The Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike is an historic road that connected eastern Virginia to Western Virginia and was built in the 1840s. Claudius Crozet referred to the area between Staunton and Parkersburg as, "a sea of mountains and valleys with little level land" and "rivers flowing in every direction of the compass."
If you look at a
map of the Turnpike, you can get a birds eye view of the route which is roughly shaped like a lightning bolt. The most direct line in this rough geography is often not a straight line. It surely must have been a challenge for Crozet to choose the best route for this important road. Much of what he relied on had already been established by Indians who lived in and traversed this area for thousands of years before Europeans arrived.
During an extreme winter in 1855, the mail was left undelivered for days because of a snow storm. When the postal authorities questioned the locally contracted mail deliverers, their colorful response was as follows: "If you knock the gable end out of Hell and back it up against Cheat Mountain and rain fire for forty days and forty nights it won't melt the snow enough to get your damned mail through on time."
The American Civil War brought a lot of activity to the Turnpike. It was fought over and on, by Union and Confederate troops during Civil War, 1861-1865. During a similar time period, the Turnpike has been rumored to have been a part of the Underground Railroad, as well. The state of West Virginia was also formed during the Civil War out of Virginia.
Industries of oil, gas, coal mining, and timber all have risen and contnued to prosper along this Turnpike. The industries of glass and the railroad, have mostly disappeared though excursion trains for touring have risen up in Durbin, Elkins, and Cass.
The Turnpike also tells a story of early travel by automobile in the United States. Henry Ford and Thomas Edison took an historic road trip through West Virginia and the Turnpike back in 1918 and stayed at the Cheat Mountain Club.
The Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike is
managed by a small non-profit alliance whose goal is to preserve the heritage of the Turnpike, while also promoting heritage and recreational tourism. Chances are, your area or local region has an historic
byway. Get driving and explore your neck of the woods!
