Watters Smith State Park swimming pool closed for 2012

            LOST CREEK, W. Va. – The outdoor swimming pool at Watters Smith Memorial State Park near Lost Creek in Harrison County will not open in 2012 due to safety concerns, according to Brad Reed, district administrator for the West Virginia State Parks system.

             “Our current park superintendent, park maintenance staff, and their predecessors are to be commended for the hard work and continual maintenance that allowed this 1964 vintage, never-renovated pool, to remain open as long as it did. However, it has now passed the point where it can continue to operate and must be closed,” Reed said.

            Watters Smith Memorial State Park is one of the state’s most popular day-use parks, offering a variety of other summer activities available to the public.  It features museums, an activity/meeting building, hiking trails and a picnic area. The park currently is restoring its historical structures as well as updating interpretative displays and conducting major trail maintenance.  The trails are extremely popular with hikers and mountain bikers.

• June 2 is National Trails Day, and Watters Smith is celebrating with a guided hike beginning at 8 a.m. at the Activity Building, followed by refreshments and prizes.
• That evening, the park will observe extended hours from 10 p.m. to midnight to allow mountain bikers an opportunity to ride the trails at night during the parks “Lunar Cycle” event.

            Watters Smith Memorial State Park features a 1700s farm heritage setting.  The 532-acre historical park stands as a memorial to the pioneer spirit of Watters Smith, who settled here in 1796 with his family.  He and his wife, Elizabeth, lived here with their eight children up until near the turn of the 20th century.  The park features two museums which pay tribute to a family who carved a life out of the wilderness and preserves for the public a view of early frontier life in what is now central West Virginia.  Visit www.wattersmsithstatepark.com for more information.