Tucker County Connection

I tend to have an explorers mentality when it comes to my journeys around Tucker County often times locating lost landmarks, hidden hideaways, and other long lost or secluded places. I've discovered such things on my walks around the county as long ago abandoned vehicles, the foundations of long forgotten buildings, remnants of our old industrial past, and more. My passion lays in finding out forgotten facts and the misplaced history of our county. I'm one of the few people who can tell you that Hendricks once had a Knights of Pythias lodge based on information I found by digging an electric bill dated 1935 out of a rats nest in the rafters of an old building slated for demolition, I can tell you that on a really hot summer day the smaller culverts under the bike trail at the Hambleton intersection offer a cool place to relax for those who aren't afraid of snakes or spiders (pictured above), and I can tell you that a logging crew operating on Limestone Mountain several

Hu Maxwell 1890 The article and photo contained here are in the public domain due to the age of publication. I have done nothing to the work other than to fix a few spelling errors. RETREAT OF GENERAL ROBERT S. GARNETT. By Hu Maxwell. The Transallegheny Historical Magazine: Volume 1 Issue 3 Published October 1901 The most important military movement west of the Alleghenies in West Virginia during the Civil War was the effort made by the Confederate Government in 1861 to hold the northwestern part of the State, and the counter movement by the Federal forces to prevent it. The commanding general of the Confederates was Robert S. Garnett, and the Union army opposing was led by General George B. McClellan. In this article it is not the purpose to enter into details of the movements of the armies prior to July 12, the date on which the Confederates retreated from Laurel Hill. But fuller mention will be given to the incidents of the retreat, and in doing this the chief relian

When internet service first reached Tucker County we were stuck with dial-up provided by local ISP's such as the long defunct Meer Net and still operational Frontier. Dial-up meant you couldn't make a phone call and surf the net at the same time, you were limited to 56KBPS, and downloading a movie at this speed usually took a week or more. As technology in the region expanded Frontier stepped up to offer the first DSL internet service with an advertised speed of around 1MBPS that in reality and from personal experience I found to be more along the lines of 256KBPS. Despite the slower than advertised speed experienced by many customers 256KBPS was still around five times faster than dial-up and offered the benefit of allowing customers to download a movie in around a day. Frontier DSL would be the status quo for more than a decade in our area as the local ISP market remained uncompetitive with little to no alternatives existing. Just a few years ago Atlantic Broadband ex

It's only been a few years ago that Friday and Saturday evenings in Parsons usually meant a trip to the local video rental store. Mt. Lion Video was that local video rental store and featured a large selection of old and new movies and games while also allowing you to rent the machines and systems to play them on. A decade ago most would have never thought twice about the video shop going out of business as it was a staple in the community and it was a safe bet that almost every resident utilized their services at one time or another.  Mt. Lion Video while it was a much smaller local business suffered the same fate of the larger national Blockbuster chain at the hands of the internet and the growing popularity, cheaper cost, and simplicity of services like Netflix , Amazon Prime ,  Hulu , and other online video streaming services. As customers flocked away from brick and mortar video shops in favor of virtual ones sales and rentals declined resulting in it's eventual

As West Virginia struggles to deal with the opioid epidemic sweeping across the Mountain State small towns like ours are likewise getting caught up in the issue. In my high school days most of the available drugs in Tucker County consisted of Marijuana along with a small trickle of other harder drugs. In modern days that trickle has turned into more of a downpour as both harder street drugs and opioid based pharmaceuticals manage to find their way into our area on a daily basis. I hate seeing anyone go down the path of hardcore drug use in our community yet I've had to watch several do just that over the years and currently know several more fighting a loosing battle against these substances. Over my years in the public eye I've been offered every drug imaginable at one point or another and turned them down flat as I don't need a drug to ruin my life and I know that's exactly what they do. These drugs lure in users with promises of forgetting pain, providing an

Many of you may have seen the logo pictured, but what exactly is PRO ON TRAC and what do they do for the community? According to their mission statement "The mission of PRO ON TRAC is to achieve historic preservation and downtown revitalization by stimulating economic growth, enhancing Parsons’ core assets, and promoting Parsons as an appealing and vibrant place to live, work, and visit.". Since first starting to work in Parsons in 2001 and later setting up a permanent presence in the city in 2009 PRO ON TRAC has worked in conjunction with local governments, business owners, and the community to remain true to that mission statement and have become instrumental in bringing back Parsons to what it is today and what it will be tomorrow. The task they've undertaken is no menial one and indeed they've had their work cut out for them yet they've still managed to repair, repurpose, and fill crumbling commercial buildings, host a wide range of local events, banque

With the cost of everything going up constantly wouldn't it be great to get away from the daily grind and find a few moments of complete solitude to just relax without paying for it? What are you waiting for? Tucker County is mostly a vast wilderness featuring an abundance of national forests, parks, trails, and other secluded areas. You can spend a day or two relaxing by the river at a camp site, walking one of the many trails at places like Nursery Bottom, Otter Creek, Dolly Sods, Blackwater Falls, or one of the other trails in our area, or you could always do my favorite and go off the beaten path for a wilderness hike in the national forest. The best things in life are free and we've got plenty of free and inexpensive options everywhere you look in Tucker County. Fishing, swimming, hiking, biking, kayaking, camping, and many other outdoor adventures await those who have the will to leave the house and the urge to explore. Remember not to forget your camera for those g

Being a teen in Parsons in the 90's usually meant that you had at some point had a job as a pin setter at the bowling alley, a friendly cross town rivalry still existed between Parsons and Hamrick, and evenings were mostly spent hanging out, shooting pool, and buying or trading cards at Hanks. Hanks was a local sports card shop and arcade located in the tan building beside Long's operated by former sheriff Hank Thompson. While Hanks wasn't the actual name of the business it was what most of us local kids came to know it by as Hank was always there to greet you, talk sports, and sell you the latest packs of sports cards. In it's heyday Hanks was the hottest afterschool spot in town attracting most local teens with coin operated pool tables, the latest arcade machines, and a huge selection of sports cards. They were well poised as the only card shop in town and managed to ride the sports card craze of the early to mid 90's. Sadly the sports card market was more

If you're anything like me you're already counting down the days until summer rolls around so you can hit the rivers to swim, kayak, fish, and relax. While I'd been swimming in the Cheat River since I was a little boy I only discovered kayaking this past summer when a friend invited me along for a trip and I quickly fell in love with the freedom of being out on the river. In no time at all I was out picking up my own kayak to enjoy my newfound hobby and busy making several trips up and down the river at St. George getting the hang of paddling, turning, balancing, and stopping while planning for longer trips to come. Next summer I look forward to making several longer trips on the river as I continue to explore the waterways of Tucker County while carrying my waterproof camera along with me to take some unique shots as I paddle and glide across the clear waters. A day at the river doing a bit of kayaking can be a great way to spend some fun time with the family on

Everyone loves a warm cheesy slice of pizza. Parsons Pizza located on Second St in Parsons offers customers the chance to sit at home and relax while they do the work and deliver, you come in for a pickup, or bring the family and dine in. Offering a Big Momma for $10 or a large one topping for $5.99 makes them a more than affordable option on those "I just got off work don't feel like cooking" evenings. Parsons Pizza is another local business I frequent quite often as it's located close to my shops on Second St. and affords me to the ability to grab a quick lunch without going far. They offer good pizza for a good price and it comes with an abundance of fast friendly service. The menu here includes pizza, hoagies, jumbo wings, fries, salads, and cheese bread along with a small gift shop that carries rustic and country décor for last minute gift ideas. Don't forget to join them Friday Dec 22nd from 6-8PM as Santa makes a visit to their shop and you may wan

Many may think that the recent snowfall means staying indoors wrapped up in a heavy blanket cursing the cold for it's annual arrival. In Tucker County snowfall means tourist are once again flowing into the area for some skiing, tubing, and sledding at one of our local resorts. At Canaan Valley Resort you can partake in one or more of it's 43 slopes and trails featuring an 850 foot vertical drop that allows for all skill levels to partake in the fun. They offer skiing, snowboarding, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, tubing, ice skating and more. At Timberline you can enjoy one of their 37 slopes and trails featuring a vertical drop of 1,000 feet and offering a ski-school to allow for training and upgrading of your skills. While at Timberline enjoying all of the skiing you can also enjoy taking in sleigh ride, attending a ski-in church, or one of the many other memorable and pampered experiences offered there. Blackwater Falls State Park one of the most famous and pho

Photo is by the USDA and public domain  In our area the mountains and hollers are full of plants that can be both edible and valuable. While some local plants such as elderberries, blackberries, and raspberries are used for making jams we also have rarer plants that can earn you a few extra dollars on your hike. The most notable of these valuable plants is Ginseng a plant prized primarily in China for the medicinal properties of it's roots. Although Ginseng has been used as a medicinal herb in China for thousands of years modern studies are inconclusive on it's actual medical applications and properties. In West Virginia digging Ginseng requires you to abide by several laws and regulations in order to preserve the species for future generations with most being common sense practices like planting the berries back to grow the next generation, mandating a minimum size that can be dug, and enforcing a seasonal dig period that allows the plants berries to reach maturity. Lo

Corridor H construction photo from  wvcorridorh.com public news release. The completion of Corridor H is a hot topic for almost every local official, but what does the completion of Corridor H actually mean for the small city of Parsons? Many politicians will tout the fact that completion of this interstate will open up our area to more business, easier access, and a huge influx of tourism. With the current uncompleted layout of the interstate Parsons enjoys a unique situation where every car traveling Corridor H has to disembark at Davis and drive through Parsons to once again jump on the interstate at Kerns. The current arrangement means most motorists don't have a choice when it comes to driving through our downtown, seeing local shops, and being able to stop if they see something they like. With the completion of Corridor H motorists traveling the interstate will gain the ability to simply fly past Parsons without a second thought. While the interstate will clearly o

Even as the first snows of winter grip Tucker County some residents are counting down the days until they can once more enjoy some fried potatoes and ramps. This little wild onion has captivated those who can handle the smell since the times of Native Americans when they were often used as both a food source and medicinal herb by multiple tribes. In the modern day they remain an acquired taste with a cult like following of backwoods chefs steaming, frying, freezing, canning, and otherwise prepping them for a good old fashioned family dinner. Ramps grow wild and plentiful in our area and every year residents take full advantage of the free wild ingredient to make an ever growing number of delectable dishes. Local churches and restaurants are even getting in on the fun by offering ramp dinners, ramp burgers, and other ramp inspires dishes. Much to the dismay of many wives, neighbors, and anyone else within smelling range ramps remain a dietary staple in many Tucker County homes a

Throughout the entire history of Tucker County unforeseen and often tragic events have shaped the area we now know and love. We all now know Parsons as the county seat, but this is a title that may not have come to pass had it not been for a devastating fire that in December of 1888 claimed a large portion of the then prosperous town and county seat of St. George. The St. George fire wiped out a major portion of the infrastructure that allowed the town to thrive resulting in its eventual loss of both the county seat and the possibility of a rail line that could have potentially stemmed the decline. This fire forever changed the landscape of Tucker County, if not for this tragedy we would all probably still be paying our taxes, filing our marriage licenses, and taking shopping trips into the county seat of St. George rather than Parsons. Another major event that still burns bright in the memory of many local residents is again one of utter destruction, an event of such devastation

Most residents devote little attention to thoughts of potential emergency situations until they happen. In Tucker County like many towns and cities across the U.S. the task of answering these last minute and often panicked calls falls to the men and women of the local 911 system. In a time of terror and uncertainty the voice of a 911 operator can seem like a beacon of hope calming you as they dispatch the required EMS, Fire, Law Enforcement, or other needed asset to assist with your emergency situation. These often overlooked heroes man their station 24 hours a day 7 days a week to ensure that your calls never go unanswered and someone is always there to rapidly dispatch the help you need. When you face that inevitable emergency situation and reach for the phone to dial that well known three digit number your call is routed to a com center where a dispatcher answers the phone and requests information about your emergency in order to assess the situation and determine which asse

I get asked all the time "how do I start a business?" "what business would be good around here?" "how do I know what business taxes to pay?" and a slew of other business related questions so here goes. The first step in starting your business is to decide what your business is going to be. It's best when making this decision to examine the demand for a product in your area and find an uncatered to niche or marketplace where supply isn't prevalent. In a small town with a limited number of customers opening a competing business with other local establishments won't earn you any brownie points with other business owners and can often split an already thin customer base making your business as well as the competing business both unprofitable. Once you find an untapped market in your area decide on your business name, inventory, location, and format, checking your desired name with the state is always a good idea before filing to ensure you&

Residents both young and old share fond memories of the Tucker County Hick Fair, a celebration of our backwoods hillbilly heritage hosted by the now defunct Hendricks Ruritan Club that took place over its 47 years of operation at both Hendricks prior to the 1985 flood and Camp Kid beginning in 1986. The event featured contests, demonstrations, entertainment, and just good old fashioned family fun for everyone. Popular draws for the festival varied widely over the years and included events like the coon chase, tobacco spitting contest, lawn tractor pulls, turkey calling contest, cow patty bingo, lumberjack games, horse shows, and many more sure to leave any city slicker scratching their head events. In earlier years the hick fair was a major Tucker County event attended at one time or another by almost every resident and out of towner who would brave the banjo music to attend. In later years that turnout tapered off and eventually with the dissolution of the Hendricks Ruritan

It's once again time to put on those studded tires and brace for old man winter to unleash his fury on our small mountainous towns. While most of the country might tell you a gas guzzling 4x4 is unneeded those residents who live on the many narrow backroads of Tucker County would surely disagree. I grew up on Limestone and can remember the  snow drifts that blew across the roads from the open corn/hay fields on either side. The sight of these drifts would make a Prius admit defeat and a 4x4 owner drool with the anticipation of gunning the engine and busting through with snow flying up over the windshield. Limestone is a narrow paved road in St. George and in all honesty as far as Tucker County backroads go it's one of the better ones. To many residents the snow means tiresome shoveling, salting, and spinning, to the state road workers who are tasked with the job of keeping both our main and backroads open it means long hours in salt trucks, loaders, and other pieces of

Earlier today I attended the Parsons Christmas celebration and I must say this years celebration once again featured a community coming together to celebrate with the true meaning of Christmas on display for all to see. Every year the city works so hard to make this event a success and once again they managed to pull it off in spades. If you missed the celebration you missed seeing wood carving demonstrations, sleigh rides, hay rides, free food, free hats and gloves, a fire pit for warming you up, a parade that lasted over an hour, contests, entertainment, and more. The event featured a light hearted family friendly atmosphere with old friends joking around, mingling, and catching up as children danced with one of the many cartoon characters that were present or enjoyed one of the many free food items provided. I'd like to take a minute to say thanks to all those who continue to put in the extra effort to make each years celebration bigger and better than the preceding. Y

Every man knows when it comes to love few things can say it sweeter than flowers with a well written card for that personal touch. In fact, few things have the ability to express feelings of love, sympathy, understanding, caring, or to make an apology stand out. Stevens' Florist is a family owned and operated florist located in Parsons WV who've been turning out beautiful arrangements since 1962. Just imagine in that amount of time how many hearts they've helped steal, marriages they've helped save, birthdays they've help celebrate, anniversaries they've made special, and other notable life events they've been a welcomed part of in times of both love and sorrow. I sent my first rose from Stevens' Florist to someone I had a crush on back in my early high school days and since then I've made several trips to seek their assistance in making an occasion special and memorable for that special someone. They offer home décor items as well as a

The last few days I've been doing articles on local eating establishments that I like to frequent in and around Parsons WV. Today's article will focus on another one of my favorite places to eat Brenda's Backwoods Grill an establishment operated by arguably the nicest and occasionally craziest person in the world Brenda. I have to say that if you know Brenda you know that her attitude is infectious and you can't help but smile, laugh, and love her and the down home family atmosphere that radiates from her business. I've spent many evenings here just relaxing outside on a milk crate talking to the owners and enjoying the great company and good conversation. The menu here features fan favorites like burgers, fries, chicken tenders, liver & onions, fried bologna, mashed potatoes, salads, a daily special, and more with some of my favorites being the chili cheese fries, mushroom swiss burger, and I can rarely make it out the door without a warm apple dumplin

Remnants of a bygone railway era remain scattered all around Tucker County like this bridge pictured to the left that every resident is no doubt familiar with. The railway system first came to Tucker County by way of what would later become Davis in 1884 and reached the area that would later become Parsons in 1888 as the West Virginia Central & Pittsburg Railway, a name it would carry until it's merger with the Western Maryland Railway in 1905. The railway system in Tucker County is not only attributed with expanding the settlements it connected to but actually creating several of the towns we know today. The railway would operate under the Western Maryland moniker during most of it's operation in the county later being purchased by Chessie System in 1973 and merged once more into CSX in 1980. Line service ended for the Blackwater Canyon grade in 1983 and 6 years later after the 85 flood ravaged the line it was designated as a hiking trail. Many of the buildings a