Marion County

Welcome to Marion County, WV

Marion County was created in 1842 and named for Revolutionary War General Francis Marion. The county spans 311 miles with a population of approximately 56,600. The per capita income for the county is $16,246, with approximately 16% of the population below the poverty line. 


In Marion County, we visited Fairmont, Mannington, Fairview, Barrackville, Farmington, Grant Town, Monongah, Rivesville, Worthington, Joetown, Baxter.

Our first stop in Marion County was at the memorial for Captain James Booth, along Booth's Creek near Fairmont, WV. Captain Booth is credited with founding the first settlement in the valley in 1772. In 1778, Captain Booth was shot and killed by Indians. While visiting this memorial, we had the pleasure of meeting Joann Chipps, who shared with us other memorials and sites to see in the county. 

If you've read my past blog about Preston County, you know how shocked I was to see the orange that tints the streams throughout the county. As you can see in this picture, Marion County appears to have clean looking streams.

This picture shows one of the many oil wells throughout Marion County. Although I wasn't able to obtain a picture, smaller natural gas wells are also abundant in the county, virtually on every road we ventured. Natural gas occurs in great quantities below the Appalachian Mountains. Many years ago, most of our ancestors of WV were either tricked into selling the mineral rights of their land, or sold them out of desperation. One farm in particular really stood out to me. I noticed a well sitting very close in proximity to a house, less than 100 yards away. I thought this was odd. As I looked closer, I could see that a cattle fence sat between the house and the well, and surround the well on three sides. It became apparent that this was once a farm, but the placement of this well destroyed that. 





Next we came to the small community called Joetown. Just to express how small it is, Wikipedia has no recollection that this town exists! There is one small store, "Hardesty's Joetown Grocery", that accomodates all needs, including a tanning bed, game checking, gas, lottery, hot food, and cold beer. 

Pictured here is a Marion County portion of the "rail trail". The rail trail includes over 375 miles of railroad tracks that have been converted into hiking and biking trails throughout WV. 

Mannington is a city in Marion County that was originally known as Koon Town, named after a couple that owned the first tavern there. Later, the town was renamed Mannington after Charles Manning, a civil engineer with the B&O railroad. 

We enjoyed lunch at Dave's Famous T & L Hot Dogs, a very popular hot dog chain in the area. While on our travels, we have passed seven of these eateries. The first restaurant was created in 1984 and has enjoyed continued success. 

The T & L that we ate at during our trip was in Mannington, WV. Other T& L locations have been remodeled with a "50's theme", complete with old jukebox's that play oldies for only 5 cents. T&L Hot Dogs are known for having West Virginia's #1 selling hot dog, complete with homemade chili sauce and hand cut fries. http://www.tandlhotdogs.com/

Our next visit in town was the Mannington Elementary, built in 1902. I'm jealous, I wish my elementary looked like this! Bev attended this elementary school, and I asked her to step into the picture to give some size comparison. 

As the sign says, the first oil well in Mannington was drilled in 1889. Following the strike of oil, Mannington's economy sky rocketed. Real estate prices soared 100% in two days. The oil field became one of the largest in the state, producing 1,600 barrels a day. By 1900's, the discovery of natural gas caused an even greater economic boom for the town. 

The natural gas boom brought the town electricity, theaters,  a trolley system, and the school building pictured above. But, the stock market crash and depression had a huge effect on this once booming town. There is no longer a trolley, and population has reduced to half of what it was in 1900. Pictured here is the town as it stands today. 

This round dairy barn was built in 1912, at the cost of $1,800 dollars. It was used until 1955, and was purchased in 1983 by the West Augusta Historical Society which restored the structure and currently houses a museum there. 

The museum at the round barn is open on Sunday's only. We visited on a Saturday, and so I snapped this picture through a window. 

Next, we visited the town of Farmington. Farmington has a population of only 387, but is well known for the mine disaster of 1968, "Coal Mine #9". We were not able to locate any mine disaster memorial, but I did find a neat news video.   
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j16nXFwkVvk

Farmington is also the hometown of current WV governor Joe Machin. In the bottom left corner, this sign also reads that Farmington is also the hometown of Sam Huff and Frank Gatski, both football Hall of Famers. Apparently Farmington is more proud of the Manchins though, either that or they paid for the sign. 

The town of Fairview, in my opinion, has the best school I think I've ever seen. Pictured here is Fairview Middle School, proudly displaying a banner proclaiming they have been a WV Exemplary School for three years in a row. Double-wow. Is it just me or does this school resemble a castle?? This stone wall surrounds much of the property!! 

Grant Town was once home to the "Federal No.1 Mine", which was formed in 1901 and remained operational until 1985. It was once the largest underground coal mine in the world!  Now, after the closing of the mine, the town is home to an electrical generation facility. 

Pictured here is the Grant Town General Store. Grant Town also has a local legend called the "Grant Town Goon", which presumably lives in the woods and coal waste areas. Also, Grant Town is the hometown of Coach Rich Rodriguez, but we didn't see any large signs announcing that...  Maybe one goon is enough for Grant Town?
Funny -  http://www.herald-dispatch.com/homepage/x476762846

The Rivesville Power Plant has been in existence since 1919 and employs 33 people. Coal is delivered to the Rivesville plant by barge. Rivesville is also another coal mining town, with nearly every area around Rivesville having been mined except for directly below the oldest portion of town and the riverbed. 

Fairmont, nicknamed "The Friendly City" is the largest city and county seat of Marion County. Pictured is the High Level/ Million Dollar Bridge, built in 1921 and restored in 2000. 

Central United Methodist Church, which used to be Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal church, is the home of the first Father's Day observance held on July 5th, 1908. Story has it that Mrs. Charles Clayton asked the Reverend if he would conduct a Father's Day service. This occurred just two months after Anna Jarvis organized the first Mother's Day observance in Taylor County, WV. Father's Day was not nationally recognized until 1972. 

Fairmont is fairly large (by WV standards) and quite hard to "capture" by pictures. The city is approximately 8 square miles and has a population close to 20,000. 

Fairmont was is also the home of Mary Lou Retton, Olympic Gold Medal winner of 1984. 

While in Fairmont, we had dinner at the "Poky Dot", a very popular restaurant to say the least! The Poky Dot's "He-Man Breakfast" was just chosen by the Food Network magazine as the best breakfast in WV. The dish includes four eggs, ham, bacon, sausage links, four pancakes, potatoes, sausage gravy and biscuits, and toast, all served on a new trash can lid. The owner's claim that the breakfast was WVU football player Owen Schmitt's favorite breakfast. 

The atmosphere of the Poky Dot is truly unique. The outside is brightly painted with flashing signs and a yellow polka dotted guardrail. The inside is equally as flashy, with a neon sign reading "Good Food, Old Friends". The restaurant is very kid friendly, and the food was tasty. 

The booths are also brightly colored, and there are always oldies tunes playing in the background. We were intrigued by the silverware-washcloth combination. 

Just one more picture. We forgot to photograph our actual Poky Dot dinner, we were just too hungry and the thought slipped our mind. But, pictured here is the slice of Reese's pieces cheesecake that we ordered for desert. Quite a presentation! The cheesecake was amazing. Other flavor's available that day were Heath,white chocolate, banana split, and cookie dough cheesecake. 

This covered bridge is located in Barrackville, WV. It was originally built in 1853 and is still in very much of it's original condition. The bridge has been closed to vehicles but is still open for pedestrians and picnics. 

I took this "nature shot" outside of the restrooms at Valley Falls. 

Another nature shot taken at a pond across from Rock Lake (a private lake outside of Fairmont). 

Valley Falls State Park is a 1,145 acre park just outside of Fairmont, WV. 

The park has a half mile long set of waterfalls that provide a spectacular view to visitors. 

The large rocks are also popular spots for sunbathers to lay out. Between the waterfalls and entrance, there is a large playground and several pavilions. This is a very neat place to visit. 

We didn't come across any funny business signs this trip, so we agreed that this odd fish mailbox would have to do. 

Outside of Fairmont, and visible from Interstate 79, is the Coal Country Miniature Golf Course. 

The miniature golf course has a unique design that is all about WV coal mines. In the middle of the golf course is a large rotating statue of a coal miner. 

Okay - so this doesn't exactly represent Marion County, but this grasshopper tried his best to take the trip with us. It was very entertaining watching him try to hold onto our windshield for dear life. 

We visited Prickett's Fort State Park, outside of Fairmont and only two miles from Interstate 79. The park has a reconstructed fort and represents life during the 1700's. 

The original Prickett's Fort was built between 1774-1780. In 1973, the Marion County Historical Society reconstructed the structure. Also on site, is a log cabin and nineteenth century farmhouse with original furnishings. There is a visitors center, 400 seat amphitheater, and if there during visiting hours, there are often tents set up displaying blacksmithing, carpentry, and spinning. 

We came across an old cemetery not too far from Prickett's Fort. We were intrigued by the old gravestones, many dating back to the 1700's.  Pictured here is the largest gravestone in the cemetery, in honor of Zackquill Morgan, founder of Morgantown, WV. 

Pictured here is one of my favorite places - Gabriel Brothers. Did you know that the first "Gabe's" was opened in Morgantown in 1961? That store has since closed, but I believe the second oldest location is this one, outside of Fairmont, WV. 

I really enjoy shopping at this particular store. As you can see in the photo, this isn't your typical Gabriel's. Pictured here is one half of the store. Believe me, it's not very big. 

Fairmont is also home to Fairmont State University. FSU has an enrollment of approximately 7,700 students. The school was founded in 1865.







County Club Bakery, also in Fairmont, is the home of the pepperoni roll! The first pepperoni roll was created here in 1927 as a lunch option for coal miners. I have to admit, I was quite shocked to learn that outside of WV, people do not eat pepperoni rolls. Seriously?

Our next stop was in Monongah, WV. Monongah is well known for it's mine disaster that occurred on December 6, 1907. 362-500 (exact number unknown) miners were killed, and it has been called the "worst mining disaster in American history". Pictured here is a statue in honor of the "Monongah Heriones", built to honor the wives and mothers of the miners who were lost.

Sitting adjacent to the Herione statue, is a bell in honor of the coal miners who were killed in the disaster of 1907. The bell has several different inscriptions written around it in different languages. Many of the miners killed were immigrants from Italy.

Pictured here is downtown Monongah, which used to be the heart of the coal mining camp. Most of the old buildings appear to be abandoned.

The last stop of our trip was the town of Worthington. The brick building on the right of the picture is Demus Market. Demus Market was one of the best known stores in the area for peppers and sausage. It recently closed in 2009, but peppers and sausage are still available in surrounding stores.

Worthington is a very small town, with a population less than 200. Pictured here is the "Worthington Beach", a small park with a bit of sand where locals can sit along the West Fork River.

One place that we were unable to visit in Marion County, but do have hopes of returning to see, is the Sagebrush Round-up on Bunner's Ridge outside of Fairmont. The 17,000 sq foot structure hosts weekly country and bluegrass music concerts.

In conclusion, Marion County was an awesome county to visit. I was intrigued by the history and look forward to learning more in the future and hopefully making a return trip.

Please take a moment to watch this short video that we put together while visiting Marion County, and if you have any questions, or if you have any corrections or stories you'd like to share, feel free to email us at enjoywv@gmail.com