Babcock State Park

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

Babcock State Park is located in Danese, West Virginia. The park features over four thousand acres of forest, with trails that are ideal for seasoned hikers as well as new explorers. The park offers excellent opportunities for fishing, including a stream for fly-fishing. The park is surrounded by mountain foothills that provide opportunities to view wildlife. For those interested in the region's industrial history, the park includes a fully-operable grist mill. Glade Creek Grist Mill was built in 1976 and was modeled upon a historic mill that was located nearby.

Images

Glade Creek Grist Mill. The basic structure of the mill came from the Stoney Creek Grist Mill which dates back to 1890.

Boley Lake

Two variations of rhododendron thrive throughout the park and their blooming season last from mid-May through July. The rhododendron catawbiense blooms early, followed by the rhododendron maximum, which is pink and also the state flower.

Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

Babcock State Park offers 4,127 acres of beauty and a fast flowing trout stream to its guest. It also has several overlooks where visitors can view the mountain vistas. The park is nearby the heart of the whitewater rafting industry, New River Gorge National River.

Colorful flowers can be seen by visitors to the park from later spring to early summer. Paddleboats, rowboats, and canoes are available for rent at the marina at the 19-acre Boley Lake where good fishing abounds.

The rustic administration building which is built of native sandstone is a good place to start a tour of the park. It is the home of park headquarters and a small gift shop. Across from the administration building parking lot is the Glade Creek Grist Mill.

The Glade Creek Mill was built at Babcock State Park in 1976. The mill was built as a recreation of the Cooper’s Mill that was located where the current administration building parking lot is. The Glade Creek Mill is fully operable. The combination of parts and pieces from several old mills throughout West Virginia played a role in its creation.

Stoney Creek Grist Mill, which dates back to 1890, provided the basic structure. It was dismantled and moved, piece by piece, from Pocahontas County to Babcock. A fire destroyed the Spring Run Grist Mill located in Grant County. The only part of the mill that could be saved was the waterwheel, which is now powered by the Glade Creek at Babcock. Some of the other parts that made up the mill came from Onego Grist Mill which was located near Seneca Rocks in Pendleton County.

The Glade Creek Mill is a living monument to over 500 mills that once thrived in the state of West Virginia. It also provides visitors to the park the opportunity to purchase freshly ground cornmeal and buckwheat.

Sources

http://www.babcocksp.com http://www.stateparks.com/babcock_state_park_in_west_Virginia.html "Babcock." West Virginia State Parks. Web. 16 June 2015. .