Taylor County

Welcome to Taylor County, WV.




Taylor County is 176 square miles and has a population of approximately 16,000 people. The per capita income for the county is $13,681. The county was named for John Taylor of Caroline and was formed in 1844.




Within Taylor County, we will visit the towns of Belgium, Pruntytown, Flemington, and Grafton.

We first visited the Grafton Drive-In. If you look closely, you can see the movie screen on the hill behind the entrance sign. It is one of only ten drive in theaters remaining in West Virginia. The theater opened in 1949 and has the capacity for 250 cars. Double features are shown April through October.





Grafton is the birthplace of Mother's Day, created on May 10, 1908. In 1907, Anna Jarvis handed out 500 white carnations, one to every mother at church. The next year, that very same church held a special Sunday service honoring mothers. Anna worked very hard over the next forty years writing to politicians to make Mother's Day a holiday. Pictured above is the church, St. Andrew's Methodist Episcopal Church, and the International Mother's Day Shrine in Grafton.












Next, we paid a visit to the Grafton National Cemetary. The first casualty of the Civil War occurred in Grafton on May 22nd, 1861. Thornsberry Bailey Brown was the first Union soldier killed by a Confederate solider. Brown is buried in this cemetary and we were able to visit his gravesite. The cemetary is located along the railroad tracks.







We lucked out while visiting the Tygart Dam and were asked by a guide if we'd like to walk out onto the structure. The dam cost 18.5 million dollars to construct in 1938, but has since prevented flood damages estimated at 1.2 billion. In 1985, flood waters were 9 feet from topping the spill way of the dam, and the dam prevented 195 million dollars in damages from that flood alone. The dam is 230 feet tall and 1,921 feet long. It is the largest concrete structure east of the Mississippi. The dam created Tygart Lake, a popular location for local boating, swimming, and fishing. This undated photo, courtesy of the West Virginia and Regional History Collection, shows the dam in construction and the early flooding of the dam. Look closely and you can see homes that have floated from their foundations.







On the way back from the dam, we found a couple of amusing businesses that we'd like to share with you. We're thinking about forwarding these pictures to Ellen DeGeneres :).







The B&O railroad runs through Grafton, and during Civil War times made it a very strategic town. Most of the buildings on Main Street were constructed between 1890 and 1930. In the 1980's, the railroad relocated many jobs to Florida, leaving Grafton in a severe economic and emotional loss. The town was left in disarray, and has been in a slump for close to thirty years now. The pictures show not only houses, but businesses have declined.

But new businesses have begun moving to Grafton. During our visit, we ate at one of Main Street's newest restaurants, The Grafton 123.

The Grafton 123 was originally built in 1890 and has been home to various businesses. In 2008, it was converted into what is now the restaurant. Along with great food, this restaurant also offers wireless internet to customers and has a stage for local musicians.

All food is made from scratch and baked fresh daily. We tried the gourmet grilled cheese and turkey and provolone sandwich. Each sandwich came with brushetta chips and hummus, a healthy alternative to french fries. The service was amazing, and our friendly waitress offered us free cheesecake bite samples. After one bite of this fresh homemade dessert, we knew we needed to take some home. Our waitress offered to let us take our plate and bring it back later! This friendly gesture sums up the atmosphere at Grafton 123.




The historical district of Grafton is definitely worth visiting and at least driving through. The top most pictures are views of main street taken from the Mother's Day shrine.

The picture on the left shows the Taylor County Supply (hardware store). On the right, is the historical Manos Theater. The Manos Theater was purchased by the International Mother's Day Shrine and is being restored.

The bottom two pictures show a historical building with a mail pouch logo, and the historic B&O railroad building.

Next, we drove to Pruntytown, a small unincorporated town 5 miles west of Grafton. Here we visited the West Virginia National Cemetary. The cemetary was opened in 1987 and spans 58 acres. Our visit was only a few days after Memorial Day, so the graves were very decorated.





Although we did drive to Flemington, the bridge was out and we were unable to take pictures. In conclusion though, our first county trip was a success. Taylor County is a beautiful representation of West Virginia. In particular, I noticed that the county is full of rolling hills and fields for farmland. The county seat, Grafton, appears to be on its way back up. It was apparent that the town is working very hard to revitalize what was once a booming railroad town.

To see our 3 minute video of Taylor County, visit : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E26iAe9aHlQ