Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park is a
state park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...
located on
Droop Mountain Droop Mountain is a small mountain in the Allegheny Mountains on the border of Greenbrier and Pocahontas counties in southeastern West Virginia. It was the scene of one of West Virginia's most important battles during the American Civil War—t ...
in
Pocahontas County,
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
. The park was the site of the
Battle of Droop Mountain
The Battle of Droop Mountain occurred in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, on November 6, 1863, during the American Civil War. A Union brigade commanded by Brigadier General William W. Averell defeated a smaller Confederate force commanded by ...
, the last major battle of the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
in the state taking place on November 6, 1863. John D. Sutton, a West Virginia
private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
in the
Union Army
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...
at the battle, became the leader in the movement to create the park when he served in the
West Virginia House of Delegates
The West Virginia House of Delegates is the lower house of the West Virginia Legislature. Only three states—Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia—refer to their lower house as the House of Delegates.
Organization
Regular sessions begin with ...
. Dedicated on July 4, 1928, Droop Mountain Battlefield became the first state park in West Virginia.
The battlefield was transformed into a historical, outdoor recreation area by the
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...
during the
Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
. Public reenactments of the battle have been conducted in October of some even-numbered years by the West Virginia Reenactors Association.
The park was placed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...
in 1970.
Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park is located about north of the
Lewisburg exit of
I-64
Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at I-70, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and US 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern terminus is at an interchang ...
on
U.S. Highway 219 and about south of
Marlinton on US 219. The park is also near
Beartown State Park
Beartown State Park is a state park located on the eastern summit of Droop Mountain, southwest of Hillsboro, West Virginia, in northern Greenbrier County, West Virginia (with a small portion of the park also located in Pocahontas County). The ...
and
Watoga State Park
Watoga State Park is a state park located near Seebert in Pocahontas County, West Virginia. The largest of West Virginia's state parks, it covers slightly over . Nearby parks include the Greenbrier River Trail, which is adjacent to the park, B ...
.
Features
* Droop Mountain Museum with battle artifacts
* Lookout Tower
*
hiking
Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...
* Picnic areas with shelters
* Tots playgrounds
Gallery
Image:Droop_park_1.jpg, Cannon
Image:Droop_park_3.jpg, Confederate Graves
Image:Droop_park_4.jpg, Log Cabin
See also
*
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
*
Battle of Droop Mountain
The Battle of Droop Mountain occurred in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, on November 6, 1863, during the American Civil War. A Union brigade commanded by Brigadier General William W. Averell defeated a smaller Confederate force commanded by ...
*
List of West Virginia state parks
There are 37 state parks in the U.S. state of West Virginia . The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) Parks and Recreation Section is the governing body for all 37 state parks and directly operates all but one of them. In addi ...
*
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...
*
West Virginia in the American Civil War
The U.S. state of West Virginia was formed out of western Virginia and added to the Union as a direct result of the American Civil War (see History of West Virginia), in which it became the only modern state to have declared its independence ...
References
Further reading
* Boge, Georgie and Margie Holder Boge. ''Paving Over the Past: A History and Guide to Civil War Battlefield Preservation''. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 1993.
* Cook, Roy B
“The Battle of Droop Mountain.” West Virginia Review. October 1928.
* Lowry, Terry. ''Last Sleep: The Battle of Droop Mountain''. Charleston, WV: Pictorial Histories Publishing Co., 1996.
The Pocahontas Times. June 28, 1928.
* ''Report of the Droop Mountain Battlefield Commission''. Charleston, WV: Jarrett Printing Co., 1928.
* Shaffer, Dallas B. ''The Battle at Droop Mountain''. Charleston, WV: Department of Natural Resources.
* Smith, Timothy B. ''Altogether Fitting and Proper: Civil War Battlefield Preservation in History, Memory, and Policy, 1861-2015''. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press, 2017.
* Snell, Mark A. ''West Virginia and the Civil War: Mountaineers Are Always Free''. Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2011.
The Pocahontas Times. July 12, 1928.
* West Virginia State Park History Committee. ''Where People and Nature Meet: A History of the West Virginia State Parks''. Charleston, WV: Pictorial Histories Publishing Co., 1988.
External links
*
Droop Mountain Museum
{{authority control
Protected areas of Pocahontas County, West Virginia
State parks of West Virginia
Pocahontas County, West Virginia in the American Civil War
Battlefields of the Eastern Theater of the American Civil War
Parks on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia
Protected areas established in 1928
American Civil War museums in West Virginia
Museums in Pocahontas County, West Virginia
Civilian Conservation Corps in West Virginia
National Register of Historic Places in Pocahontas County, West Virginia
Conflict sites on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia
1928 establishments in West Virginia
IUCN Category III