The New

Shortly before they knew about Bennett, Cheryl and Dave won a rafting trip down a newly declared national river in West Virginia.  They postponed the trip until now when we could take care of the boy while they enjoyed the river.  It was a great idea because otherwise we would have missed a beautiful place and an interesting history lesson.

The New River Gorge River (not a typo) is actually one of the oldest rivers in the world.  Nature carved a beautiful gorge then man messed it up with a century of mining of coal but nature has won in the end.  For almost one hundred years mines were dug deep into these hills tearing out the coal needed to support the growing industries of the East and Midwest.  This mining has mostly ended now and the woods have reclaimed the area making it a destination for rafters, kayakers, hikers and rock climbers.

Before our family arrived from DC, we took the narrow road down into the gorge.  An excellent audio tour provided by the National Park Service gave the natural and human history of the area.

We stood under one of the longest single span bridges. 

We watched the rain swollen river rage past. 

We watched in awe as a climber went up the rocks.

The entire ride was filled with beautiful scenery and waterfalls. 

Jerry talked to a construction worker who recommended we visit Thurmond, an old mining town.  There was a lot of construction on the roadway and during one delay, we asked how far the town was.  The answer was, “Over there down the holler.”  Anna Lee thought she had been transported into an Adriana Trigiani book.

Seven miles, several narrow bridges, and a lot of bends took us to a ghost town whose remaining side road is leveled with coal. 

 The railway station/Visitor’s Center had a sign saying they would open in May but were closed.  The railroad track along the side of the main street is still in use but the remaining buildings are frozen in the turn of the last century.  The sign in the bank window advertised interest at 3% and said it was a bank for State, County and Ford Motor Company. 

This town represented the story of much of this part of West Virginia from coal mining boom to tourist attraction.

We returned to our campsite on the grounds of the water rafting company and waited to welcome Bennett and his parents.  He is every bit as wonderful as when we kissed him goodbye in February.

While Cheryl and Dave had to go rafting on the swiftly flowing water we enjoyed our time with The Boy.  We took him to Tamarack, a folk arts center where we again saw very good woodwork, ceramics, and glasswork.

Bennett found the outdoor sculpture tasty.

Cheryl and Dave’s trip was short due to the speed of the water so they were able to meet us for an excellent tour of the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine Museum.  The best way to sum up our impression is to say that Cheryl was so impressed she talked to the Director about how good it was (for those of you who do not know, both Cheryl and Dave work for the Smithsonian and Cheryl is a museum exhibit developer). 

After reading the displays in the main building, we all got on a tram for a ride through an old coal mine.  Bennett loved it. 

Our guide, a 28-year veteran miner, showed us the equipment used from the early days on to later and somewhat safer times. 

We then visited the three houses on the site, a small single room for bachelors (our walk-in closet is bigger) and a three-room home for families.  These homes were owned by the company who took rent out of each paycheck along with charges for the tools and uniforms worn by the miners and supplies for themselves and their families.  Nearby, the third house, provided rent free, was for the superintendent and his family.  It was nicely furnished and provisioned.

The schoolhouse we visited was for black children.  With the exception of the mine itself, life in the towns was segregated.

The barber shop, doctor’s office and post office are set up in the superintendent’s house for museum display.

The church also served as a meeting hall.

The museum had a outstanding traveling exhibit on the Civil War.  It had letters and interviews from former slaves.  Popular American culture toward both the war and blacks was shown in movies from Birth of a Nation to Gone with the Wind (Hattie McDaniel had to read her acceptance speech as written by the studio.) to Glory.

Jerry found the display on the judicial decisions regarding slavery to be very good.

At the end of the day we enjoyed an evening in the coach.  Bennett thought of it as a bigger toy area.