The stories and historic artifacts of the Blackwater region are a colorful and inspiring part of today’s vibrant culture.
Friends of Blackwater is installing interpretive signs along the Blackwater Canyon rail grade, explaining historical structures associated with the railroad, the coal and coke industry, and the communities of the Canyon.
We also operate the J.R. Clifford Project, which since 2004 has celebrated the history of civil rights in West Virginia by highlighting local heroes.
To read about the Engineering Building Restoration and Stabilization, starting in Fall 2020, click here:
Hi! Allow me to introduce myself to this beautiful community. My name is Cheyenne Carter. Raised outside of Elkins I have been skiing, hiking, biking, boating, horseback riding, and foraging in this area since I was a little girl. When it was time to go to college I left for Southern Maine Community College for […]
Tucker County, West Virginia has a rich heritage of railroading, coal mining, and timbering. You can explore historic sites, and learn hidden stories from the past, in a one-hour live, interactive Zoom webinar with historian David Vago on October 29th at 7:30 PM EST. Sponsored by Friends of Blackwater. Y’all come! […]
Happy 100th anniversary to the 19th Amendment! On August 19th in 1920, Tennessee became the 50th state to ratify the 19th amendment, granting women across the United States the right to vote and 8 days later on August 26th, when we now celebrate Women’s Equality Day, it was signed into law. Friends of Blackwater is […]
On Saturday, August 15th at 10 a.m., we cleaned up the iconic coke ovens along the Blackwater Rail Trail to Douglas Falls. These ovens have interpretive signs, benches, and a bike rack, but have become so overgrown with vegetation that threatens to cover them up and weaken the structural integrity of these historic structure. We […]
Hello, Friends of Blackwater supporters. My name is Alicia Erjavec and I have been raised in West Virginia almost my entire life. I grew up in Clarksburg and graduated from Robert C. Byrd High School in 2015. I also graduated from Fairmont State University this past December with a degree in English Literature and a […]
Thanks to everyone who joined us for “Shootout at the Depot” – How a 19th Century Tucker County Gunfight Became a National News Sensation, and Pitted Neighbor Against Neighbor! Between Zoom registrants and Facebook attendees, we had over 50 people attend the live stream of this event, and we’re excited to share a recording of […]
Thanks to everyone who joined us for this wonderful webinar with Dr. Hal Gorby from WVU! Between Zoom attendees and people streaming via Facebook, we had a live audience of over 40 people join us for the event. If you weren’t able to attend, don’t worry – you can watch a recorded version of the […]
As famous in her heyday as any contemporary author today, Gene Stratton-Porter was a celebrated naturalist, author, photographer, and film producer. Born in Indiana in 1863, she grew up with a love of nature, especially birds, and spent her childhood roaming farms and forests, learning about their unique habitats and capturing the beauty of the […]
Our Heritage Signage Open House in Parsons, WV was a success! Thank you to all that attended this reception on Monday, March 9th, to view the newly hung miniature copies of our Blackwater Rail Trail signs in Piccolo Paula’s. Joe Dumire gave a great lecture about the local railroad industry and how it changed through […]
Have you seen the historic signs that FOB installed from Thomas to Douglas along the Blackwater Rail Trail? They cover topics from coal mining to railroad operation through the Blackwater Canyon, to historic local businesses and more. Friends of Blackwater is hosting an open house and reception in Parsons, WV on March 9th from 5-7 […]
The National Bank of Davis building is nominated to the National Register. The application will be reviewed by the WV Dept. of Arts, Culture & History on February 20. If that body approves the nomination then it goes on for federal approval. The required public meeting for comment will be held on January 13 at […]
Congratulations to Joe Dumire for receiving the Friends of Blackwater Volunteer of the Year award! Joe has been a tremendous help with the heritage preservation work that FOB does in Tucker County. A Thomas resident, Joe knows the ins and outs of this town’s local history and worked tirelessly to help FOB curate and install […]
