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  • One of six new Civil War Trail signs officially unveiled Thursday highlights Gauley Bridge’s key local involvement in the Civil War. The Gauley Bridge marker, “Battles for the Bridges,” details the importance of the town’s bridges as Union and Confederate troops battled for control of the Kanawha River valley. Steve Keenan

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  • U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall delivers remarks at the ceremony.. Steve Keenan

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August 26, 2010

Civil War Trails signs dedicated

By Steve Keenan The Montgomery Herald

Protecting our heritage remains vital in the present day.

That was one of the main messages delivered at a special Thursday ceremony dedicating six Fayette County Civil War Trails signs already located at different sites in Fayette County.

Circuit Clerk Danny Wright, a 37-year history teacher who was designated in June as the county’s first historian, said, “In all those years of teaching history, what I’ve held most dear to me has been (the history of) my native Fayette County.”

Wright says the markers are good for the county and the state. “They will be a good teaching tool. Many people don’t know a lot about the history of Fayette County, especially the Civil War history.”

And, he feel they will be a boost to the county’s important tourism industry. “Anything that’s good for Fayette County is good for West Virginia.”

During his remarks, Wright also highlighted other, lesser-known county Civil War skirmishes.

U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall said the day marked the dedication of “another jewel in Fayette County’s tourism crown.”

Mentioning a study performed in neighboring Virginia, Rahall said Civil War tourists spend 30 percent more than others. He also said more emphasis on the Civil War in the area could complement the arrival of the Boy Scouts organization in the area in coming years, which will be a “game-changer for our economy.”

According to West Virginia Tourism Commissioner Betty Carver, the signage program isn’t normally something the Division of Tourism might have the available resources to fund, but $500,000 in advertising funds was freed up for the project, with the agency working hand-in-hand with several other states.

Ansted “is tickled to death with our signage,” town councilman Jim Sowder said. And Fayetteville Mayor Jim Akers praised the local Civil War heritage and said the markers would be good “not only for tourists, but good for our youth.”

In addition, Denise Scalph delivered remarks on behalf of her father, county commissioner Ken Eskew.

The New River Gorge CVB’s Sharon Cruikshank feels the markers will be “huge” for the area. The Civil War was “a big part of our growth,” she said.



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The sponsoring New River Gorge CVB and the Fayetteville CVB joined those in attendance in dedicating the markers. The CVBs thanked many who helped make the program a success, both statewide and locally. Among those were Ann Skaggs, Nancy Taylor, Tim McKinney, Justin Gaull, Anne and John Casto, Fayette County Historical Society, Fayette County Commission, Dodd-Payne-Hess Funeral Home, Fayetteville CVB, New River Gorge CVB, Fayette County Chamber of Commerce, and the towns of Ansted, Fayetteville and Gauley Bridge.

The New River Gorge group is sponsoring the Ansted and Gauley Bridge markers, the county commission is sponsoring the one on the courthouse lawn, and Fayetteville is sponsoring the one at Dodd-Payne-Hess.

The trails program, a partnership between the West Virginia Division of Tourism and Civil War Trails, Inc., identifies, interprets and creates driving tours centered on Civil War sites and stories. Currently, there are over 1,000 sites in the program and close to 4,000 map guides are downloaded weekly from the program’s website, www.civilwartrails.org.

Fayette sites are featured along Route 60, with one sign in Gauley Bridge at the old visitor’s center, and three in the town of Ansted at Contentment, Westlake Cemetery and the Halfway House. The other two signs are located in Fayetteville (at the courthouse and at Dodd-Payne-Hess Funeral Home).

The Civil War Trails program has been recognized as one of the most successful and sustainable heritage programs in the country by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The program is administered by a nonprofit corporation and supported by local communities, state tourism offices and state departments of transportation.

The W.Va. Division of Tourism is buying and installing the first 150 qualifying Civil War sites in the state. According to Carver, 51 markers are already in the ground statewide, with 65 others in the works.

For more information on Fayette County’s Civil War Trails sites, call 304-465-5617 or visit www.civilwartrails.org.

For more details on how a site qualifies for the program and information on how to submit a Civil War site for consideration, contact Justin Gaull at 304-957-9385, or via e-mail at justin.m.gaull@wv.gov.

— E-mail:

skeenan@register-herald.com

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