The Mysterious State Park - Its on the Topo Map!

[+frex3wv]

Like many benchmark hunters do, I was looking around at online topo maps recently and discovered a state park listed (with what looks like a property outline) that I had never heard of. Its called Booler T. Washington State Park. It shows as located in Dunbar, WV.

 

Any info I can find - which is almost none - has the word (historical) after the park name.

I did call the state parks people and can't get past the first person I speak with - who insists its never been there! I did go to the area where it would have made logical sense to enter this "park" and there was a "fence" (if you wanna call it that) that consisted of very weathered wood beams - low to to the ground - wire strung between them. It certainly looks like a state park kind of thing.

 

My question is - have any of you come across something like this before?

 

I Would love any and all thoughts on this mysterious park or any stories you all may have of a similar nature.

 

Thanks in advance and I hope everyone is well!

[tosborn]

A Google search turned up an Oct 8, 2009 story by the The Huntington, WV News titled "Booker T. Washington Monument Dedication Set for Oct. 19 at WV State."

 

It says ...."A monument honoring Old Malden resident Booker T. Washington will be dedicated at 12:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19, 2009 at Booker T. Washington Park of West Virginia State University in Institute/Old Malden, WV." I see that Institute is just West of the location of the Park as shown on the 1:24000 USGS topo. So perhaps its a Park of the State University instead of the the WV State Parks.

 

Since the dedication is next Monday, you might want to attend.

 

Also, there apparently is a Booker T. Washington State Park in Tennessee on Chickamauga Lake not far from the city of Chattanooga. I see a couple of websites have the information for that Park (e.g. number of campsites, etc) mixed-up with the topo map location in West Virigina.

Edited October 13, 2009 by tosborn

[Bill93]

Booker T. Washington Park info

 

Other references to it can be found on Google, although an identically named park in Tennessee has perhaps more listings.

 

Edit: sorry, I screwed up. I saw the West Virginia on the linked page and didn't analyze it to see it was one of the confused listings.

Edited October 13, 2009 by Bill93

[+frex3wv]

The info you both list regarding Tenn. does make it even more strange.

 

My sense still is that there was a state park by that name in the location I found on the topo map. So an additional question might be - could the topo map be THAT wrong?

 

(as an FYI - the monument dedication is actually taking place in Malden WV - Booker T's home town. The institute part is a part of the school's name)

[+LSUFan]

 

My question is - have any of you come across something like this before?

 

I Would love any and all thoughts on this mysterious park or any stories you all may have of a similar nature.

 

 

I ran into something similar with benchmark DL1327 which we discussed here:

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php?showtopic=230552

 

The topo maps and such show a Donaghey State Park where this monument is on the LA side as well as a park on the AR side of the line, but there isn't a park there. There was a newspaper article which explained the monument and the "plans" to build a park, that never happened.....but the link is no longer good.

 

The monument and nonexistent park(s) are discussed here in the wikipedia article about Governor Donaghey. It's near the bottom of the page.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_Donaghey

Edited October 13, 2009 by LSUFan

[tosborn]

I don't know, it seems unlikely to me that the area shown on the map was ever a State Park... based on the boundary shown on the map its only about 3.5 acres. That doesn't leave a lot of space for camping, etc. And there doesn't appear to be anything special there like a lake, etc.

 

As I indicated above, I suspect it is/was probably more like a Park/Monument associated with the State University. At any rate, the "Historical" designation given this feature in the USGS Geographical Names Information System (GNIS) means that USGS believes "This feature has ceased to exist and/or no longer serves its original purpose."

 

It looks to me like "Institute" is a place....and not part of the name of the University. On their website, WVSU says "West Virginia State University is a historically black university, which has evolved into a fully accessible, racially diverse, and multi-generational institution offering baccalaureate, associate, and graduate degrees. The suburban University is located in Institute, West Virginia, eight miles from downtown Charleston."

 

Perhaps you should call the Huntington News or the University and ask them where the "Booker T. Washington Park of West Virginia State University" that was mentioned in the news article is located?

Edited October 13, 2009 by tosborn

[+frex3wv]

Tosborn:

 

You are correct - Institute is most certainly a place! All I meant was that the dedication ceremony mentioned in the article will actually be in Malden, WV (where there is a geocache btw).

 

I know what you mean about the area not really being big enough to be a park - but it is SO clearly referenced on the topo - with a very specific name and area..........................

 

add to this the "fencing" I found - and it leads me to believe it was something.............

Edited October 13, 2009 by frex3wv

[+TheBeanTeam]

 

I know what you mean about the area not really being big enough to be a park - but it is SO clearly referenced on the topo - with a very specific name and area..........................

 

 

The land may be "owned" by the State Parks system and is yet to be developed.

Here in Oregon we have "State Parks" that are unmarked and just a few acres. Others are marked as Waysides or Viewpoints and some are under an acre. Then there are peices of property that the state is holding in reserve for land swaps and do not have the intention of developing ever, but it is still "state park land".

 

Just thoughts on what it might be.....

[+Harry Dolphin]

Ah. I didn't know that a park has to have camping in order to qualify as a state park!

There's a state park near me: Farny State Park. All it has is trees. And one trail. And a dirt road. Yet, it's a state park beause New Jersey says so! (On the cache page for my cache there, I write: This is what the State of New Jersey proudly proclaims about Farny State Park: "It has trees." )

The new Google Maps, on the other fin, seem to have created many, many parks that no one knows about. Including adding hundreds of acres to Farny State Park. (Not sure if the land owers are aware of that! A lot of that land belongs to the Newark Watershed, and shows on its maps as belonging to the Watershed..)

[tosborn]

According to this link ( http://www.wvexp.com/index.php/Booker_T_Wa...rk_(historical) ) "The 1950 West Virginia Blue Book referenced the Booker T Washington State Park as being 7.43 acre day-use only park located in Institute, WV, in Kanawha County. "

 

There is also a ghost reference to the Booker T. Washington State Park near Dunbar, WV here: http://www.ghostsofamerica.com/2/West_Virg..._sightings.html

 

I guess it probably did exist at one time.

Edited October 13, 2009 by tosborn

[+frex3wv]

Tosborn -

 

Your links convince me further that there IS something to the topo map reference. Maybe I actually need to head to the library and actually look at - and make a photocopy of the entry - then head to the WV State Parks office. Something tells me though that the woman I spoke to on the phone who was SO sure there was no such park would be thrilled with my visit.

 

Is anyone familiar with how topo map info was gathered/verified etc back in the day?

 

Thanks for all the posts so far - keep em coming!

[+Black Dog Trackers]

The USGS Geographic Names Information System can be searched with "Booker T. Washington" and Feature Class "Park". The results are 4 parks, National Monument and a playground. The last park is the one in WV. Clicking on it reveals this note:

"Historical This feature has ceased to exist and/or no longer serves its original purpose."

[+rogbarn]

I found this very interesting because a very similar thing just happened to me. I found Barnes State Park in southern Washington state, immediately west of I-5. I was curious about it because my name is also Barnes. But when I went to the Washington State Parks wesite, there was nary a word about it. I wonder if it got caught in some budget axe.

[+PFF]

Interesting question above about requiring a camping facility in order for a place to qualify as a state park. For years, I thought the determining factor was whether it had at least one benchmark. But then I realized that there can be a lot of controversy in the determination, after I discovered......

 

North Carolina's state park that went away.

 

Along the Yadkin River, just west of the barbeque capital of Lexington, NC, and a few miles off Interstate 85, there is a small cave. Legend has long held that it was inhabited by the young Daniel Boone and his family when they arrived in North Carolina, prior to getting their first house built.

 

Using old deeds, we can identify several nearby places where the Boone family lived, as well as land that they farmed. We know the exact location of the graves of Daniel's parents. [see photos at FA2624.] And we know that Daniel and his wife lived in Wilkes County, prior to leaving North Carolina. However, finding proof that he lived in the cave has eluded the best efforts of local and national historians. But that did not stop one group from pressing for official recognition. A history of Davidson County picks up the story……

 

"Members of the Daniel Boone Memorial Association wanted the state to recognize the park as a historic site, but the state refused, saying there was not enough solid evidence of inhabitation by the Boone Family. Finally, North Carolina accepted the site into the state's park system in 1970, but refused to recognize its historical significance, considering it to be simply a recreational area. The park languished for many years, and never received full state staffing due to its small size.

 

"Ownership of the park was returned to Davidson County at the county's request in 2003. It is administered by the Davidson County Parks and Recreation Department, and many physical improvements have been made in the past 5 years. In 2006 a park ranger was hired and lives on site."

 

Numerous maps and tourist guides continue to refer to the area as Boone's Cave State Park. The outdated designation is likely to persist for many years. And don't ask when the TOPO map will be revised. [Grin.]

 

Meanwhile, the search for proof continues. But as one historian pointed out, if you gathered together all the personal items claimed to have been owned by Daniel Boone, they would fill several rooms--which is astounding, since Boone lived in a one-room house. [Chuckle.]

 

The Davidson County site concludes:

 

"Although all the folklore and artifacts may not be strictly authentic to Boone, they illustrate the power of the legend of Daniel Boone as one of the greatest American characters in our country's history."

 

True. But just for the official record, he no longer enjoys "State Park" status.

 

-Paul-

Edited October 25, 2009 by PFF

[+frex3wv]

Thanks PFF for such an interesting post!

 

And Rogbarn - let us know what you find out if you investigate!

 

As for the original mystery - well here is the update:

 

The WV Blue Book lists the park from 1950 - 1957. With this info - I called the state back and finally got to the Parks Historian who - by chance had also heard of this "park" just recently and was alos curious, He found a document from the early 1950's that mentioned establishing a park there with an unimproved road to the site, picnic areas, fire pits, hiking trails etc.

 

The fellow I am dealing with has been out of town - but we will be looking into it further upon his return next week. One more thing to add to the mystery - the land division shows NO RECORD of owning this property or a park being there.

 

Will keep everyone posted as details continue to emerge.

 

(Did I mention I love looking at Topo maps! and all thanks to benchmarking)

[+GEO*Trailblazer 1]

Around here we call them checker board pieces.

Some were and are proposed areas that were never purchased.

Some were just proposed but all are still on the maps today.

 

There are many lost 40"s as they say.

[+89SC]

I know of three of the old roadside Parks in WV that once belonged to the State of WV and no longer do. Two are historic sites with old iron furnaces. They still have shelters and picnic tables and one has a restroom but they are all now posted with Private Property and No Trespassing signs.