Travelrific® Travel Journal
Picture postcards in prose.™ Check out the blogroll on the front page for official merchandise and other resources!Archive for west virginia
The Legend of John Henry
By Linda Tancs
The Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad built their main line between 1869 and 1872 through the labors of thousands of freed African-American slaves and Irish Catholic immigrants. Of thousands of African-American railroad workers, John Henry became the stuff of legend and the subject of a ballad. Historical research suggests that Henry was a real person, a steel driver blasting a tunnel through Big Bend Mountain in West Virginia. Legend has it that he died during a contest between a steel drill and steel drivers. Whether man or myth, a statue of him stands outside Great Bend Tunnel at John Henry Park in Talcott.
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Billed as the Great North American Eclipse, a total solar eclipse will cross North America on April 8, 2024, passing over Mexico, the United States and Canada. The path of the eclipse begins in Mexico, entering the United States in Texas, and traveling through Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. The eclipse will enter Canada in Southern Ontario, and continue through Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Cape Breton. This will be the last time any solar eclipse will be visible within the United States until 2045.
Be prepared! So long as supplies last, you can purchase eclipse glasses and other accessories, like a phone app and photo filter, from American Paper Optics, a NASA-approved manufacturer. The link in the preceding sentence is an affiliate link, which means that if you click on the link and purchase merchandise from the page, then I may receive a small commission.
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A Gem in West Virginia
By Linda Tancs
The Ohio River’s most famous island is arguably Blennerhassett, a small island near Parkersburg, West Virginia, constituting Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park. It’s named for Harman and Margaret Blennerhassett, wealthy Irish aristocrats who settled there in 1789. The centerpiece is their Palladian-style mansion, a favorite attraction for over 40,000 tourists each year. In addition to tours of the mansion and its grounds, horse-drawn carriage rides are available. The ride there is almost as enchanting as the park itself because the island is accessed via a 19th-century sternwheeler riverboat departing from Point Park in Parkersburg. The park is open from May to October.
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Getting to The Point
By Linda Tancs
There’s a point in Harpers Ferry National Historical Park in West Virginia where the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers meet. Known appropriately enough as The Point, this water gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains also offers views of Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. It’s one of the most popular places to visit in Lower Town (the most-visited area of the park) and a short walk from the Lower Town shuttle bus stop.
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What’s New in West Virginia
By Linda Tancs
You may be familiar with the expression, everything old is new again. That’s an apt way of looking at New River Gorge in West Virginia. The New River is one of the oldest in North America, its whitewater cascading through deep canyons. For years it’s been managed by the Park Service as a “national river.” That status received an upgrade last December when the area was designated a national park as well as a national preserve, the first such dual designation outside Alaska. The park has always been a mecca for whitewater rafting, mountain biking, rock climbing and other adventures. Located in southern West Virginia, it’s conveniently accessible from several interstate highways and local airports.
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To limit the spread of COVID-19, attractions may be closed or have partial closures. Please keep those affected by the virus in your thoughts and be sure to follow the safety practices advocated by the Centers for Disease Control. Stay safe, and be well.
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The Friendly City
By Linda Tancs
Wheeling, West Virginia, dubs itself “the friendly city,” no doubt earned by its reputation for heartily welcoming visitors—a stark contrast from the tumult experienced during the Civil War. The state was formed out of western Virginia and added to the Union as a direct result of the war. Born from the walls of West Virginia Independence Hall, a forerunner of today’s skyscrapers with wrought iron I-beams and box girders with cast iron columns, its three floors tell the story of political intrigue, treason, loyalty oaths and the threat of rebel invasion. Admission is free.
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Steaming Through Cass
By Linda Tancs
Cass, West Virginia, is a charming old logging town founded in 1900 by a pulp and paper company. Its main attraction is Cass Scenic Railroad State Park, home of the railway line built in 1901 to haul lumber to the town mill. Lest you think it’s a quaint site riddled with old, rusty railroad cars, the astonishing fact is that Cass is home to the world’s largest fleet of geared Shay locomotives. Many of the passenger cars are old logging flat cars that have been refurbished for use as part of a popular train excursion, allowing visitors to relive an era when steam-driven locomotives were an essential part of everyday life. For a taste of this bygone era, take the excursion to Whittaker Station, the location of an authentic logging camp recreated by the volunteers of the Mountain State Railroad & Logging Historical Association. Just four miles up the track from Cass, the journey includes a stopover for breathtaking country views.
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The Land of Canaan
By Linda Tancs
In the 1700s the wild valley on the western slope of the Alleghenies looked like the Promised Land to an adventurer in the region. Or so the story goes. Regardless of its veracity, that valley is known as the Canaan Valley in West Virginia. Home to the country’s 500th National Wildlife Refuge, its cool and moist climate provides a haven for 580 species of plants and 288 different animals. Endangered bats, salamander, dragonflies and priority bird species such as brown thrasher, Eastern towhee, and American woodcock no doubt find it heavenly.
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The Quietest Place in America
By Linda Tancs
Green Bank, West Virginia is a tiny speck of a town where you could hear a pin drop. That’s because it’s located in the National Radio Quiet Zone, an area designed to protect the powerful radio telescopes in the area from interference. Green Bank boasts the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope, the largest fully steerable telescope on Earth. If you seek a break from the world of Wi-Fi, then this is the place to be. Just one mile from the astronomy observatory you can stay at one of three original log cabins that were built in 1810.
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Hunker Down in West Virginia
By Linda Tancs
The Greenbrier is a National Historic Landmark, an award-winning resort located in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. Surrounded by the Allegheny Mountains, the impeccably appointed Greenbrier offers superb amenities such as championship golf, fine dining, more than 50 activities, designer boutiques, a 5-star spa and a 103,000 square foot gaming and entertainment venue. So it might seem a bit strange that in the midst of these luxurious, pampering surroundings is a bunker. Yes, a bunker–as in the Cold War era, underground kind. Once a top secret Government facility, the now declassified bunker beneath the West Virginia Wing is a unique attraction for a luxury property. Boasting such sites as a decontamination area and power plant, the bunker is a piece of living history open for tours by the public and registered hotel guests alike. The Greenbrier is easily reached via Amtrak or flights to Greenbrier Valley Airport.
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Scaling the Heights in West Virginia
By Linda Tancs
At a dizzying 876-foot drop to the river below, West Virginia’s New River Gorge Bridge is the longest steel span in the western hemisphere and the second highest in the United States. Located on U. S. Route 19 just north of Fayetteville, the engineering marvel (featured on the state’s commemorative quarter issued in 2005) lures visitors to cross the catwalk, jump and rappel each October on the third Saturday, Bridge Day. Afraid of heights? No worries. Enjoy the farmer’s market, cornbread and chili cook-off and car show, to name just a few events. The jumpers and rappelers could no doubt use a little moral support, too.
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