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    Summers County
    Summers County
    Summers County
    Ebook215 pages1 hour

    Summers County

    By Ed Robinson

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    It was the pull of the steam engine that brought residents to Summers County after the Civil War. With Hinton as a bustling hub of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad, Summers County found itself along the path of goods and travelers going to and from Richmond and the Midwest. Surrounded by breathtaking scenery and good mountain air, residents prospered in the county, building beautiful homes and lively communities. Lumber and riverboat traffic also added to the scene, although it was around the C&O that the area's culture truly thrived. Legends such as John Henry, the Steel Drivin' Man who out-drilled a steam drill while digging the Great Bend Tunnel, came to symbolize the grit-and-steel consciousness of this West Virginia county.Life was good, but work was hard. When diesel engines became the norm in the 1950s, Summers County's fabric began to change. Today tourism and recreation are the greatest industries in the area, but residents have not forgotten their past. Each year the county taps into its railroading heritage with festivals and celebrations, and efforts are being made to preserve some of Hinton's unique architecture.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateSep 18, 2012
    ISBN9781439629413
    Summers County

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      Book preview

      Summers County - Ed Robinson

      Tassos.

      INTRODUCTION

      Summers County, located in southern West Virginia, is a rural county. Hinton, the county seat, is the only incorporated town.

      Despite its small size in terms of population (approximately 13,000 in the year 2000) and area (368 square miles), Summers County is rich in natural beauty and history. The county lies on the Allegheny Plateau of the Appalachian Mountains and is dissected by three rivers—the New River, the Greenbrier, and Bluestone Rivers. The combination of mountains and rivers frequently results in spectacular vistas. In addition to many historic sites, Summers County has the most recorded archaeological locations among West Virginia’s 55 counties.

      In the formative years of the county, many individuals in the area were hard-working, self-reliant, independent, and talented. Those traits are still prevalent in the county’s population of today.

      The following list describes some of the significant events and trends in the history of Summers County.

      13000 B.C. to A.D. 1700. Native Americans resided in the area of Summers County for thousands of years. Around 1700 A.D. the native dwellers relocated out of the area, returning only to hunt. White settlers first populated the land along the rivers in the mid-1700s. The arrival of the European descendants prevented the Indians from hunting freely as they once did.

      1750–1751. Land companies facilitated settlements in the region. Dr. Thomas Walker led an expedition for the Loyal Land Company that explored present-day Kentucky and West Virginia. He noted the existence of settlements in the Greenbrier River Valley. John Lewis, on behalf of the Greenbrier Land Company, surveyed land along the Greenbrier River.

      1753. Andrew Culbertson settled at Culbertson (later Crumps) Bottom on the New River. Due to the frequent threat of Indian attacks he left the next year.

      1754–1763. During the French and Indian War, several forts were constructed in the area for the defense of the settlers.

      1763. Indians massacred settlers at Muddy Creek, which is near the present boundary of Summers County. The English Crown issued the Proclamation of 1763 that prevented settlement west of the Appalachian Mountains. These two factors combined caused a depopulation of the area for several years.

      1770. Col. James Graham, Samuel Gwinn, and others settled along the banks of the Greenbrier River.

      1777. The Indians assaulted the Col. James Graham house. This attack was only one of many in the area during the year. Historians call this year the year of the bloody sevens because of the frequent Indian incursions.

      1780–1850. During this period, there was an influx of settlers. At first, the pioneers settled primarily in valley bottoms. As their numbers increased, settlers moved to more rugged locations.

      1861–1865. Most of the soldiers who lived in the part of western Virginia that ultimately became West Virginia fought for the Union during the Civil War. In sharp contrast, the vast majority of soldiers derived from the future Summers County were on the side of the Confederacy. Very few landowners in that area were slaveholders. There were a number of skirmishes in the area, but no major battles.

      1863. The state of West Virginia was formed from the western part of Virginia.

      1871. This year was the most significant in the history of the county for two very distinct reasons. First, the state legislature created Summers County from portions of Fayette, Greenbrier, Mercer, and Monroe Counties. (Summers County also borders Raleigh County.) The county was named for George W. Summers, a former member of the United States House of Representatives from Virginia. Second, the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Railway Company built a major maintenance yard and purchased property in the present-day Hinton area. Soon afterwards, the C&O laid out streets, subdivided the land, and donated land for the construction of the county courthouse.

      1873. The Great Bend Tunnel of the C&O was completed. It is the site where the legendary John Henry, the steel drivin’ man, defeated the steam drill.

      1873–1910. Hinton realized a boom in population and construction grew during this period. Hinton’s population skyrocketed from a mere few hundred in the early 1870s to over 6,000 by 1907. The building that took place in the area was dynamic both in terms of rapid growth and architectural diversity. Building styles represented included English Gothic, American Gothic, Classical and Greek Revival, High Victorian, American Four Square, and Second Empire.

      1880. The town of Hinton was incorporated into the county.

      1890. The town of Avis was incorporated into the county.

      1891. Mr. M.E. Ingalls, president of the C&O, gave the principal address at the opening of the YMCA in Hinton. This structure was the first of many YMCAs on the C&O line.

      1902. The Hinton Daily News, the forerunner of the current Hinton News, was established.

      1907. Builders constructed three impressive structures—the Masonic Temple, the McCreery Hotel, and the Big Four Building.

      1917–1945. Hinton and Summers County were relatively prosperous during this period, dominated by the two World Wars and the Great Depression. The railroad served as the principal catalyst for the economic activity.

      1927. The city of Hinton expanded to include Avis and Bellepoint.

      1949. Operationally, the Bluestone Dam was completed. The Bluestone Lake was created.

      EARLY 1950s. Bluestone State Park opened. Bluestone Lake, one of the largest lakes in West Virginia is noted for excellent fishing.

      1950s. More efficient diesel engines replaced the steam engines on locomotives. Consequently, maintenance of engines was sharply reduced. This reduction, coupled with the increasing mechanization of coal mining, resulted in a sharp drop in railroad activity and employment in Hinton.

      1970. Pipestem State Park—which was regarded by many as the premier state park in West Virginia—opened.

      1978. As a unit of the National Park Service (NPS), Congress created the New River Gorge National River. The NPS protects and preserves a 53-mile stretch of the New River as a free flowing river in Summers, Raleigh, and Fayette Counties.

      1984. Downtown Hinton was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

      1988. Engineers completed Interstate 64 through the northern portion of the county.

      2003. The National Park Service opened a visitor center at Sandstone near Interstate 64.

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      THE SETTING

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