The Second Sunday Drive, Day Trip Five

Mount Tabor United Methodist Church

Near Wadesville, West Virginia

Day Trip Four ended just as had Day Trip Two.  I spent over three hours, covered approximately sixty miles, and never left Marshall County.  Day Trip Five, on the other hand, got me a bit further afield, even though it, too, ended with me being dissatisfied with my own progress.  Somehow my goals always seem to exceed my achievements.

On Thursday, August 23rd, I got an early start (7:20 am) and took off on the same roads I had used for Day Trip One.  That is I crossed the ridges of Marshall County, meeting U.S. Highway 250 at Bellton, then drove past the ruins of Littleton and the hamlet of Hundred.  This time, however, I turned north on West Virginia Highway 7 which led me into Monogalia County just a short time after leaving 250.

Monongalia County came into being in 1776 when the Commonwealth of Virginia divided up its West Augusta District into three counties, each named for the prominent river of the region—the Ohio, the Monongahela, and the Youghiogheny.  At the time, the line surveyed by Mssrs. Mason and Dixon had not yet been agreed to, and much of these three counties lay in what became southwestern Pennsylvania.  The section of West Virginia Highway 7 over which I was driving, is called the Mason-Dixon Highway as it parallels that famous division and is the closest highway to the actual line.

Once past the town (widespot) known as Wadestown, I saw a sign directing traffic to the Mount Tabor United Methodist Church, just two and a half miles off WV 7 to the north.  Why not capture another rural UMC, I thought and turned the Saab onto the dirt road behind the Shriver farmstead.  The road reminded me of the old joke about My Gal Sal—she lives on Tough Street.  The further you go the tougher it gets and she lives in the last house.  Just as I was thinking of giving up, I came around a bend in the road and there was the church, in perfect photographic light.

The Monongalia County Courthouse

Morgantown, West Virginia

After capturing several scenes of the church, the churchyard, the small cemetery attached to the church, the surrounding countryside (seemingly endless rows of ridgetops), and a herd of deer racing through the newer, larger Mount Tabor Cemetery, I climbed back in the Saab and found, to my amazement, that Nancy was now directing me, not back along the route I’d taken into the church, but forward, continuing along the same road, but now in much better condition.  In time, I came back out on WV 7, west of Wadestown, and I passed through that picturesque village a second time.

The highway brought me within several yards (I assume) of the Pennsylvania State Line, past the Mason-Dixon Historic Park and the site of the Catawba War Path along Dunkard Creek, before turning toward the southeast and delivering me to Morgantown, Seat of Monongalia County and home of West Virginia University—just rated the number one party school in the nation.  (Let’s hear it for higher education.)

You may remember that the last time I was in Morgantown, while looking for the county courthouse, I drove a circle route through downtown that took me past the same corner three times.  This time I had prepared myself with a street address for the courthouse, which only helped when I finally gave up and parked the Saab having driven the same circle as before with no luck.  Turns out the courthouse sits back from the street, behind a stand of trees in a small park.  The beautiful building is almost impossible to photograph because there is no place to get a clear vantage point.

By this time, I still hadn’t had breakfast, and had been looking forward to a “Morning in Morgantown” stop, but alas, I could find no place that was open, serving breakfast, and with a parking lot.  With no change in my pocket for the ubiquitous meters, I drove on, noticing as well that not just my stomach, but the Saab’s was getting empty.

As I crossed Interstate 68, I began to fear that I wouldn’t find any place to eat or fill the tank, so I turned back to the gas station/convenience store I had passed just a mile before the Interstate.  The pump wouldn’t latch, so I had to hold the handle while filling the tank, and then the pump shut off at $50, even though I could have used more gas.  Breakfast ended up being a bottled smoothie and some cheese I purchased at the local Walmart Supercenter.  Of course, once back on the road, this time U.S. Highway 119, I passed many gas stations and a few restaurants.  It’s what comes of not knowing the territory.

As a sideline on this travelogue, I recently read that the single largest private employer in West Virginia is Walmart.  It seems that every town of any size at all has one of the stores, and most seem to have a Supercenter—all of which make our Missoula Supercenter look small.

Highway 119 led me back to Grafton, in Taylor County, where Nancy had misled me so many times on the last trip through the county.  This time I determined to use the signs posted by the state, and thus was able to find Tygart Lake State Park with no problem.  

Tygart Lake State Park

Near Grafton, West Virginia

I spent a little time at the lake itself, and more at the site of Tygart Dam which forms the reservoir out of the Tygart Valley River, then drove back to Grafton and on westward using U.S. Highway 50, which took me right through the center of Harrison County and its seat, Clarksburg.

Once more I was relying on Nancy to lead me to the Harrison County Courthouse, and she directed me off US 50 right at the site of the First United Methodist Church.  (I can’t avoid them even if I wanted to.)  Just a couple of blocks away, I pulled up in front of the courthouse, finding a loading zone where I could park without worrying about feeding a meter.  Downtown Clarksburg is much like downtown Wheeling.  There are lots of beautiful old buildings I’d love to have pose for me.  But as with Wheeling, I decided to leave that for some future trip, and got back on U.S. 50 heading west.

My parents used to talk about driving between Parkersburg and Clarksburg.  I can only imagine what the road must have been like before West Virginia Senator Robert C. Byrd starting bringing federal money into the state.  Today, that section of U.S. 50 west of Clarksburg is part of the Robert C. Byrd Appalachian Highway System, a four-lane divided road that makes the trek much easier than what my parents faced.

There were two buildings I wanted to photograph in western Harrison County, both of them Methodist churches.  The community of Wolf Summit lies just off U.S. 50, and back in the 1940s it had at least two Methodist Churches.  Today I couldn’t find one.  Well, there was a building that quite obviously had been a church, but it had no sign of any kind, and the only church sign I did find led to a Wesleyan Methodist Church, not one my father would have served.  Seeing a man working in his driveway across from the “church-like structure,” I asked if he could direct me.  Unfortunately, he had lived in Wolf Summit only twenty some years, so had no idea what things were like back in 1942.  He did confirm that the building I was seeing had been, at one time, a Methodist Church, but now it was in private hands.

Relying this time on my map, and not Nancy, I crossed  Highway 50 and headed south toward Jarvisville.  Well, I thought I was heading toward that town.  Turns out I was on route 31 instead of 33, and while I passed beautiful countryside, I could not find my objective.   Directing Nancy to find Jarvisville, I ended up in a construction zone where I admitted to the flagger that I was lost.  Asking where I was headed, he agreed with my assessment, and directed me to turn around and wait for the truck traffic on the one-lane road I had just traversed.

Most Definitely NOT the Jarvisville United Methodist Church

Once back on U.S. 50, I passed the turn-off for the Jarvisville Road and continued on into Doddridge County.  The Doddridge County Fair was open for business at the fairgrounds south of U.S. 50, but I was beginning to feel the hours I had spent driving, and had determined that my original goal of seeing Doddridge County, Ritchie County and Pleasants County was a bit too ambitious.  Taking the exit for West Union, the County Seat, I looked for the courthouse.  Not hard to spot, as it is the largest structure in town and set on top of a hill.  It was, however, very difficult to photograph as it is an enormous building and again I found it almost impossible to fit in my frame from any conceivable angle.  I tried though.  Lord knows I tried.  I got lovely views of the back and sides of the building, but when I finally found a spot that would allow my widest angle setting to get the whole building, of course I was looking into the sun.  

The Doddridge County Courthouse is the kind of structure that grabbed my attention in Stanford, Montana, and started me on my project of collecting county courthouses.  It is hard for me to imagine why a county that at its peak had fewer than 14,000 residents (the 1900 U.S. Census counted 13,689 people in Doddridge County, and with few exceptions it’s been downhill ever since), why would they need such an extravagant building?  There were other beautiful buildings on the same hilltop, including (of course) the local United Methodist Church, but the streets away from the courthouse were peppered with parking meters, so it was back in the car to head north on West Virginia 18 toward Middlebourne, New Martinsville, and home to Roseland.

West Virginia 18 follows the path of Middle Island Creek, the longest creek in the state.  I followed along as well, taking a brief side trip at Alma to photograph Ripley Chapel UMC and the lake at Conaway Run Wildlife Management Area.

After a stop at the New Martinsville Walmart (which Nancy knew how to find) where I picked up some food supplies for the next week, it was back up on the mountain to Roseland and my home away from home.

The Doddridge County Courthouse

West Union, West Virginia

Today’s drive covered 258 miles and took ten hours and twenty minutes at 25 m.p.h., a new high-speed record.

The Second Sunday Drive, Day Trip Three

Abandoned Home

North of Tomlinson Run State Park

Wait a minute, I hear you say.  What happened to Day Trip Two?  Well, Ron and I set out on Day Trip Two, only to be forced by time and weather to abort the mission.  The pictures from that trip will show up under Tyler County, the only county where we spent any time on the trip.

Tuesday, August 21st, dawned bright and clear, so Ron and I hit the road relatively early with the intent of getting breakfast somewhere along the way.  This trip would take us to the very northern end of West Virginia, Hancock County, the only county in the state Ron hadn’t yet visited.  Nancy the Nag directed us off the mountain, then to Wheeling, then suggested that we cross the Ohio River and drive north on Ohio Highway 7, or as she kept calling it, O-H Seven.  We had passed Perkins in Moundsville, and the next place we found open for breakfast was Bob Evans in Martin’s Ferry, Ohio.  By now it was after 10 a.m., and we were both ready to eat.

Nancy kept us on the Ohio side of the river all the way to East Liverpool.  We passed many places that looked worth exploring on future trips, but this trip is all about West Virginia, so we’ll save Ohio for another time.  I did think of my School of Fine Arts colleague Bobby Tilton as we passed Tiltonsville, and I let her know about it on her Facebook page
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As we crossed the river into Chester, West Virginia, I swore as we passed the Hancock County sign.  It was on the bridge and there was no way to stop or even slow down as we flew by.  Oh well, not to worry.  West Virginia is only five miles wide at this point, so we continued on U.S. Highway 30, till we crossed into Beaver County, Pennsylvania.  Turning around I was able to pull over and capture the Hancock County sign from this side of the state.

Bypassing Chester, we took the exit for West Virginia Highway 8, and headed toward New Manchester and Tomlinson Run State Park.  Circumnavigating the lake which forms the central point of the park, we exited the park on the north side and eventually found our way back to Highway 8, which we followed to Hancock County’s seat, New Cumberland.


In New Cumberland, I tried to follow Nancy’s directions to the courthouse, but once again we went astray.  When we finally turned the car around, I learned why.  The courthouse was on top of the ridge, and we had turned right when we should have gone left.  At first I was disappointed in the building as I had expected an older, more classic design.  Instead I found a modern square box.  However, when I walked behind the box, there was the original structure, still standing in all its glory.  I also captured an outstanding Presbyterian Church, but let the Methodist Church remain unphotographed.

Now if you’ve been following my county by county descriptions of West Virginia, you’ll have noticed that I seem to post a lot of pictures of Methodist Churches and I make a note of the percentage of county population that belongs to the United Methodist Church.  There’s a reason for that.  When my father graduated from seminary at Boston University, he intended to return to West Virginia where both my parents were born and raised.  A district superintendent from Montana, recruiting young pastors, asked him “Why do you want to go back to West Virginia?  There’s a Methodist Church on every street corner.  Why don’t you come out to Montana where we have wide open spaces and need people to fill them?”  Somehow that appealed to my dad, and in 1946 he and mother said good-bye to Boston, headed back to Parkersburg to say good-bye to family, and moved west to Stevensville, Montana.  Three years later I was born.  If it weren’t for all these Methodist Churches in West Virginia, I could well have been born in the Mountain State instead of in the Land of Shining Mountains.  I learned very early in these day trips that there was no way I could photograph every Methodist Church I came across.  But I’m still drawn to them, especially the small country churches on the far ridge lines.

I had noted many places I wanted to see (and photograph) on this trip, and one was the Mahan Light.  Never found it, but in looking for it Ron and I found a small park with a viewing platform overlooking the Ohio, a large industrial complex across the river and one of the Ohio River dams, the New Cumberland Dam.  We explored a bit of the park and found, to our amusement, a series of park benches obviously set in place for people to enjoy the view.  What was amusing was that the vegetation had grown so high that all you could see from the bench was foliage directly in front of you.

Near the viewing platform, a young mother with three small boys asked if we had a cell phone she could use.  Her van had broken down and she needed to get her boys home.  Ron lent her his phone while I pondered whether we could fit all of them into the Saab.   Long story short, we drove her and her sons north to Chester and I’m glad we did.  She directed us to the “World’s Largest Teapot” and also to the Homer Laughlin Pottery—home of Fiestaware—where I purchased a coffee bowl from their “seconds” shop and photographed what I call Fiesta Hell, the discard pile for those pieces not deemed worthy of being a “second.”

"Those Dark Satanic Mills"

Abandoned Steel Mill, Weirton, West Virginia

Time was passing quickly, and we were still “On Top of West Virginia” as Hancock County refers to itself.  Stopping at Ice Dogs in New Cumberland, we enjoyed a large scoop of ice cream in waffle cones for $1.50 each, but passed on the hot dogs.  Back on West Virginia Highway 2, we headed south to Weirton, an industrial city that straddles the Hancock/Brooke County line and the place where five years earlier I had heard a voice saying “You’ve come home.”

In Brooke County’s seat, I found another Montana/West Virginia connection.  Just south of the Courthouse in Wellsburg, there is a park alongside the Ohio with a monument and historic sign honoring Patrick Gass, 1771-1870, a citizen of Brooke County for over half a century.  He was also a Sergeant with the Corps of Discovery, the Lewis and Clark Expedition.

The Ohio River at Wellsburg, West Virginia

Home of Patrick Gass of the Lewis and Clark Expedition

 Brooke County was also the home of Alexander Campbell who with his father, Thomas, started the movement that led to today’s Disciples of Christ (Christian Church) and the Church of Christ.  He also founded Bethany College still located in Brooke County.

From Bethany College, it’s a short drive (four miles) to West Liberty University in Ohio County, and that’s the route we followed.  Driving south on West Virginia Highway 88, we followed the same route I had driven five years earlier on my first Sunday Drive and passed an enormous house sitting on the ridgeline west of the highway.  I had wanted to photograph the house back in 2007, and this trip I stopped and did just that.

A Small West Virginia Mountain Shack

Ohio County, West Virginia

Every time I visit Wheeling, I promise myself a day trip (or several) just to photograph the buildings of that historic city.  I could easily lose myself wandering through its historic downtown as every block brings more fascinating structures that grab my attention and have me focusing my camera.  This stop was no different, and Ron and I ended up heading in opposite directions.  Possibly the least interesting building downtown is the Ohio County Courthouse, a massive modern block of a building surrounded by neo-gothic spires of various churches.  

Time was passing, and it had been a long day, so leaving Wheeling for another visit, Ron and I turned the Saab back onto Highway 2 southbound, quickly crossing into Marshall County.  Italian sounded good for dinner, and I decided to try out OnStar, a subscription feature on my new car.  The OnStar operator was very friendly, but the only Italian restaurant she could find was now behind us and I didn’t want to back track.  Ron got on the phone and called friends of his living in McMechen, the guys who have the trailer across from him at Roseland which I showcased in an earlier post.  They recommended a Mexican place in Moundsville, Azteca, and that’s where we stopped.  Despite the fact that I saw only two people in the place who could conceivably be Mexican, the food was tasty and plentiful, and we left satisfied in body and spirit.

A quick drive back up the mountain (I’m getting used to these roads), and we were home at camp, having spent twelve hours covering 241 miles, 20 miles per hour.

Ebenezer United Methodist Church

A country church on a ridge top in Marshall County WV

The Second Sunday Drive, Preston County, West Virginia

An historic marker stands on the corner of the Preston County Courthouse lawn reading:

PRICE'S TAVERN-- Preston County was formed in the east upstairs bedroom of Price's Tavern in April, 1818, and named for James Patton Preston, governor of Virginia, 1816-1819.  Tavern built 1810, served as an inn until 1882.

The land for Preston County was taken from the eastern portion of Monogalia County, with its northern border being the Mason-Dixon line (and consequently, the Pennsylvania state line), and its eastern border being the state of Maryland.  The county seat is Kingwood, named for the grove of big trees found nearby.  The 2010 U.S. Census counted 33,520 residents in the county, the highest count ever, up 14.3% from the 2000 Census.

The Preston County Courthouse, Kingwood, West Virginia

The Preston County Jail, Kingwood, West Virginia

In addition to Kingwood (2010 population 2,939), there are ten incorporated towns in the county, including Reedsville, Terra Alta, Newburg and Tunnelton.  There are also numerous named but unincorporated villages including Arthurdale and Aurora.  Arthurdale I found by accident--or rather by driving down the highway and there it was.  A planned community built during the FDRoosevelt Administration, it was a favorite project of Eleanor Roosevelt.  Aurora, on the other hand, was a town I wanted to see.  There is a home in Aurora that was orginally named "Gaymont."  As a gay man from Montana, how could I not want to find that house.  Alas, it has been renamed and I was not able to photograph the place.  Aurora, however, is turning into an artist's colony, according to an article in the Fall 2011 issue of wv living magazine.

Unnamed Church, Arthurdale, West Virginia

Reedsville United Methodist Church

Just one third of Preston County residents are church members, but of that third, over thirty-nine percent belong to one of the fifty-four United Methodist Churches in the county.  When we add in other Wesleyan denominations, including the Church of the Nazarene and the Free Methodist Church, over fifty percent of Preston County church goers are affliated with churches that have grown out of John Wesley's evangelism.

Preston County Farm

Preston County Farm (2), near Aurora, West Virginia

Looking toward Maryland

The Second Sunday Drive, Taylor County, West Virginia

Taylor County came into being in 1844 from portions of Marion, Barbour and Harrison Counties.  Since 1878, Grafton has been the County Seat.  Prior to that, the seat was Pruntytown, which has also been known as Williamsport and Cross Roads.  Pruntytown is just a few miles west of Grafton.  There is some question as to the county's name.  Most believe it was named for John Taylor of Caroline, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates and a U.S. Senator from Virginia.  Others hold out for Zachary Taylor as the namesake, although I find this problematic as he had little/no connection with Virginia, and was only elected President after Taylor County was created.

The Taylor County Courthouse, Grafton, West Virginia

Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church, Grafton, West Virginia

The International Mother's Day Shrine

At 176 square miles in size, Taylor County is one of the smaller of West Virginia's fifty-five counties.  According to the 2010 U.S. Census, 16,089 people called it home, a figure that is up from the 2000 Census, but down from the County's high of 19,919 recorded in the 1940 Census.  One of the County's most prominent residents was Anna Marie Jarvis, born in 1864 in Webster, and raised in Grafton.  In 1907, two years after her mother's death, Anna Jarvis got her church, the Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church, to celebrate Mother's Day on the second Sunday in May.  From that beginning grew the annual celebration we all know as Mother's Day.  Today Andrews Church is known as the International Mother's Day Shrine.

The Haymond United Methodist Church

North of Grafton, West Virginia

Less than one-third of Taylor County's residents report any affiliation with a church, but of those who do, thirty-five percent belong to the United Methodist Church which has seventeen congregations in the county.  The Haymond UMC, located on U.S. Highway 119 north of Grafton, is one of those seventeen.

The Tygart Valley River

Valley Falls State Park

Valley Falls State Park

Valley Falls State Park

Tygart Dam

Tygart Lake State Park

Tygart Lake State Park

Tygart Lake State Park

Tygart Dam

The Tygart River Dam, built by the Public Works Administration for flood control purposes, spans 1,921 feet and is 209 feet thick at its base.  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers owns and manages the dam itself, but its reservoir is known as Tygart Lake, a West Virginia State Park.  The dam is located 2 1/4 miles south of Grafton.

U.S. Highway 50

Western Taylor County, West Virginia

The Second Sunday Drive, Marion County WV

The state historical marker on the county line states:

"Formed, 1842, from Harrison and Monongalia.  Named for hero of the Revolution, Gen. Francis Marion.  County was home of Francis H. Pierpont, leader in formation of this State.  The Monongahela River forms just above Fairmont."

Covering 311 square miles, Marion County had 56,418 residents according to the 2010 U.S. Census.  18,704 of those live in Fairmont, the county seat.  The other two incorporated cities in the county are Pleasant Valley, immediately adjacent to Fairmont with a population just over 3,000, and Mannington, approximately ten miles west of Fairmont, with a population of approximately 2,000.  Mannington was the site of oil and gas drilling, which led to its wealth and prominence prior to the Great Depression.

The Marion County Court House

Fairmont, West Virginia

According to city-data.com, forty-three percent of Marion County residents are church members, and twenty-five percent of those belong to one of the fifty-five United Methodist Churches in the county.  The average farm size in Marion County is 108 acres.  Twenty percent of those employed work for the government, and seventy-four percent work for private enterprises.  Among male employees, educational services, at eight percent, is second only to construction (12%) and is ahead of mining (including oil and gas exploration) at seven percent.

Abandoned Home, Metz, West Virginia

The Mannington School, Built 1902

Mannington, West Virginia

Mannington United Methodist Church

July 4, 1898

The Hamilton Round Barn

Mannington, West Virginia

The Barracksville Covered Bridge

Barracksville, West Virginia

Prickett's Fort State Park

The Second Sunday Drive, Wetzel County WV

According to the state history sign at the Wetzel/Tyler County line, Wetzel County was “formed in 1846 from Tyler.  Named for Lewis Wetzel, the great frontiersman who, with his brothers during Indian days, ranged the settlements from their home in Marshall County throughout northern West Virginia.”    This sign tells us two things, both indirectly.  First is that Wetzel County was one of the original eighteen counties that voted to separate from Virginia during the War Between the States.  The second is that Lewis Wetzel, that “great frontiersman,” was in today’s terms a psychopathic serial killer who made it his life’s goal to exterminate the Native American race.   Of course for 18th and 19th century European-Americans, that would make him a hero.  (See James P. Pierce’s biography of Wetzel, “Lewis Wetzel, Dark Hero of the Ohio,” by clicking on the link.

The Wetzel County Courthouse

New Martinsville, WV

The New Martinsville City Hall

The Wetzel County Chamber of Commerce

New Martinsville, WV

Ruins

Littleton, WV

19 - Exchange Bank - 06

Littleton, WV

Littleton United Methodist Church

Littleton, WV

Hundred, West Virginia

Hundred United Methodist Church

Off U.S. Highway 250

Wetzel County Farm

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, Wetzel County has 16,583 residents, of whom 5,366 live in the county seat, New Martinsville.  The county is 98.8% white.  Less than half the county residents are church-goers, a fact which surprised me in West-By-Gawd-Virginia, but of those, twenty-seven percent belong to the United Methodist Church, the largest single denomination in the county.  Average size of Wetzel County farm is 146 acres, and the average value of agricultural products sold per farm is $2,137.  Since the average total farm production expenses per farm amount to $4,173, farming would seem to be a losing proposition here.  The largest industry in the county is the chemical industry with Bayer Material Science and PPG Industries both being members of the Chamber of Commerce.

Informative Web Sites:
Wetzel County
US Census Bureau
City-Data.com
Wetzel County Chamber of Commerce

Second Sunday Drive, Day Trip One

Little Left of Littleton

Taken 8/15/2012 in Littleton, West Virginia

We'll rise up early with the sun
To ride the bus while everyone is yawning
And the day is young
in morning Morgantown.
--"Morning, Morgantown," music and lyrics by Joni Mitchell

To hear Joni singing “Morning Morgantown” on Youtube, click here.

I woke to foggy skies on Wednesday, August 15th, but had already decided to head east and visit those West Virginia counties just south of the Mason-Dixon Line.  Most of us, I suspect, think of the Mason-Dixon line as the boundary between the north and the south, but originally (that is in the 1760s), Surveyors Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon were brought from England to resolve a dispute between the colonies of Pennsylvania and Maryland regarding where their mutual border lay.  Since what became Delaware was also considered part of William Penn’s charter, the surveyed line included a north-south section marking the border between Maryland and Delaware as well.  Even though Maryland does not extend as far westward as Pennsylvania, the line continued west, marking the boundary between Pennsylvania and what was then the western section of Virginia.  There is a fascinating Wikipedia article on the Mason-Dixon Line, its history and its evolving meaning in American life at this site on Wikipedia.


Roseland Resort Is actually in southern Marshall County, part of West Virginia’s northern panhandle, and lies north of that fabled line, so to start my day trip, I had to cross the county west to east on narrow mountain roads, reaching U.S. Highway 250 at Bellton.  My parents had tales of traveling these roads, but until you experience it yourself, you have no idea what backroad Appalachian driving can be.  I left Roseland at 8 a.m. and noted the Saab’s odometer.  At 9 a.m., at which point I still had not reached my first planned stop, I looked at the odometer again.  In one hour I had driven less than twenty miles—and I only stopped three times to take photos.

As most of my driving would be on U.S. Highway 250 or U.S. Highway 50, I tuned Sirius XM to Fifties on 5, and bopped along with music that I grew up with.  (I have to admit that most of the songs they play on Fifties on 5 are songs I think of as ‘60s music, but my memory could be faulty when it comes to time lines.  The best song I heard by far was Little Richard singing “I Feel Pretty” from West Side Story.  And, no, he didn’t change anything at all.  I don’t think that ever before have I heard a man sing that song—not even in drag shows.

I admit to not having studied my map closely, for the first county line I crossed took me from Marshall County into Wetzel County, just as if I were driving down West Virginia Highway 2 along the Ohio River.  Wetzel County’s seat is New Martinsville, an Ohio River community where Ron and I go to do our shopping, and have the occasional meal.  I hadn’t realized that it stretched the width of the panhandle and beyond.  The county line between Marshall and Wetzel counties is that same Mason-Dixon line.  Finally I was in the South.  ;-)

Driving in a southeasterly direction on 250, I passed the ruins of what had been a very large and very ornate building.  The brick ruins reached three stories high and were separated from the roadway by a mere concrete barrier, similar to what Montana uses to separate east bound from west bound lanes on Interstate 90.  In other words, there was nothing to protect passing cars from falling bricks.  Of course I had to pull off and grab my camera.  There was no sign indicating what the building had been, nor any indication on the building itself, unlike its next door neighbor which had an engraved granite block reading 19-Exchange Bank-06.  This was what remained of downtown Littleton, West Virginia.  Oh there were a few houses, and a couple of shops.  There was even a United Methodist Church that I had to photograph.  A couple of men standing along the road watched as I stopped, started, turned around, backed up on the highway, in short, I have no doubt they were commenting on every move this stranger made in their small town.

The Hamilton Round Barn, built in 1912, now operating as a museum

Mannington, West Virginia

Crossing into Marion County, I stopped in Mannington to photograph, what else, the Methodist Church.  I also captured the Mannington School, St Patrick’s Catholic Church, the Hamilton Round Barn, and a very busy bee visiting a white Rose of Sharon.  The Hamilton Round Barn was built originally as a dairy barn, but today is a museum that opens to the public, if I read their sign correctly, only on Sundays between the hours of 1:30 and 4:00 p.m.  They probably don’t have a large payroll.

On down the highway, I turned off 250 to photograph the Barrackville Covered Bridge and quickly found myself in Fairmont, Marion County’s seat.  Those of you who follow my Montana Counties blog, “Glory of the West,” know that I had to grab the courthouse in Fairmont. A short side trip north took me to Prickett’s Fort State Park, and then it was south and east on West Virginia 310 to cross into Taylor County.

One of the cascades in Valley Falls State Park

Near Grafton, West Virginia

One of my photographic goals for Taylor County was Valley Falls State Park, located on the Taylor/Marion County line, where the Tygart Valley River flows over a series of flagstone plateaus.  I had directed Nancy to take me there, using the Point of Interest setting on my Nav System, but as I flew by a small sign directing me to turn off 310, Nancy said I had several miles yet to go before reaching the park.  I soon found myself in Grafton, Taylor County's seat, and home of the International Mother's Day Shrine, AKA Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church.  While in Grafton, I also grabbed the courthouse before following Nancy's directions on to the park.  Should I point out that there were highway signs showing the way, but I ignored them in deference to what my Nav System was telling me to do.  I time, the route Nancy chose for me turned into a one-lane dirt road, and finally a blocked passage.  While Nancy nagged at me to turn right (and presumably drive through the barricades), I parked the car and walked to the edge of the river from where I was able to get a few good views of the falls and the campers happily enjoying the day on the other side of the river.  Of course there was no bridge for me to cross.

Asking Nancy to get me to another photographic goal, Tygart Lake State Park, I drove to Pruntyville, Taylor County's original seat, then on to Webster, home of Anna Jarvis who first celebrated Mother's Day and who agitated to get the rest of us to celebrate it as well, and finally into a thick forest, again on a dirt road, with no lake or park in view.  I was beginning to distrust Nancy's directions.

Unmarked Church

Arthurdale, West Virginia

Giving up on my goals for Taylor County, I continued east into Preston County.  Preston County is unusual in West Virginia in that its northern and eastern borders are straight lines forming a ninety-degree angle.  North of Preston County is Pennsylvania (that Mason-Dixon line again), and east is Maryland.  Nancy told me to get on the George Washington Highway which it turns out is U.S. 50, which I then left to drive north on West Virginia 92.  Nearing Reedsville, I passed a sign for Arthurdale.  I didn't know the history of the town, but have since learned that Arthurdale was a New Deal experiment where nearly destitute Appalachian miners and subsistence farmers would be given a new home and five acres of land.  The land came from a Mr. Arthur who lost his land to the Federal Government in lieu of paying taxes.  This was one of Eleanor Roosevelt's pet projects.  There is a fascinating first-person account of moving into Arthurdale in the current (Summer 2012) issue of Goldenseal Magazine.

I continued on to Reedsville, Kingwood (Preston County's seat), Terra Alta where I saw I sign announcing that I was exactly one half mile above sea level--not a big whoop to someone who lives at an even higher elevation and considers 3,000 feet to be low--and Aurora.  I was trying to get a view of the highest point in Maryland, which is more easily seen from West Virginia.

Back on the George Washington Highway, I crossed into Maryland, traversing Backbone Mountain at 3,095 feet, and in no time at all I was back in West Virginia, this time in Grant County, western most of the state's eastern panhandle counties.  U.S. 50 is only ten miles long in Maryland, but I had reached the easternmost point of my planned day trip and was running out of time.  Heading north on Maryland 560, I drove to Oakland, the Garrett County seat, stopping to photograph the courthouse and the old Baltimore & Ohio railroad station.  I hoped to get to Swallow Falls State Park, but once again, Nancy failed me, and when I finally did find the park, I felt it was much too late to get out of the car and hike to the falls.  Putting my plans on hold until another day, I drove north to Friendsville where I filled the Saab's tank, then west on Interstate 68 back into West Virginia.

I got to Morgantown, seat of Monongalia County and home of West Virginia University, not in the morning, but closer to evening rush hour.  This is not a town to be lost in at rush hour.  I couldn't find the courthouse, and ended up driving in circles, passing one sidewalk sandwich vendor three times before I was finally able to get out of town.  I drove north on Interstate 79, crossing into Pennsylvania's Greene County.  At Waynesburg, I left the Interstate to return to narrow mountain roads, crossing back into West Virginia north of the town of Cameron, Marshall County.  From here it was just a hop, skip and a jump back to Roseland, a trek that took only forty-five minutes.  I arrived back at Ron's trailer at 9:00 p.m., 13 hours and 349 miles after I left.  Average speed, including Interstates:  27 mph.

Backbone Mountain, one point of which is the highest place in Maryland

Taken north of Gorman, Maryland