By: Lydia Crawley
The Parsons Advocate
The Mon Forest Towns has released a new website outlining a variety of special features, histories and unique attributes about each of their 12 communities, including those in Tucker County: Davis, Thomas and Parsons.
Davis on the site is listed as the “Gateway to Canaan Valley.” The site promotes such local treasures as Blackwater Falls, Canaan Valley and the Canaan Valley Mountain trail systems, the small town charm of Davis and the area’s reknown hiking, biking, skiing and wildlife experiences.
Promoting the thriving arts district with the Town’s trail, waterfall, canyon access and northern gateway to the Mon Forest, Thomas is toted as the “Gateway to the Blackwater Canyon.” The site also outlines the Blackwater Canyon Rail Trail and the old coke ovens on the edge of town, as well as quick access to Dolly Sods and Otter Creek Wilderness Areas and Canaan Mountain trails.
“The Gateway to the Cheat River” is Parsons. The site describes Parsons as a blend of small town amenities and direct access to the National Forest Wilderness Areas, the Allegheny Highlands Trail and Blackwater Canyon Rail Trail.
Besides listing the area attractions, the site offers multi-day itineraries for each Town such as those focused to families, as well as historical (listed as Heritage) and scenic itineraries. These three day itineraries list various places and activities of interest in each featured Mon Forest Town featured, as well as tips as to the best time to visit, weather considerations, road conditions, wildlife safety and leave no trace guidelines. A brief historical background of each town is also given on each town’s page.
Each page also includes unique trivia about the Town. Thomas’ site includes the fact that during the coal boom, the Town was home to immigrants from 18 nationalities and hired an interpreter who spoke eight separate languages to assist the workforce. This fact, the site asserts is, “a multiculturalism reflected in its contemporary arts and cuisine scene.”
Trivia on Davis included the formation of “East Coast tech” in the 1980’s in rock gardens and bogs as “a Mountain Bike rite of passage and redefined adventure racing with events like ‘Revenge of the Rattlesnake.’”
Parsons trivia includes such staples as Pickin’ in Parsons and the Battle at Corricks Ford, but perhaps lesser known is the Fernow Experimental Forest. The site said the Fernow Experimental Forest was located just outside Parsons and designated in 1934. It pioneered watershed and red spruce research that is still in use in Appalachian forest management.
To explore the full site, go to https://monforesttowns.org.
