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| Charleston, Kanawha
County |
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West Virginia
State Capital:
(Left) I was quite surprised to
find such a beautiful and massive capital dome in
West Virginia. The dome is the largest of all the
state capitals and is actually higher than the US
Capital building in Washington, DC.
West Virginia Capital
At Night:
(Right) The capital occupies
a stately spot along the Kanawha River, perfectly
placed for any number of photographs.
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Downtown Charleston:
(Left) The downtown of this
sleepy capital has been revitalized and contains many
elegant structures. I was surprised by the lack of
tourists, however, as I seemingly had the city to myself.
Charleston Building Details:
(Right) Having dodged many
urban renewal bulldozers, dozens of turn-of-the-century
buildings stoically guard over the city. |
| Pocahontas County |
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Green Bank:
Nestled in the mountains near the Virginia-West
Virginia border, the National Radio Astronomy Observatory
(NRAO) in Green Bank uses radio signals to explore
the outer depths of the universe. The area around the
telescope is designated as a national
quiet zone which essentially forbids cell phones,
radios, and other "noisy" gadgets. |
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Grote Reber's
Radio Telescope:
(Left) The original radio
telescope was invented and built by Grote Reber in
1937. Originally stationed in his back yard, today
it is used to show the power of one man's vision.
Robert C. Byrd Telescope:
(Right) The main telescope
at the facility is the Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope.
The dish alone is over two acres large. |
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Green Bank
Church:
(Left) The old roads in
West Virginia's Appalachia pass
through many antiquated towns with a charm lost in
today's world. Many of the towns have beautiful churches
like this one in Green Bank which dates back to the
early 1800's.
Cass Scenic Railroad:
(Right) Once a thriving mill
town, Cass is now a state park with a scenic railroad.
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Cass Sawmill:
The forests of West Virginia were of great importance
to the development of the region. The old-growth forests
provided timber for sawmills throughout the east coast
until these magnificent woods were depleted. Now the
mills stand abandoned and the new hope is that tourism
will take their place economically. |
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Train Graveyard:
We came across Cass during the off-season so
we were able to take a nice log walk along the tracks.
We came across this old abandoned train which was decomposing
at a rapid rate and turned out to be a photographer's
paradise. |
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"Almost
Heaven":
(Left) Abandoned Train Locomotive
at Cass Scenic Railway
Boxcar Detail:
(Right) Dilapidated trains with
the perfect light are an amateur photographer's true
delight!
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Cass Railroad
Tracks:
Perhaps my favorite part of the entire trip
was the time my father and I spent wandering along
the old train tracks in Cass. There is a certain romanticism
involved with old trains and to be able to walk quietly
among them as they crumble is quite a memorable experience. |
| Helvetia, Randolph
County |
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Helvetia:
Our only planned destination was the small Swiss
village of Helvetia. The sign reads: "and so...
in October 1869 this handful of Swiss Craftsmen found
themselves in a wilderness of vast beauty, with unfamiliar
tools and skills they hewed and plowed this unyielding
land, and they called their village Helvetia." |
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Settlers Buildings
in Helvetia:
(Left) Helvetia was founded
by Swiss immigrants who created a community which
did its best to replicate Swiss life in the heart
of the Appalachia. Being Swiss citizens ourselves,
my father and I found a little nationalistic pride
seeing what our countrymen had accomplished.
Helvetia Coat of Arms:
(Right) Swiss heritage and traditions
are very much the focal point of Helvetia.
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| Cabel County |
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Glass Factories:
(Left) One of my favorite
things about traveling is that you can learn something
new around each corner. For example, we saw a sign
on the side of the road for a glass
museum and leaned that West Virginia was one
of the largest glass producers in America. Who knew?
Tudor's Biscuit World:
(Right) It's not every day that
you come across a chain of restaurants solely dedicated
to biscuits!
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Cabel County
Courthouse:
(Left) Often the most impressive
buildings in Appalachian towns are the county courthouses.
Huntington, with its beautiful Cabel County Courthouse,
is no exception.
Huntington Streets:
(Right) While strolling down
the streets of Huntington it
is very easy to see that it once was a very wealthy
city.
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Marshall University
:
.Once a thriving industrial city, Huntington
is now seemingly a quintessential college town. Many
of the old mansions which once housed coal magnates
are now fraternity and sorority houses. The rest of
the city seems to bleed "Marshall green" and
overwhelmingly identifies itself with the university. |
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Marshall Football:
(Left) Marshall University
will forever be known in conjunction with the tragic plane
crash in 1970 in which the entire football team
perished. There are many memorials throughout town,
including this one on the football stadium.
Martinsburg Apple:
(Right) The northern city of
Martinsburg,100 miles from Washington, DC, is famous
for its apples and bills itself as the "Apple
Capital."
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| Berkeley County |
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B&O Train
Station:
During the Civil War Stonewall Jackson and his
troops burned the Martinsburg train station to the
ground. The station was rebuilt shortly thereafter
and was the home to another important event in 1877,
the first national railroad strike. Today it stands
empty as a reminder of both historic events. |
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Ironton Downtown:
Across the river from Huntington in Ohio is
the old "Iron City" named Ironton. We did
now know what to expect with this town but with the
name "Ironton" it must be interesting. We
were correct in our assumptions as we found a once-prosperous
rust belt city that has fallen on severely hard times. |
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Ironton's Neglected
Past:
It was very sobering to walk around Ironton.
Everything in the town seemed to be in a general state
of disrepair. Even one of the cannons in front of City
Hall had a flat tire. Normally when you visit old rust
belt cities you usually see some signs of a good future,
but sadly my cursory look at this city showed nothing
but tough times ahead. |
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Old Theater,
Downtown Ironton:
(Left) Often you hear about preservation
efforts in cities to try to revitalize their old
theaters. Ironton is in desperate need of such a
community focus, as the old theater is now an auto
parts store.
Lady Liberty:
(Right) To me this photograph
of Lady Liberty looking on with a bent crown best
describes the sad city of Ironton.
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