Laurel River Club B&B offers peace and tranquility with a touch of history

By Helen E. McKinney

Contributing Writer

Jenningston – Tucker County resident Katherine Pratt Salovaara (PK) cared for her Jenningston home until she no longer could. But the home that once sat in the middle of a booming logging town wasn’t left to fall into disrepair; it has taken on new life as the Laurel River Club B&B.

Marsha and Kendall Waybright saw something special in the historic three-story farmhouse. “This is the last house standing from the original town of Jenningston. We felt it needed the proper care so the history of Jenningston would never be forgotten and the Salovaara family, who own the property, felt the same way,” Marsha said. Even though Katherine “did not know of our plans to open a B&B,” she no doubt would have approved.

The Waybrights, as property managers for the Salovaara family, felt they could transform the house into a comfortable B&B. With a little elbow grease and a lot of determination, they knew their dream could come true. The B&B has been up and running since Memorial Day 2020, having been booked throughout the COVID pandemic. Marsha said the B&B “stays very busy so it is good to book your reservation early.”

The B&B offers four spacious bedrooms for overnight guests, each decorated with period pieces that add to the country charm. Guests are treated to special meals using foods grown on the farm, which the Waybrights want to promote as working educational farm complete with chickens, turkeys, pigs and cattle.

It’s the perfect spot for anyone who loves the outdoors, no matter the time of year. Visitors can enjoy a number of activities including hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, kayaking, fishing, swimming and skiing. To add to the amenities at LRC B&B, nearby recreational sites include Canaan Valley State Park, Blackwater Falls State Park, Seneca Rocks State Park, Dolly Sods Wilderness Area and Spruce Knob.

Visitors can also explore the Monongahela National Forest which includes 7,200-acres lying in the mountains of nearby Parsons. Acquired by the federal government in 1915, the land became known as the Monongahela Purchase. Five years later the national forest was designated. Additional lands were acquired within the 1.7 million-acre proclamation boundary of the forest so that today the forest includes more than 919,000 acres in ten counties as it stretches through the Allegheny Mountains of eastern WV.

After an active day outdoors, one can find peace and quiet at the B&B. The original beauty of the home, with its hand-carved wooden staircase and trim work, has not been lost to time. Stepping inside is literally like stepping back in time to the early 1900’s when the bottom land adjoining the Dry Fork River was home to a large logging town. More than that, it was its own community.

The town of Jenningston was founded in 1905 by brothers Cortez Hicks (C.H.) and Bishop Worth (B.W.) Jennings, natives of Luzerne County, Pa.  Cortez went into the logging business in 1881, eventually convincing his brother to join him as a partner in his new endeavor.

The Jennings Brothers Lumber Company quickly became very prosperous in Lopez, Pa. as the brothers expanded operations. Wanting to increase their holdings even more, they eventually set their sights on expanding into Maryland and West Virginia. They targeted the area in West Virginia that would become Jenningston.

On November 29, 1899 the brothers signed an agreement with William Rosendorf, president of the Middle Mountain Boom and Lumber Company. In exchange for $11,000, they received 20,000 acres, a sawmill, dam, machinery, and a railroad running a short distance from the Dry Fork Railroad to the mill. In 1900, the brothers purchased an additional 30,000 acres.

Knowing they would need a way to transport lumber out of the valley once they were up and running, they chartered a railroad from Pocahontas to Randolph County. As buildings and employee homes were being built, so was the house that would become Laurel River Club B&B. It was built in the main town square for company superintendent Bishop Worth and his wife Ella Castle Jennings.

Even though they were highly prosperous for a time, tragedy struck in 1906 when B.W. Jennings died unexpectedly. His son, William Worth Jennings, took over his part of the business.

W.’s brother C. H. had a hard time coming to terms with the fact that his brother had died. On July 1, 1909, C. H. sold all of the property to the newly formed Laurel River Lumber Company for $1,400,000. This included 18 miles of railroad, 400 million feet of uncut timber, the mill, store, hotel, all houses, and animals. The purchasing company was owned by E.W. Mealy of Hagerstown and J.A.G. and E.M. Allen of Darlington, Maryland. C. H. and his wife, Mary Bowman, had moved to Townada, Pa. three years earlier to live on a 1,000 acre property near Towanda Creek.

Due to severe flooding, fires and the depletion of all trees in the area because of the logging industry, life in Jenningston slowly came to a standstill. Even the railroad left, with no industry to sustain the once thriving community. The official end of the Laurel River Lumber Company took place on January 18, 1923.

The Waybrights have preserved this history in the B&B by showcasing mementoes such as company script and many photos of the area in its heyday as a logging town. Even though the black and white photos tell the history quite well, Marsha is only too happy to share her knowledge of the area also, making one feel as if the town’s residents would at any minute walk straight out of 1906 and into her parlor for a cup of tea to share the day’s news with visitors.

The Salovaara family still owns the 220-acre farm surrounding the B&B. Kendall’s family farm adjoins the B&B property and Marsha grew up 15 minutes away in Middle Mountain.

The quiet little town Katherine Pratt Salovaara settled in decades ago has not lost its charm. Along with her children and husband J.J., she came from Chicago to become caretaker of a rich history that many had forgotten. The Waybright’s have taken up that history and hospitably opened the doors of Katherine’s former home to let visitors experience the peace and tranquility of the Laurel River Club B&B.

For more information or to make a reservation please visit http://lrcbnb.com, call 304-402-7095 or visit their Facebook page at Laurel River Club BnB.