Page-Vawter House, Contentment Museum featured during Hawks Nest State Park tour program September 25 and 26

            ANSTED, W.Va. – The Page-Vawter House is a Victorian-era mansion located in Ansted, near Hawks Nest State Park, and will be part of the public historic tour scheduled for September 25 and 26. “It’s that huge house that sets back off the road as you drive through town (Ansted) and folks ask, WHAT is THAT?” said Megan Flinn, activities coordinator at Hawks Nest.  

            Contentment is a pre-Civil War structure that is now a museum maintained by the Fayette County Historical Society and also is part of the tour.

            Both structures preserve some West Virginia’s history and are, according to Flinn, “very cool places to visit if you get a chance.”  Flinn has created an overnight package and a tour-only option.

            The public can tour the Page-Vawter House and Contentment via a Historic Home Tour Package on either Tuesday, September 25 or Wednesday, September 26.  The overnight package cost for two people staying at Hawks Nest lodge is $70.56 and includes early check-in, an express breakfast, and a private group tour of both historic homes.  The cost to tour the homes only (no overnight) is $15 per person.  Reservations are required for either option by calling 304-658-5212 or by emailing hawksnestinfo@wv.gov.

On both September 25 and 26 the schedule will be:

• 3:30 p.m.:  Welcome at Hawks Nest Lobby and tour information provided.
• 4 p.m.:  Visit the Page-Vawter Victorian-era mansion that was built in 1890. The home has 15-plus rooms, 11 fireplaces, and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The massive home is still inhabited but hosts private tours.  Jim Campbell has chronicled the history and maintained the integrity of the home. 
• 5:30 p.m.: Contentment is a pre-Civil War era home and was one of only two buildings in Ansted that was not burned during the Civil War. Today, the home is beautifully maintained and appointed by the Fayette County Historical Society.  Light refreshments will be served on the porch. This stop includes a private tour the home, a restored one-room schoolhouse, and the museum with local Fayette County historian Anne Skaggs.
• 6:30 p.m.:  A “treasure map” with directions to the other nearby historic sites is part of the tour and activity schedule for participates looking for more New River area history.

            Home tours will involve walking short distances on flat surfaces and some stairs will be necessary to enter structures. Participants will drive personal vehicles from the departure point of Hawks Nest Lodge to and from sites, which allows departure for other attractions or interests in the area.  The total driving distance is about 12 miles and is along Rt. 60 in Ansted.

Other points of interest in the Ansted area include:

            Westlake Cemetery is the final resting place of Julia Jackson, Stonewall Jackson’s mother and Colonel George Imboden. Hawks Nest has a special Westlake tour scheduled on October 6.  Visit www.hawksnestsp.com for event information.

            Ansted’s Town Hall Museum is open to the public during business hours. In Ansted, the Tyree House, a private residence and the Episcopal Church are of interest. The Tyree House, also known as the Halfway House, is a two-story, log and frame structure with a gable roof measuring about 50 feet long and 20 feet deep. The original log section was built prior to 1810 and expanded around 1827.  It served as a stagecoach stop on the James River and Kanawha Turnpike. Notable guests included Daniel Webster, Henry Clay, and John Breckenridge. It also was headquarters of the Chicago Gray Dragoons of the Union Army during the Civil War. The Episcopal Church was “rescued” and brought all the way from New Jersey by the mother of William Page. 

            Chimney Corner Country Store is about six miles from Hawks Nest Lodge on Rt. 60 west at the junction of Rt. 60 and Rt. 19.  This cabin-style building was constructed in 1928.

            The Mystery Hole is one of the last of the quirkier American roadside attractions. The Mystery Hole is located on Gauley Mountain on Rt. 60 W from Hawks Nest Lodge and continues to be an attraction in Fayette County.