Just outside of downtown Beckley, this marker points out the history of this roadway and provides some context. It is next to a large church so there is room to park and read the marker.
It has the same text on both sides, reading "Authorized by the Virginia General Assembly (1811) as a "salt road." Completed c. 1812, the primitive road connected the Kanawha salines with southwestern VA markets and also gave access to the county's interior. Though one account stated it required "laborious pulling" to drive a wagon from Beckley to the Kanawha River, the route served as the main county road until 1848."
The marker was erected in 2023 by the Raleigh County Historical Society, City of Beckley and West Virginia Archives and History.
[Review 7 of 2026 - 196 in West Virginia - 25198 overall] read more