Traveling West Virginia: In the Eastern Mountains

We spent the past weekend in the mountains of Pocahontas county, West Virginia, where I was presenting a workshop on telling and writing ghost stories.

It is hard to put the beauty of this part of our state into words, so I am leaving it mostly to the photos to do the talking for me.

We stopped for a picnic lunch at our favorite roadside park just outside Richwood. We were surprised to find the park already closed for the season--couldn't drive in, and the restrooms were locked up, but we could still walk in and use the picnic tables. Some of the trees were showing color; this year fall has been a big disappointment so far, with leaves still green in many areas, or just turning brown and dropping.

On the road to our b&b for the night, we spotted the lovely waterfalls below, and the old truck hiding in the woods.

One doesn't expect to see longhorn cattle here! There were others in this field, one a massive brute, but camera shy.

In Hillsboro, WV. I think this might have once been a bank? Banks in older times often had corner entrances like this. In case of robbery, they had a quick view of the streets. It also allowed them to see who was coming easily.

This gorgeous building is for sale for a mere $67,500. I'm almost tempted!

My workshop was at the Pearl S. Buck Homeplace, and it went very well. I heard stories from the participants, and we talked and talked about stories and folklore, and then they began the process of writing their stories. No photos--I was so busy and absorbed that I didn't think to take any!

That evening in Hillsboro at the Pretty Penny Cafe (a restored general store now operating as a restaurant, the incredible musician Rachel Petty was performing. We had planned to go home after my workshop, but friends convinced us to stay for Rachel's concert. I am so glad we did! She plays fiddle, guitar, banjo, and who knows what else, also sings beautifully. She is based in D.C. now, but is from Fairmont, WV.

Three other inducements to stay: first and best, time with friends we don't get to see often enough. One offered a bed in her home and the opportunity to see her night-blooming cereus open. Who can resist that! So time to talk, sing, and enjoy being together, and the opening of this exquisite flower on top of all that? It was fascinating--sometimes you could actually see the petals move, other times we'd turn around to see it had unfolded more while we weren't looking.

Another reason to stay: the weather. Very high winds, cold and snow were in the forecast for the mountains, and we didn't feel like fighting all that to get home. So we stayed put, snug and warm for the evening. In the morning, it had indeed snowed a little, and the roads were icy in places. We started across the Highland Scenic Highway, but decided to take the safer route as this one is very curvy and gets more ice and snow than the main routes in the valleys below.

Back off the mountain and on US Route 219, we were out of winter and back into fall.

And then, home. Today, I leave again, this time for Mannington in the northern part of the state, for more ghost stories. We are planning to take a route we haven't traveled before, so I'll have my camera ready!


Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Hills Creek Falls

We were sitting on the porch at the camp Saturday and Dave said, "I bet Hills Creek Falls are roaring. Might go down and take some pictures."

"I'll go with you," I said. And off we went.

Hills Creek Falls are located near West Virginia's Cranberry Glades. They are a series of three waterfalls, dropping 220 feet down a narrow hollow. I'd been down about 10 years ago and well remembered the steep climb back up and how winded I was after making that climb. There are, I think, about 500 steps to the bottom, some of them in a wire cage-type of structure hanging over a cliff where you can see down below you, a challenge for folks like me with vertigo. But I remembered the beauty of the falls and have been wanting to go back even though I knew I would not be able to go all the way down to the lower falls.

It was worth the effort. The laurel was in bloom along the narrow path, and the lush green of hundreds of plant varieties created rich patterns of green, shade and light.

The recent wet weather made the steps and paths very slippery with moss and such.

The upper falls; not the best shot but as good as I got on this trip.

These are the middle falls, and as far as I was able to go, as the wire cage steps started just past here.

Dave was busy with his professional equipment, and the photos he showed me later were breath-taking.

I left him to it and started back up because I knew it was going to be a slow trip. I think I needed a slow-moving vehicle sign on my back! I was a little comforted by meeting other, younger people on the trail who also had to stop occasionally on the way back up.

Small falls graced the path all along the way, results of the recent heavy rains.

I was winded but happy when I returned to the van. I hope I can go back to the falls one day and actually make it all the way to the bottom, but for now, this was enough to keep me happy. I'd like to see these falls in winter, and in fall because they are sure to be gorgeous in any season.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Mystery Falls

After storytelling yesterday, I came home by way of US Route 60, the same trail we followed two weeks ago to Clifftop. On that trip we stopped and took photos of Cathedral Falls. This time, I wanted to visit two of the other falls along the road. I do not know the names of them. But the one I want to show you today is breathtaking.


This falls is almost hidden on the side of the road because the growth around it is so lush. I actually passed it and had to turn around. Located near a small community called Charlton Heights, the falls have created a natural canyon of rock cliffs. But mingled with the natural stone were the most amazing stone walls. Who built them, and why?

There is no sign to explain the presence or purpose of the stone walls which were obviously laid with great skill. Dry-laid, is what Larry would call it, meaning the stones were laid without mortar or concrete.













Here you can see the intricacy of the wall, the careful placement of the stones to fit neatly together and hold strong over the years.















I wondered at the purpose of the holes near the top of the wall. Were they made to channel the water, or were they created when some of the stonework fell out of the wall during freezing and thawing or strong rains and floods? They look to me as if they were part of the construction of the wall, and had a definite purpose. But what was it?

















Far below, the water mists on stones that may once have been part of the wall.














The wall curves around the natural stone canyon, following its shape. I could not see the beginning or end of the wall. Does it extend beyond the waterfall grotto? Maybe I will return in winter to find out.

I wonder if it was built during the days of the Civilian Conservation Corps? That seems likely, since those men did a lot of stonework along our highways. Was this once a little roadside park, with tables and picnic shelter? That might explain the decision to build a wall here.


Another possibility is that the stonework around the waterfall might have been built by the Italian immigrants to the area who worked in the steel mills along the river. In other locations in West Virginia, beautiful stonework was done by immigrants during the booming industrial period in our state. If anyone knows anything about this lovely waterfall and its stone wall, I'd sure like to hear the story.

This sign, not far from the waterfall and its wall, discusses ancient stone walls on the other side of the Great Kanawha River from where the sign is located. It does not mention any walls on this side of the river.


The ancient works in themselves are a story, surrounded as they are in mystery. There was a local legend that the walls were built by a race of tall white people who once inhabited the Kanawha Valley. There are some early reports, like this one by Captain William N. Page, about the ancient walls. His photos are fascinating. A report written in 1884 describes the burial mounds within the walls, stating that,"A skeleton 7 feet 6 inches long, and 19 inches across the chest,' was removed from a massive stone structure that was likened to a temple chamber within a mound." (American Antiquarian, v. 6, 1884, from the website http://www.suzar.com/BOTW/found-in-mounds.html ).

In the 1960's, a study of the area revealed that "Excavations of the bottomlands in 1961-62, established that there were likely three main occupations in this area: Hopewellian, from about A.D. 500; Woodland Era, of about A.D. 1000; and Fort Ancient Era, a town of about A.D. 1500." (from the West Virginia Cyclopedia).