Today, while taking a Sunday drive up the Kanawha River towards Cedar Grove, we stopped in Belle,…read moreWV to visit the 1810 National Historic Home of Samuel Shrewsbury Sr. The Stone House is well built and preserved. Located along the Route 60 Mid-Land Trail, it is very easy to locate near the DuPont Plant. There is a private small parking lot. The 2 Story home is closed normally to the public and only opened on special occasions. There is plenty of signage available telling about Samuel Shrewsbury from Bedford VA and the Salt Industry that brought him to the Kanawha Valley. Please stop if you are in the area and appreciate the beauty of this well constructed 214 yr old home! I was able to enjoy with my husband, Tony Vanoy, Daughter in law Kayla and grandson, Deacon. Only wish we could have went inside!!!

A truss bridge the crosses the Kanawha River, it is named for four-star admiral Thomas J. Lopez,…read morewho served as Commander in Chief of the US Naval Forces Europe and the Allied Forces Southern Europe from 1996 to 1998. He was born in Powellton, West Virginia which is about 18 miles upriver. The current bridge replaced an earlier one that was a toll bridge. This one is not a toll and is free to cross. Two lanes in each direction with a double-yellow line down the center and a sidewalk on the eastern side. It was completed in 1997. [Review 19616 overall - 90 in West Virginia - 587 of 2023.]

As a city on a river, Charleston has a handful of bridges that ensure the two sides are able to…read moreconnect. While the upriver Chuck Yeager Bridge carries both I-77 and I-64 over the river, this one is downriver from the city and is simply named the South Side Bridge. Perhaps one day it will get named after a worthy West Virginian. In the meanwhile, the South Side Bridge was built in 1936 by the Wisconsin Bridge and Iron Company and was updated in 1990. The bridge spans 1146 feet with a main span of 420 feet and is 38.7 feet wide. It is a Parker through truss bridge. It brings I-64 over not only the Kanawha River but also Kanawha Boulevard and MacCorkle Avenue and a railroad line. My two crossings of the bridge today were easy and smooth thanks to low weekend traffic. As there are signs on the bridge that note the "exit only" lanes, it is likely much more challenging during rush hour. There is no toll here which is a positive. [Review 566 of 2025 - 151 in West Virginia - 24127 overall]

The 1148-foot South Side Bridge opened in 1936 and carries Dickinson Street over the Kanahwa River…read morein the middle of Charleston WV. It is a through truss bridge with clearance enough for a Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star doing 500mph to miss the water and the deck. According to an April 2010 item in the Charleston Gazette this is the bridge Chuck Yeager famously flew under in 1948 - a year after breaking the sound barrier: one pass, heading west, to impress/scare the locals and then back to work. No more, no less, the general was just having a little too much fun. Yea Chuck!

This marker is along a curvy road at the peak of the hill. It is set back from the road a little…read morebit and needing some clearing. There is some space to pull over to stop and read the marker. The marker reads, "White Oak Fuel Company built the Oakwood Mine Complex in 1902. In 1915, 21 miners died when gas in the mine exploded. A year later, the original wooden tipple was upgraded to a multi-story steel structure. New River Company ran the mine after absorbing White Oak Fuel, a subsidiary, in 1936. Peak output was 515,936 tons in 1940. The mine shut down in 1965." The maker was erected in 2012 by West Virginia Department of Abandoned Mine Lands and the West Virginia Department of Archives & History. [Review 19615 overall - 89 in West Virginia - 586 of 2023.]

There are actually two bridges here, carrying I-64 / I-77 across the Kanawha River just south of…read moreCharleston. They are unique, steel-through arches, with the first completed in 1954. The second, parallel, bridge was completed in 1983. Each is two lanes and there is no toll to cross the bridges. Named after the aviator who was the first to fly faster than sound, https://youtu.be/zgR-KadhgMI, US Air Force Brigadier General Charles "Chuck" Yeager. His birthplace of Myra WV is about 40 miles west of here. He is laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery. The bridges are a very boring green, almost Army olive. They are scheduled to be repainted this year in the official colors of West Virginia, blue and gold. [Review 19618 overall - 92 in West Virginia - 589 of 2023.]

This is a cool breeze that I've traveled over numerous times man traveling through West Virginia on…read morethe way to Pittsburgh go Steelers can't go wrong with that this is a cooler bridge it's green text you over the water does what a bridge should do four out of five stars good for you bridge

This lovely old Mansion is the residence of the Governor of West Virginia. Many great men and their…read morefamilies have lived in this home. Located on the grounds of the West Virginia Capitol Complex at 1716 Kanawha Blvd E, Charleston, WV 25305 The West Virginia Governor's Mansion (or West Virginia Executive Mansion) is a historic residence located next to the Kanawha River in Charleston, West Virginia and is the official residence of the Governor of West Virginia. The Colonial Revival (Georgian Revival) building was completed in 1925 by Charleston architect Walter F. Martens and is part of the West Virginia Capitol Complex, which also includes the West Virginia State Capitol. The building itself has a red brick exterior, with a columned portico at the entrance. The foyer was inspired by the White House, with checkered black-and-white marble flooring and dual staircases. The first floor of the mansion includes the drawing room, ballroom, state dining room, library, and a sitting room. The second floor houses the governor's own rooms, as well as those of his family, while additional bedrooms are on the third floor.[2] In all, the structure has 30 rooms.[3] The mansion also features walled gardens, a separate garage, and servant quarters.[2] The total cost of the mansion, including land, construction, and furnishings, was approximately $203,000 at the time of its construction.[

A wonderful old house, fitting for the responsible officer of the state government…read more When I was a child, my parents would take me trick-or-treating, and we always stopped by the Governor's Mansion. At the time, Arch Moore was governor. He and Mrs. Moore would actually greet you at the door themselves, and give candy. How awesome is that?