WV Historical Markers - Let's Find All 700

I'll be there, if I can get some pictures and historical background information posted before then.

I don't want to be a poser among those who have actually contributed to this thread.

I took photos of three signs today with my phone, but they are illegible. Gonna break my heart to have to repeat the ride with a real camera.

I just made a run through Mercer, Summers, and Monroe this weekend. I picked up a lot. Posts to start shortly.

Located about 6 - 8 miles north of Belva.




Entering Clay Co northbound on Rt 16.



View northbound on Rt 16 entering Clay Co.



Entering Nicholas Co southbound on Rt 16.




View southbound on Rt 16 entering Nicholas Co.

I enlisted the help of the beautiful and talented Martha for this tour. I just could not have done it without her.

Battle of Pigeon's Roost, marker located on court house road in Princeton.



The South side of the marker



The North side



And, Lucille's big ol' butt.



Pigeon's Roost is a ridge roughly between the town of Glenwood and the City of Princeton. It was named for the massive flocks of wild pigeons that would roost there.

Richard Blankenship, located on the court house lawn in Princeton. The Ladies strike a pose.





The opposite, North side of the marker.




I can tell you from living here, the guy did get his name spread around. A couple of fancy words on this one, huh?

I really like this one. Princeton, located on the court house lawn in Princeton. It's where I met the lovely Martha. High school sweet hearts we were, and are. Lucille left us alone for this one, she thought we needed some space.





And it's still the place where our local taxes go.



Seems like this bell has been around the block.

Located on Rt 16 just south of Bickmore, about 6 miles south of Clay.

From the following site: http://wvgazette.com/News/TheWorldinWestVirginia/200506050003

In 1838, U.S. troops were pushing the Cherokee from their ancestral lands in the hills of western North Carolina. They were to be relocated to Oklahoma to make room for white settlers. It was a harrowing, heart-wrenching journey, and many died in what would become known as the Trail of Tears.

By then, Solomon Osborne (about three-quarters Cherokee) and his bride, Seaberry, the daughter of a Cherokee chief, were fleeing north, choosing the northern Cherokee hunting ground over the dusty West.
(In all, about 1,000 Cherokees escaped the Trail of Tears. Today, their descendants are known as the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, which is headquartered in Cherokee, N.C.)

Solomon and Seaberry, who took the white name Martha Arms, first settled in Tazewell, Va., where their cabin still stands and is on the National Historic Register.

But the constant fear of being found out by the government and its anti-Indian policies kept them on the move. They next settled in what is now Wyoming County, then Nicholas County, where Seaberry died in 1866, and lastly Clay County, where Solomon died in 1880.

**************

His wife, Seaberry Arms Osborne, was featured in the previous Post #597.




Historical Marker located on Rt 16, south of Bickmore.





View northbound on Rt 16.

The city of Clay (pop 593) is the County Seat of Clay County. Now THAT'S an easy one to remember. Probably the only one I got right in WV History class when I was a kid.

To read more about Clay: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clay,_West_Virginia




Historical Marker located in front of the Clay County Courthouse. (Well, off to the north side slightly)




View of Historical Marker and Clay Co Courthouse




Downtown Clay.




View southbound on Rt 16 passing the courthouse (on the right).

We get out of our home town for the next one, and to celebrate both girls are in the shot.

Concord University, Athens WV. A small town with big books and a beautiful campus.



The North side



The South side



Athens, originally named Concord Church, is where the school derives its name.

We stop at the home county line for this.

Mercer/Summers on Rt 20





From the South, the beauty of the Greenbrier Valley is to come.



From the North, we leave the center of the universe.

This is the first of two that I question the authenticity.

Neely Plantation, just North of the Mercer/Summers border on Rt 20.



From the South



From the North



It sets just South of the Pipestem Park entrance.





Definitely Summers county, definitely rt 20. Is this legit?

Mercer Salt Works, just North of Pipestem park on rt 20.



From the North



From the South



Union troops rode in at 2 a.m. and torched the place. A sad day for southern pork.

We did a little bit of house keeping on the next one. Balloon bone removal was the detail.



Jordan's Chapel, just North of the town of Pipestem WV.



From the South



From the North



And let's not forget Lucille.



We did not follow the compass for any remnants, a decision I would learn to regret from the days to come.

The next one shows as missing on the master list. This was a pleasant surprise.

Pipestem Falls, just North of Pipestem WV.



The previous shot is from the North, and this from the South.



Martha nixed the hike down to the falls, I tried a zoom.



They are not kidding about a fully equipped park, Pipestem is a must see.

Giles, Fayette & Kanawha Turnpike, Bluestone State Park.



From the South



From the North



The forest is dense, cool, and peaceful here.



I have many times hunted the section off of the New River up Indian Creek and into Indian Mills. It's a humbling experience to realize that someone used it as thoroughfare.



We had left work Friday evening and caught these on the way to Hinton. We hole up in Hinton for the night. Saturday and Sunday's finds are to follow this week. Man, what an experience.

intothenew,

Thanks for the latest additions. Nice photos (and you wife does the Vanna thing very well ).

The "Neely Plantation" is genuine. It's one of the new-style markers, what I call "Sign-style" instead of cast aluminum. Still the real thing though. Another way to verify is the WV Division of Culture and History inscription on the bottom.

Great posts!

The Excel Spreadsheet is updated to Post #615 - 15 Aug 2009

St. John's Episcopal Church - Brooke County



This marker is listed as "Missing" on the master list. It is indeed there as of yesterday. As you can see in the picture, it was welded near the bottom at some point in time. Someone apparently repainted it also.The marker post is leaning quite a bit. The camera is being held plumb for the pic.

This church is in remarkable condition for a structure that is 160 years old. It is still in use. The church is completly surrounded by a cemetery with many graves dating back to the 1800's.









A social hall was to the rear of the church in 1956.

Lucille and I start Saturday morning off with some quality time. A hydrocarbon drink for Lucille, a cup of joe and some gravy for me. Martha sleeps in, she did all of the work yesterday.

Summers/Raleigh Co, rt 3 west of Hinton.



From the East, they've been laying super slab in that county for quite some time. There is still some good riding and history, but it will just have to wait.



From the West, we get a nice tour of this one today.



Let's go see if Martha is up.

After some coffee with her cream and sugar, Martha is back in form.

Hinton, Summers County Court House lawn, Hinton.



From the North



From the South



Something tells me these things aren't in much demand anymore. Maybe it's this interweb or telefony deals doin' that.



A tribute to the boys in Grey.





And the Ladies



A memorial to those post WW I



Just an absolutely beautifully preserved building, there's a lot to see here. This one took us a while.