Headed Home – Days 21 and 22

…continuing with the last 2 days of our August 2018 exploration of parts of the northeastern United States. 

After departing White Sulphur Springs and the guys from DYI's Barnwood Builders, we headed just a few miles west to check out Lewisburg West Virginia, a very nice small town that we’d visited once before.

Note: In the January 2018 edition of Vogue Magazine, Lewisburg was called the “coolest small town in West Virginia”.

This ornate well maintained building is Lewisburg’s City Hall.  The building was completed in 1897.  I love the details on the front of this structure… It originally was built for the Bank of Lewisburg…then later it served as the Greenbrier Valley Bank.

The town of Lewisburg, with a population today of about 4,000, was named after a young surveyor who established camp in 1751 near a spring close to the center of what would become the town.  In Pontiac’s Rebellion in 1763, Native Americans destroyed 2 settlements in the area, killing the men and carrying off the women and children.  Virtually all of the earliest settlers were eliminated. 

From my research it appears that I didn’t focus on the ‘right’ old buildings.  While Lewisburg has a National Historic District that encompasses 112 contributing buildings which “are representative of the development and evolution of Lewisburg over a period of more than two centuries”, most of my photos aren’t on the list.

But I did find something on that little building at the left in the second photo which shows the name, “Mason Bell”.  Mason was a true pillar of the community.  He was born in 1878, educated in the public schools as well as at the Military Academy of Lewisburg.  At the age of 13 he had decided that he wanted to get into the ‘book trade’.  He built this store in 1910 and he was very active and well respected in the community.

This striking brick Romanesque revival structure with the terrific windows and those 2 eye-catching balconies started out life in 1897 as the Bank of Greenbrier.  From 1951 – 1981, the building was owned and operated by the Elks Club.  These days its home to Studio 40, a retail operation that sells artisan-designed clothing, jewelry and accessories as well as high end American craft items.

I noted that several buildings dated back to 1897.  It turns out that the Great Lewisburg Fire of 1897 struck the town’s business district and completely destroyed 13 buildings on West Washington Street.  A total of 17 businesses were burned out…hence all of these ‘newer’ structures.

Porthole style decorative windows must have been ‘in vogue’ in the late 1890s.  They do add to the look of this building from 1899, even though it could use some paint.  Today, it’s occupied by a law firm, Goodwin/Hammond. 

FYI…  The West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine is located in Lewisburg.  It was founded in 1974 and it focuses on primary care and rural medicine.

It was early afternoon in Lewisburg and one difference visitors notice is that, unlike many small towns, the stores and buildings in the center of town are almost all occupied.  Interesting shops and quality restaurants abound… It’s just a nice ‘artsy’ little city!

One must wonder how much impact the nearby Greenbrier Resort has on the town of Lewisburg… How many eastern towns with a population of 4,000 (Greenbrier County with 35,500) have regularly scheduled air service with daily flights to Chicago and Washington D.C.?  Politicians, lobbyists and influencers in motion…

This building was completed in 1904.  Recently, The Irish Pub closed and this frame structure, (severely modified on the lower front of the building), was on the market.  In addition to the bar/restaurant, there is a 3-bedroom, 1 bath apartment on the second floor.  It has been purchased and its off the market.

Note:

·       A little more Civil War history… On May 23, 1862 Union forces under Colonel George Crook had occupied Lewisburg.  In the Battle of Lewisburg, Confederate forces under West Point graduate General Henry Heath attempted to take the town.  Despite outnumbering the Union forces, 2,200 soldiers to 1,600, the rebel forces were defeated.  The battle lasted 27 minutes.  Eighty Confederate soldiers were killed, 100 were wounded and 157 were taken prisoner.  Union forces lost 13 killed, 53 wounded and 7 captured.  An interesting footnote is the fact that Crook’s forces captured a 12-pound cannon that had been taken from British forces during the Battle of Yorktown in 1781.

Through the trees and other foliage, you can see the North House Museum. Built by John and Charlotte North in 1820, this big Georgian style home became James Frazier’s Star Tavern and Inn in the 1830s.  By early 1900, it became the home of the President of the Greenbrier College for Women. 

Today the building is owned and operated by the Greenbrier Historical Society.  The museum displays key items from Greenbrier Valley.  They include the training saddle of General Robert E. Lee’s horse, Traveler, a covered wagon from the 1700s, Civil War artifacts and a wide variety of other items.  To learn more, go to http://www.greenbrierhistorical.org/.

This is the Shuck Memorial Baptist Church at 841 West Washington Street in Lewisburg.  The church was founded in 1927.  It was named in honor of a man from Lewisburg who became an early Baptist missionary to China.

   

Note:

·       “Belsnickle” or Old Christmas is celebrated annually in Lewisburg with the “Shanghai Parade” on New Year’s Day.  Participants dress in costumes and march down the main street.  Belsnickel (German to wallop or to drub) is a crotchety, fur-clad Christmas bearer of gifts, part of the folklore of parts of Germany as well as American Pennsylvania Dutch communities.  The term “Shanghai” comes from “collie-shanghai”, an old word related to making a lot of noise. 

While I was wandering up and down the streets taking pictures, Laurie was shopping.  This is the inside of Harmony Ridge Galleries.  This interesting store features unique jewelry, garden art, wall decor, ceramics, glass and wood creations.  They also have a wine bar!

Harmony Ridge Galleries is located at 886 West Washington Street in Lewisburg West Virginia.  Website: http://www.harmonyridgegallery.com.

Heading south along US Hwy. 219, we came to the town of Roncevert West Virginia and we spotted this old depot.  Built by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad in 1914, this is the only craftsman-style depot remaining on the railroad line.  The original passenger canopy and baggage building have been restored and CSX rail personnel are based in the rest of the building.

Passenger service was discontinued in 1974.  In 1916, 59,151 passengers were ticketed at this railroad depot!

As I was taking photos of the railway station, CSX locomotive #899 eased on by… It’s an ES44AC Heavy Evolution Series Road Switcher that was built by GE Transportation Systems.

Now this is something that one rarely sees in this day and age.  It’s a 1935 Chesapeake and Ohio coaling tower located near the Roncevert railway depot.  Back in the days when steam locomotives ruled the rails, track ran under the locomotive coaling station so trains could stop and replenish their supply of coal. 

The drive south on US Hwy. 219 was very scenic and it was a beautiful day!

At one point, US Hwy. 219 crossed the West Virginia state line into Virginia and we joined US Hwy. 460 for a few miles until we crossed back over into West Virginia.

We finally arrived at our Hampton Inn in Princeton West Virginia…for the twenty-first and final overnight stay of our trip.  Then we had to find a place to eat dinner.  

We decided to try the Texas Steakhouse and Saloon which is located right next to our hotel.  This is not part of the Texas Roadhouse chain, but rather a group of 15 restaurants located in North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.   

The dining area in the Texas Steakhouse and Saloon is pretty standard for a roadhouse style restaurant.

For an appetizer we tried the Fried Pickles…dill pickle spears breaded, fried and served with ranch dressing. ($5.49) They were OK but nothing special…

We both decided to order steaks.  Laurie had the 8 oz. Ribeye with a cup of loaded potato soup. ($15.99) The soup was so-so but the steak was tough and flavorless…

I went for the big 12 oz. Ribeye with a loaded baked potato and an order of asparagus. ($20.99) To put it bluntly, the asparagus was the highlight of my meal…the potato came in second…and the steak was just not worth the time or money!

We figured that it was just ‘karma’ at work…probably the worst meal of the trip (cost considered), on our last day on the road before we were back home.

The Texas Steakhouse and Saloon in Princeton West Virginia can be found at 235 Meadowfield Lane.  Phone: 304-425-5350.  The company’s website is at http://www3.texassteakhouse.com/.

This is an attractive replica of the Virginian Railway’s original 2-story Princeton Passenger Station and Offices.  It serves as a museum marking the town’s railroading heritage and the Virginian Railway. 

I had expected to take photos of a number of structures related to the Virginian Railway.  After all, the Virginian Railway Yard Historic District, a national historic district ‘with many buildings’ is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.  Apparently most if not all of the ‘historic district’ was torn down ca. 2006.  We weren't too happy...

 As it turned out, this lively mural on the side of a building adjacent to the new ‘old’ depot was about the best thing in town for a train fan to photograph.  There ‘should have been’ Romanesque Revival style buildings to view…the Locomotive Erecting Shop, 3 water pump houses, the North Repair Shop, Brick Storehouse and the Car Wheel Shop.  Bummer!

About the railroad… In 1907, 2 railroads were combined to create the Virginian Railway.  It was ahead of its time from an engineering and equipment standpoint and it was all about moving coal!  The railroad was about 450 miles long, running from Deepwater West Virginia to Sewell’s Point Virginia.  The Virginian was known as the “Richest Little Railroad in the World.”  After merging with what is now the Norfolk Southern Railway, the Sewell’s Point operation was no longer needed.  The land it occupied are now part of U.S. Naval Station Norfolk, the largest Navy base in the world.

Heading south from Princeton toward our home in East Tennessee, we stayed on US Hwy. 460, US Hwy. 19 and some local roads as long as we could.  It is another beautiful area of our country!

…and believe it or not, this is the end of my posts about our August 2018 trip through parts of the northeastern United States.  It was a great trip for us!  We learned a lot about American history, we visited some great small towns, ate some terrific food and saw a lot of spectacular scenery.  

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave