and balcony and was used for a variety of productions including traveling performers, Chautauqua presentations, minstrel shows, graduations, church services. It was even used as a basketball court and roller skating rink at times. In addition to his property holdings, Tilton also owned and ran The Marlinton Messanger from 1911-14. During that time the newspaper offices were housed in the Opera House.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Financial struggles were an issue from the beginning and the Tilton family sold the property in 1914, after defaulting on a loan. It was bought by Floyd Dilley, Tilton's&nbsp;brother-in-law in 1916.&nbsp; The Opera House was converted to a car dealership within a few years and later into a warehouse for building supplies. The property changed hands among the Tilton family until sold to the Fertig family in 1977. It remained a commercial or storage space until the Pocahontas County Landmarks Commission bought and restored the property in 1991. Since the property's restoration, it has been serving as a theater. The name was changed to the Pocahontas County Opera House when bought by the Landmarks Commission and the site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000.&nbsp; Today visitors to the Opera House can still hear local artists and attend other community events. &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;

Built in 1910, this Victorian building with reinforced concrete walls was the first of its kind in West Virginia. Railroad rails of steel were used to reinforce the concrete. Interior woodwork includes beadboard wainscoting and a beautiful American chestnut railing along the balcony. Locally produced plays, minstrel shows, Lyceum Courses, and solo artists were also part of its theatrical world. The Opera House was more than a performance space; it saw use as a basketball court, rollerskating rink, and religious sanctuary. After the late 1920s, the building was used as an automobile dealership and lumber storage warehouse. Now restored to its early glory, the Pocahontas County Opera House hosts a variety of performances. It is open to the public during scheduled events and is also available for private functions.

Pocahontas County Opera House

High in the mountains of Pocahontas County, West Virginia lies one of the states more interesting and unique environmental areas, Cranberry Glades. Located in the Monongahela National Forest, Cranberry Glades is the largest area of bogs in the state. Due to the glades unique environment and the many unique and rare flora and fauna species which can be found there, the area&nbsp;officially became incorporated and protected by the United States Forest Service in 1965. These lands include 1,000 acres tucked between Cranberry Mountain, Black Mountain, and Kennison Mountain. Local naturalists Fred and Maurice Grady began studying the area in 1898. They would spend weeks on end in tents collecting plants, watching birds, and trapping wildlife. They published their finding in several scientific journals which attracted other naturalists and eventually biologists to visit the area.Cranberry Glades is an oasis for rare and unique plant life. The glades are home to over 60 unique plant species. The 15 bogs in the glades are similar to the “Muskegs” found in the arctic tundra and many of the plants that grow at the glades can only be found farther north in tundra environments. There is around 100 acres of open bogs within the botanical area. Most of the bogs are covered by rare mosses which can form hummocks up to three feet high. Over these mosses, prostrate cranberry vines spread across the bogs. Various species of wildflower and wild orchids can be found in the bogs such as the Grass Pink Orchid. Also a species of carnivorous plant called the pitcher plant can be seen growing around the wetlands. In addition to the plant life, Cranberry Glades is also home to a wide array of animal species. The American Black Bear, Northern Flying Squirrel, Red-tailed Hawk, American Bald Eagle, Red Fox, Coyote, Cooper Hawk, and Eastern Screech-Owl have all been seen living around the glades. The glades also serve as the southernmost breeding ground for several species of northern migrating birds such as Swainson’s and hermit thrushes, Nashville and mourning warblers, and purple finches.Along with miles of boardwalks and hiking trails, cranberry glades hosts a nature center operated by the USDA Forest Service.. The Cranberry Mountain Nature Center hosts a variety of live programs with brids of prey and snakes. It also hosts an exhibit hall with interpretative displays of forest ecosystems and local history. Throughout the year a variety of special speakers visit the nature center and offer lectures on topics such as wildlife, Native American folk lore, and forest conservation.

Cranberry Glades Botanical Area is one of the most unique areas in West Virginia. Located high in the Appalachian Mountains, Cranberry Glades is the largest concentration of bogs in the state and is home to a large variety of unique and rare plant and animal species many of which are normally only found in northern tundra environments. Local naturalists Fred and Maurice Grady began studying the area in 1898 and the area was officially placed under the protection of the United States Forest Service in 1965.Today the forest service operates a Nature Center at the glades which offers interpretative natural and historical displays in addition to hosting various events, demonstrations, and guest speakers throughout the year. 

Cranberry Mountain Nature Center

Seebert Lane Colored School was located on Seebert Road was a one room building for colored students in Pocahontas County. Students would have to go outside of thee county for higher level education. There was no place in the area for African-American students who wished to obtain a high school education.&nbsp; There is no reliable date in which the school stopped operating. Seebert Lane Colored School played a&nbsp;significant role in educating the local Black youth around the Pocahontas area. Students would have to go to Riverside High School in Randolph County. Riverside High School served African American students from 1906-1954.&nbsp; Through the 1939-1940 the Board of Education report listed seven operating African American schools. It was not until the Brown v. Board of Education&nbsp;that led to the integration of public schools. After this decision Black schools were abandoned as students relocated to previously all-white schools. Seebert Lane was one of the only surviving schools buildings for African American students.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Seebert Lane Colored School also known as the Pleasant Green School and Hillsboro School was a historic one-room school for African- American. It is located in Seebert in Pocahontas County, West Virginia. The school was built in 1898 and was a one-story building. 

Seebert Lane Colored School 

Pearl S. Buck wrote prolifically during her time in both China and the U.S. Her life in America was also marked by her fearless activism for civil rights and equal rights, as well as her continual efforts on behalf of the Chinese people and of interracial children. Buck's novel The Good Earth was the best-selling fiction book in the United States in 1931 and 1932 and won the Pulitzer Prize in 1932. In 1938, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. A world-renowned author, she wrote over 100 books and hundreds of short stories and magazine articles. Her books have been translated into 69 foreign languages.1Pearl's maternal family, the Stultings, fled religious persecution in Holland and settled in the Appalachian Mountains on a 16-acre farm outside of Hillsboro in Pocahontas County, West Virginia. When they arrived, Pearl S. Buck's great grandfather, Cornelius Stulting, aimed to build a house like the one they had in Holland.2The modest two-story, hand-built home contains period antiques that represent the lifestyle of a late-19th and early 20th-century working family. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on June 15, 1970. In addition to the house, the museum property contains a period-era carpentry shop and barn with over 100 historic farm and woodworking tools, 13 acres of scenic Appalachian farmland surrounded by the Monongahela National Forest, and the log home of Buck's paternal family, the Sydenstrickers. Pearl Buck's mother, Caroline, was born in the house. She eventually married Absalom Sydenstricker and, shortly after their marriage, the couple left for China to become missionaries. They visited the family home frequently on their trips back to the United States. During one of these visits, on June 26, 1892, Pearl Comfort Sydenstricker was born in her grandfather's home. 3 She only remained there for three months before accompanying her parents to China. Buck learned of the house through her mother's stories while they were living in various villages in China as missionaries. Pearl was captivated by the stories, and came to think of the house as all that was good about her birth country. In her words, <blockquote>"It became the symbol of security and peace in a world where there was neither security nor peace."4</blockquote>She returned to the house twice during her youth, spending the summer of 1901 and August of 1902 there before returning to China. Buck next returned in 1909, after her Grandfather had died, and an uncle had taken charge of the house. She spent the summer there before starting college at Randolph-Macon. She vacationed there briefly the next summer, but that was the last time she visited while the house was still in the family. She saw the house again in 1963 during a visit to celebrate WV's 100th anniversary of Statehood, and at that time had the idea to buy the house and present it to the State so that they could make it into a park or memorial. That idea never came to fruition. The cause for the house was taken up by Jim Comstock, the editor the WV Hillbilly, a weekly newspaper with a distribution in 40 states and six foreign countries. Comstock organized the beginnings of what was to become the Pearl S Buck Birthplace Foundation (PSBBF), solicited donations from around the world, and finally bought the house and presented it to Pearl under the stewardship of the foundation in 1965. In 1968, a $100,000 grant was received for the restoration of the birthplace and grounds. Robert Jacobson served as the first volunteer executive director of the foundation, followed by David Corcoran, who became the first paid director in 1972. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and opened as a museum in 1974, a year after Pearl's death. The PSBBF continues to function as the overseer of the birthplace and grounds. The foundation is governed by a 12 member Board, of which a 5 member Executive Board, consisting of 4 elected officers and one member at large, conducts the day-to-day administration. During the summer months, the house is open for tours. Currently, there is no Executive Director.

Located in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, the Pearl S. Buck Birthplace showcases the home in which the Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning author was born in 1892. Located in Hillsboro, West Virginia, the structure has been restored and maintained by the Pearl S. Buck Birthplace Foundation. The home interprets the early experiences of Pearl's life that helped shape some of the major characters and plotlines of her books. 

Pearl S. Buck Birthplace

In 1917, during the peak of the tuberculosis out break in the United States, West Virginia purchased 185 acres of land and buildings in the local area to create a facility that would treat African Americans with tuberculosis. Prior to this time, there were few options for African Americans with the disease. The facility opened in 1939 and accepted all Black patients with TB that could afford to pay--a decision which still left many without treatment options. As medical science began finding cures and effective preventative measure, the need for TB hospitals declined. IN 1950, the sanitarium was transformed and renamed the West Virginia State Hospital for the Chronically Ill. In 1990, that facility closed and the building remained in state hands. It is now The Denmar Correctional Facility. Since the closing of the sanitarium many death records have been surfacing of patients who passed away in the facility. Many family members have been in search for decades of the records of relatives who were registered there and never released. The state has faced many legal actions taken by the families and now most of the sanitariums records are available online.

Tuberculosis was a national epidemic that affected people of all races, but African Americans in West Virginia and other states were rarely able to secure treatment at local hospitals. In order to serve these patients while maintaining a system of racial segregation, the West Virginia legislature created the West Virginia Colored Tuberculosis Sanitarium in 1917. 

West Virginia Colored Tuberculosis Sanitarium, 1937-1950 

Following the Union defeat at Chancellorsville, Union Brigadier General William Woods Averell was transferred to West Virginia and put in charge of the Fourth Separate Brigade in May 1863. While the assignment was most likely intended as a punishment by General Joseph Hooker for the failure at Chancellorsville, as Hooker used Averell as one of the scapegoats, Averell transformed the West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Ohio troops he commanded into a well-drilled outfit. Following the <a href="https://www.theclio.com/web/entry?id=21636" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Battle of White Sulphur Springs</a> on August 26-27, 1863 against Colonel George S. Patton, a grandfather of the World War II general, and his confederate troops, Averell withdrew his troops of 1,300 the following morning and evaded several Confederate ambushes back to Beverly. Averell and his men had failed to capture Lewisburg. Averell learned from this battle and two months later, he and his increased troops, 3,800 cavalry and infantry supported by two artillery batteries, traveled south to cut the railroad from Beverly on November 1st. In addition to his own increased troops, Averell was set to meet up with General Alfred Duffie in Lewisburg on November 7th as his 2,500 Federal troops as they traveled from Charleston.Contact was made between Averell’s troops and Confederate forces on November 4th halfway to Lewisburg at Huntersville. These Confederate troops were the 19th Virginia Cavalry commanded by Colonel William “Bill” Lowther “Mudwall” Jackson, a cousin the late Lieutenant General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson. Jackson alerted Confederate commander Brigadier John Echols in Lewisburg. Echols quickly prepared to come to Jackson’s aid. Averell began pushing Jackson’s skirmishers back at a leisurely pace so not to outpace Duffie to Lewisburg. Jackson broke contact with Averell on November 5th and retreated to the formidable height of the flat top of Droop Mountain. Averell would need to secure the mountain before moving south. With limited troops, Jackson could not hold out for long. Fortunately for him, that night Echols finally decided to join him and his 1,110 troops set out at 2 a.m. on November 6th. Echols had held back out of concerns that he and his men would be caught in a pincer movement by Averell and Duffie.Averell’s plan was put into motion at dawn on November 6th. Averell’s victory would be a nearly flawless textbook victory, a rarity of Civil War battles. Upon receiving reports from scouts that Jackson and Echols were positioned at the top of Droop Mountain, Averell knew that a frontal attack would bring heavily casualties. Averell split the 28th Ohio and 10th W.Va. onto the southwest Lobelia Roach toward the Confederate left flank. Averell’s’ artillery were to cause a distraction on the main approach and thus convince Echols that the main attack would come from there, the Hillsboro Road. Echols ignored warnings from troops stationed on the flank of the dangers of leaving Lobelia Road. Averell’s lieutenants, who held synchronized watches over the difficult terrain, pulled off a perfectly coordinated attack. Around 2 p.m. Colonel Agustus Moor and his 28th Ohio Infantry crashed into the Confederate’s extreme left. Then the 3rd, 2nd, and 8th W.Va regiments, who had crept up the steep slopes and through the brush, began their attack when Moor’s men began firing. Their combined attack quickly left the Confederate left flank buckling. Echols was forced to pull troops from his center and right to even it up. Averell’s distraction on Hillsboro Road had been a success.           With the movement of Echols’ troops to deal with the left flank, Colonel J.M. Schoonmaker and his Pennsylvanian troops rushed Echols’ now weakened center. Echols was outnumbered during the fierce fighting in the dense brush and Averell’s maneuver deprived the Confederates of Droop Mountain’s natural advantages. After two hours of frenetic struggle, the Confederate line broke and the troops fled. With a rearguard protecting the fleeing Confederates from the pursing Union troops, Echols managed to keep his command from disintegrating over the trek back to Lewisburg. Both sides suffered high casualties with Union losing 119 soldiers to the Confederate’s 275 soldiers. Echols and his men fled Lewisburg the following day. Interestingly, the pincer movement that Echols had feared from the Union troops never materialized as Duffie stopped seven miles from Lewisburg on November 6th. Averell arrived at Lewisburg on November 7th, as planned. The following day, he was incorrectly informed that Confederate troops were beginning to mass against him. Averell moved his troops to White Sulphur Springs and began to march northward to Beverly. Due to scare supplies, prisoners and captured livestock, and perhaps a career consideration, prevented Averell from continuing onto Salem to destroy the Virginia &amp; Tennessee Railroad. While this second attempt was a failure, Averell would lead a successful third attempt the following month.Noted Civil War historian Terry Lowry has disputed the long-held claim that Averell’s victory at Droop swept the last Confederate resistance from the state, pointing out larger conditions in the theater of war that may have prevented the Confederate government from investing more time and effort into reclaiming West Virginia. Nevertheless, Rebel troops did not return to the area in force for the duration of the war. Lowry also disputed the claim that the battle of Droop Mountain was the most significant Civil War battle in West Virginia, claiming that the 1862 capture and siege of Harpers Ferry was. However, Lowry did agree that the Battle of Droop Mountain was one of the more important Civil War battles in West Virginia.On July 4, 1928, the site of the Battle of Droop Mountain was dedicated as West Virginia’s first state park. Many of the battle’s living survivors were present at the dedication, along with about 10,000 spectators. Over 1,000 automobiles were also present. While the 125-acre park was popular, very little construction was done until 1935 when a Civilian Conservation Corps group was camping at the park and constructed several monuments that are still in use today. Recent scholarship and preservation efforts have allowed for a museum to operate in the park and for new markers to be erected. Today the park is also home to several recreational facilities such as playgrounds, hiking trails, picnic areas, and even a lookout tower that provides a wondrous view of the surrounding area. The park is also part of The Civil War Discovery Tail. Reenactments of the battle are held every other year.

Brigadier General William W. Averell and his Federal troops encountered Confederate troops led by Brigadier General John Echols at Droop Mountain on November 6, 1863. The federal army had encountered Echols while on their second attempt to the Virginia-Tennessee Railroad located at Salem, Virginian. Echols and his troops positioned themselves in on the high ground of Droop Mountain, a tactical advantage to the smaller army. However, despite using artillery to block the road, the Confederate troops were overwhelmed by Averell’s men. The Battle of Droop Mountain served as the final significant Civil War battle for the newly formed West Virginia. The site of the battle was declared West Virginia’s first state park on July 4, 1928.

Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park

Beartown State Park best-known for its peculiar rock formations that make it unique. The rock formations are made out of Pottsville and Sandstone that have eroded due to natural factors giving them their shape. Many of the rocks have pit-like cavities that are due to erosion. The park is open to visitors of all sorts to enjoy a day out in the wild.  Beartown State Parks origins can be traced back to its creation in 1970. Through the funds from Nature Conservancy, and a considerable donation from Mrs. Edwin G. Polan, in the memory of her son, Ronald Keith Neal, who perished in the Vietnam War. The name Beartown originated from local residents who believe the cave-like formations of the rock would be a suitable den for Black bears. From above, the narrow divisions in the rock give off a pattern that reminded locals of streets going through a small town. The state park has restricted the amount of development throughout the park to preserve the beauty of nature. However, the park has basic facilities, and a large boardwalk that brings visitors right up to the rock formations. There are also signs throughout the park to guide visitors. The park is open from April to October each year, although off-season access is permitted by appointment.

Driving Tour of Southern Pocahontas County and the Pearl S Buck Birthplace

Beartown State Park

Introduction

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Backstory and Context

Sources

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