Droop Mountain boasts three state parks, spectacular views, many ghost sightings, a well-documented history, and wonderful flora and fauna, but surprisingly little interesting documentation on the Internet. Here is my own edited list of park links.
Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park
- Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park. This is West Virginia's Department of Natural Resources site, including a description, directions, and a historical sketch.
- Museums of West Virginia's Droop Mountain Battlefield page. Behind the park offices is a small museum, containing Civil War artifacts found in the park, a facsimile copy of the New York Times' account of the battle, and other items of historical note.
- National Park Service's Heritage Preservation Services page for the Droop Mountain Battlefield. This gives a more detailed account of the 1863 battle than the previous sites.
- WV Division of Culture and History's Dedication of Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park originally published in the Pocahontas Times, July 12, 1928.
- The Tenth West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment pages include an account of that regiment's participation in the battle.
Beartown State Park is smaller, only about 100 acres, but when I need to take a visitor someplace outdoors, this park is always a good choice. It's main attraction is a boardwalk around interesting rock formations. WV Department of Natural Resources' Web page is apparently the source for the other Beartown Web pages I've seen.
The Greenbrier River Trail is a long, skinny park, following the course of the defunct Greenbrier Division of the C&O Railroad. The railroad drilled a tunnel through Droop Mountain at Roher (in Greenbrier County), and bikers get to ride their bikes in total darkness for a short ways. There are a number of businesses with Greenbrier River Trail Web pages, but Cherry Creek's Guide to the Greenbrier River Trail is one that has interesting information in addition to tour prices and contact information.
No comments:
Post a Comment