WV Historical Markers - Let's Find All 700

Received the March issue of "Wonderful West Virginia" today and noticed in the "West Virginia Bookshelf" section they are offering a book titled "Marking Our Past": a 208 page work describing the historical markers in the state.

Was wondering if the efforts of those who contributed to this thread have been noted? I certainly hope so (I'm not one of them).

Just a FYI.

Ned

Thanks for the note. The last issue I know of was published in 2002. Perhaps the next edition will have some of our photos for new/replaced markers. Joe Geiger is pretty good with keeping track of all the updates we sent, so I'm hoping there may be a brief credit for our work if they use any of our material in the next book. We'll see.

I was down in your state grabbing a tag last weekend and got a couple markers. I know they're bruces. From the spreadsheet, vatrader01 got both of these. Hopefully you don't mind bruces. From the looks of the spreadsheet it's a gonna be tough to get any new ones, but I'll do what I can whenever I get back in the area.

Thanks for the photos. Like a good book, these markers can be enjoyed more than once. There were several (over a dozen) new/replacement markers being put up in the Eastern Panhandle, so if you see a shiny new one, it may be a "first post".

UPDATES:

#1) I received an interesting email from Matt with the following info on the US Coast and Gedetic Survey mark on Post #925 (Fort Scammon)

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=407164&page=62

These benchmark disks are the actual points where a surveyor's plumb bob would have hung in the center of the disk (at the cross mark of the arrow.) This particular disk is called a 'reference mark', and the arrow actually points to another disk that is designated the 'station mark'. It is stamped with its unique designation and the year it was monumented, in this case 'FORT 1944' The disks are used as reference points for future surveyors and mapping.
You can find more information from the following link:
http://www.geocaching.com/mark/details.aspx?PID=HX3089 <http://www.geocaching.com/mark/details.aspx?PID=HX3089>

And I have included more detailed information from the NGS website (www.ngs.noaa.gov <http://www.ngs.noaa.gov> ) below. If you are wondering why I am writing you about this - 'Benchmarking' or searching for these disks is a hobby of mine and I stumbled across the picture you took of this one while searching on the internet. Hopefully this information will help you unravel some mystery behind the marker.

#2) I spoke with Joe Geiger a couple of weeks ago when I was in Charleston. He is going to send me a list of recently added markers. There are about 20 new markers that aren't even on the original list or have been missing for years. I will post the list ASAP and we can head out for some new adventures.

New Marker (Replacement, actually)

Yes, there are appx 20 new markers out there, particularly in the Eastern Panhandle. I will be posting a list ASAP when I receive that information.

In the meantime, this marker was on the MIA list for several years. I spent many hours looking for it, then it suddenly appeared along Rt 50, just west of Union Educational Complex, just a few miles east of Gormania.




Historical Marker, Side #1 - Located on Rt 50 about 1/2 mile west of the Grant County Union Educational Complex - about 4 miles east of Gormania, and 3 miles west of the junction with Rt 42 at Mt Storm.




Historical Marker - Side #2




View westbound on Rt 50 approaching Gormania (4 miles).




View eastbound approaching Union Educational Complex (1/2 mile) and Mt Storm/Rt 42 Junction (3 miles).

How did that work out Georgie boy??

UPDATE - Joe Geiger sent me a list of about 40 markers that have been replaced (either missing or needed refurbished) as well as about 10 brand new markers that are not even in the books yet.

I need to get some info (location) on some of the markers, and will be posting a list as soon as possible. Looking forward to checking out some of these new markers.

Most of the refurbished ones were done thanks to the photos you all submitted, allowing the folks in Charleston to see first-hand how bad some of them were. It will be nice to show "Before and After" shots on those.

See you soon with the new list.

Farmington Mine Disaster - Marion County - See original post #455 on Page 31

Original Photo:





REFURBISHED MARKER: (Much nicer!! )


Marker has been moved to Downtown Farmington, Rt 218, North of Bridge - where the "Waitman T. Willey" marker was previously located.

39* 30' 45.10" N
80* 14' 55.39" W





Side #2




View south towards junction with Rt 250




View north towards downtown Farmington.

NEW MARKER - COMMISSIONED IN 2012

(From Wikipedia) - Bathsheba Wilson Bigler Smith (3 May 1822 &#8211; 20 September 1910) was an early member of the Latter Day Saint Movement. She was the fourth general president of the Relief Society of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS Church), a matron of the Salt Lake Temple, a member of the Board of Directors of Deseret Hospital, Salt Lake City, Utah, and a leader in the western United States women's suffrage movement.

Born near Shinnston, Harrison County, Virginia (now West Virginia), she was the daughter of Mark Bigler and Susanna Ogden

After the death of her husband in 1875, Smith became active in civic affairs and heavily involved in the women's suffrage movement. She was called to serve as general president of the church's women's organization, the Relief Society in 1901 and served in the position until her death in 1910. She was buried at Salt Lake City Cemetery.



Historical Marker located on CR 19/2, appx 50 meters east of Rt 19 in Enterprise.

39* 25' 25.08" N
80* 16' 37.72" W



Side 2 of marker




View east on Cr 19/2 towards West Fork River




View west towards junction with Rt 19



View "upstream" (south) on West Fork River toward her birthplace as mentioned on marker.


.

NEW MARKER - COMMISSIONED 2012

(From the WV Archives and History site):

Charleston, West Virginia The most destructive natural disaster in lives and property to occur in West Virginia came about as the result of a tornado at Shinnston in Harrison County on June 23, 1944, when a total of 153 persons lost their lives. This was but nine miles from the Monongah mine where in 1907 some 350 persons lost their lives, the greatest disaster in the state and the greatest mine disaster in history.


This tornado, the most severe one West Virginia has experienced, came about 8:30 in the evening when from the northwest a great black funnel-shaped cloud appeared, traveling about 40 miles per hour. Most persons seeing it thought it to be fire of some kind until they noticed a heavy mass of debris, timbers, trees, etc., traveling before the cloud. Then they knew the worst.


Other sections visited by the tornado were Flemington, Meadowsville, Montrose, Thomas all in West Virginia: Oakland, in Maryland and Chartiers, McKeesport and Smithfield in Pennsylvania. But the big damage was in Shinnston. The main path of the tornado was from 500 to 1,000 feet in width. The time it took to roar through Shinnston was some two minutes.
Here is the summary of the damage of the tornado as given by the American Red Cross:


West Virginia 103 persons killed, 72 in Harrison County, nine in Barbour County, three in Marion County, seven in Randolph County; 846 persons seriously injured; 1,686 families affected; 404 homes destroyed.


There were 45 persons killed in Pennsylvania and three in Maryland. Total statistics for Pennsylvania, Ohio, Maryland, West Virginia: 153 persons killed; 846 seriously injured; 1,686 families affected; 404 homes destroyed; 821 other buildings damaged. The damage was less serious in Ohio.


The tornado ran out in the Allegheny Mountains.


The place hardest hit was Pleasant Hill, a suburban section of Shinnston with about 50 homes. This group of houses just disappeared. Persons who witnessed the tornado say that one minute it was there-the next minute it had gone as though by some magic. Dozens were killed at that spot.


As usual many unbelievable things happened in this tornado: Bonds, checks and papers from that section were found some 150 to 200 miles away in Moorefield, West Virginia; Staunton, Virginia and in Southwest Virginia.


The steel radio tower of the State Police was broken in twain.


A barn was blown away, leaving the horse in the stall uninjured, but a two-by-four beam blew straight through a cow in the field. A pig pen disappeared leaving the pigs. Hailstones were described as baseballs.


Nine persons were killed in the home of Charles Carlin on Peoria Hill at Shinnston, all that were there when the house was demolished; but there were 17 persons in the general store of Y. C. Holsberry at Meadowsville and all but three were injured when the store collapsed completely. Holsberry lost 17 buildings in the tornado. A garage was carried away at Meadowville, the car inside undamaged. Some automobiles were blown 100 feet.


Streetcar tracks were twisted as though made of macaroni, and a cook stove was found three miles away from its former home.


A box containing $750 in bonds and valuables was carried miles away but returned to its owner.


Numbers of bodies were recovered from the West Fork River, one of them 40 miles down stream.


A truck was loaded with a thousand feet of green lumber. Only five pieces of the lumber remained after the storm. One woman was found dead, hurled through the air several hundred feet.


The home of Paul Cox, Shinn's Run, skidded 1,000 feet then was borne through the air for 175 feet. His wife and two children died.


The "believe it or not" story about the tornado is that some persons will swear that they saw straw blown through a concrete wall.


(Note: permission was given by George Rice of Shinnston to use material from the book his father-in- law, the late John L. Finlayson, author of Shinnston Tornado.)







Historical Marker located on Rt 19 by the trailhead for the North Fork River Rails to Trails trail. (South Pike St / Lynn St)

39* 23' 35.17" N
80* 18' 26.53" W




Side 2 of marker




View north along Rt 19 entering Shinnston.




View south along Rt 19 leaving Shinnston.




View of Downtown Shinnston - looking south from about 1 mile north of the marker.



.

How long you going to keep this to yourself?

on a scooter

Sorry - I got a note back from Joe Geiger. His deputy (who was running the markers program the past year) just left and he's trying to do double duty. I emailed him a list of about 20 questions and he said it might take time to get answers.

I happened to see these 2 markers on my way home from Sgt Kiger's burial in Mannington last week. Totally by chance.

In the meantime, here is what I have TENTATIVELY - meaning, the markers were ordered and presumed to be delivered to the local DOH sign shops, but we don't know if they are in place. I stopped by our local shop, and the sign man (Rick Reed) told me he had put up a few, but he still had some in the wrappers waiting to be installed. So.... with that in mind, here is a list of new or refurbished markers that MAY or MAY NOT be in place yet. The new markers did not have an exact location listed (which are on the list of questions for Joe).

NEW MARKERS:
Capon Lake Whipple Truss Bridge (Hampshire Co) Location ?
Stalnaker Cabin Site and Cemetery (Randolph Co) Location ?
Oakwood Mine Complex (Fayette Co) Location ?
Carswell Mining Complex (McDowell Co) Location ?
Albright/Albright Family (Preston Co) Location?
Lavina Norman (Cabell Co) Location?
Jimtown/Phillips Cemetery (Randolph Co) - Location??

WERE PREVIOUSLY LISTED AS MISSING:
Camp Carlile (Ohio CO) Zane St / N. Wabash St - Wheeling Island, Wheeling
Old Iron Furnace (Preston Co) Rt 26 NW of Albright
Greenbrier CO / Virginia - Rt 60 (?)
Asa Gray / Buffalo Trail (Randolph Co) - Rt 250 near Pocahontas Co line
Fort Ogden (Grant Co) Rt 50 - E of Gormania - 1 mile west of CR 50-2
Fairfax Line (Grant Co) Rt 220 - 1 mile south of Petersburg
Flemington (Taylor Co) - Rt 76
Dunkard Bottom (Preston Co) - Rt 7 - 2 mi East of Rt 26
Dunmore's Camp (Wood Co) - Rt 2 - Waverly
Huntington (Cabell Co) - Rt 60 (5th Ave) between 7th and 8th Street
Lover's Leap (Morgan Co) - Rt 522 - north of Berkeley Springs (better get this one before someone steals it again!)
Mason-Dixon Line (Preston Co) - Rt 26 NE of Bruceton Mills at the PA state line.


The rest are refurbished ones - I need to go through the postings and see if the photos we have are the old ones or if we have the refurbished ones already. This will hopefully give you something to keep you busy tomorrow.

In the words of my buddy Arnold, "I'll be Bach."


.

Speaking of which, I still haven't got to hear you play your namesake

pnoman!

Yeah, that too.

REPLACEMENT MARKER

The old marker has been refurbished.




OLD MARKER (see Post #77 - Page 6 for complete posting)


********




REFURBISHED MARKER (Side 1)



REFURBISHED MARKER (Side 2)

REFURBISHED MARKER

The Federal Dam marker in Grafton has been refurbished.




OLD MARKER (See Post #76 - Page 6 for complete posting)


**************



REFURBISHED MARKER (Side 1)




REFURBISHED MARKER (Side 2)


.

REFURBISHED MARKER

The Dr Loomis' Grave marker in Terra Alta has been refurbished. (It really needed it!)




Old Marker (See Post #404 - Page 27 for complete posting)


************



Refurbished Marker (Side #1)




Refurbished Marker (Side #2)



.

Refurbished Marker

Rt 76 Harrison Co / Taylor County Line (west of Flemington)


ORIGINAL PHOTOS AND REPORT CAN BE FOUND ON PAGE 6, POST #90



OLD MARKER (SIDE #1)



REFURBISHED MARKER (SIDE #1)






OLD MARKER (SIDE #2)



REFURBISHED MARKER (SIDE #2)


.