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 eve...

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...