States with National Heritage Areas (Non-Units)


  Home    Travel    Main NPS

Alabama Alaska Arizona Colorado Georgia Illinois Iowa
Louisiana Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Mississippi New Jersey New Mexico
New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Pennsylvania South Carolina Tennessee
Utah Virginia West Virginia Multi-State

West Virginia National Heritage Areas (Non-Units)


National Coal Heritage Area

6/29/2007 Got on the Coal Heritage Trail Byway (Coal NHA) in Bluefield and stopped at Pinnacle Rock State Park. Walked the trail up to the rock and I climbed out a bit while Mom stayed on the wood observation platform. Very nice Catskills-like view of the mountains. Back on the CHT through many small towns (not in great shape – closed stores, tough looking homes!). Followed the railroad a lot and saw some coal processing plants.

A sign on the Byway
NPS Image
Info on Pinnacle Rock
NPS Image
The park map
NPS Image
Me on the Rock
NPS Image
Mom on a platform ...
NPS Image
... looking at the great view
NPS Image

6/30/2007 New River Gorge National River


Wheeling National Heritage Area

7/1/2006 ... then across the street to the Artisan Center (this and next place in the Wheeling NHA). Checked out really nice products made in WV. Walked a little to the old courthouse [West Virginia Independence Hall NHL] that was the center of the WV secession movement during the civil war. Saw a good film with hokey acting then toured the building including war exhibits.

NHA sign
NPS Image
Floor of the artisan center ...
NPS Image
... and some of the many products
NPS Image
Independence Hall
NPS Image
Me in court
NPS Image
Part of the WV secession exhibit
NPS Image

9/10/2016 Near the base of the I-70 bridge which parallels the Wheeling Suspension Bridge we parked for a view of the Marsh Stogies Building in the Wheeling NHA. Although old and dilapidated, like others we'll view, this building was the oldest stogie manufacturing company in Wheeling. Historical note: Stogies, sometimes called tobies, originated with the National Road. Wagon and stage drivers demanded a cheap brand of rolled tobacco to smoke, and a Pennsylvania manufacturer began to roll long thin twists of tobacco, conveniently shaped to carry in a driver's boot (a favorite spot for carrying knives, pistols, and other small objects), which sold four for a cent. These became popular with the drivers and were at first called Conestoga cigars, for a type of wagon common on the Pike. Later the name was corrupted to stogie. We walked midway across the I-70 bridge for a photo-op of the more interesting Wheeling Suspension Bridge and also managed to find an elusive ‘March Wheeling Stogies’ interpretive sign which actually was on a rather inaccessible river-side path below the bridge. …, then continued south to a pretty rough industrial area to view the LaBelle Nail Plant, also in the Wheeling NHA. The site includes four contributing buildings; three Italianate style brick buildings dated to the founding of the company in 1852, and a tin plate mill built 1894-1897. The cut nail machinery still in use by La Belle dates to 1852 and the 1860s. ... Nearby we stopped at... Wheeling NR0100 Bloch Mail Pouch Tobacco Building & Wayside Exhibit – “Mail Pouch Tobacco”. This too is in the Wheeling NHA. ... Back into Wheeling we parked at the Wheeling Suspension Bridge NHL, a suspension bridge spanning the main channel of the Ohio River built in 1849 and at the time the largest suspension bridge in the world. We enjoyed walking the length on one side and back on the other, with nice views of boats on the Ohio.

The NHA logo
NPS Image
Marsh Stogies Building ...
NPS Image
... and signage
NPS Image
Signage for ...
NPS Image
... the B&O Railroad
NPS Image
La Belle Nail Plant
NPS Image
Mail Pouch Tobacco ...
NPS Image
... and signage
NPS Image
Ken near Mail Pouch
NPS Image
East side of the Suspension Bridge
NPS Image
Me ready to walk over
NPS Image
More signage
NPS Image
The west side ...
NPS Image
... of the Bridge
NPS Image