Discovering the Edgarton Inn B&B

Look on the map and see if you can find the town of Edgarton, West Virginia. Surely there must be one, since there’s an Edgarton Inn Bed & Breakfast.  I Googled the town, and found out that there’s a town in Mingo County named Delorme that is also known as Edgarton, but there are no B&B’s there.  So where in the world is the Edgarton Inn Bed & Breakfast?

As you might have guessed, the name was changed sometime back.  You see, the Greenbrier River flows through this town and it’s in Greenbrier County.  I guess they could have called the town Greenbrier, but then that wouldn’t have been very original.  I’ve heard a few different stories about the original name for the town from Edgar’s Ford to St. Lawrence Ford.  One story has it that Edgar’s Ford was named after Thomas Edgar who built his house near the banks of the Greenbrier and then sold off lots that started the community.  When it came time to incorporate the town, it was time to give it a more colorful name.  So some say that was when Mrs. Edgar put a twist of French to the name Greenbrier and came up with Ronceverte, which in French means bramble green, or green brier.

Greenbrier County and Lewisburg, the county seat, is one of the more popular tourist destinations in West Virginia, and only five miles south of Lewisburg on US 219 is the town of Ronceverte.  In honor of the founder of Ronceverte, Kathy King, the owner of the Edgarton Inn Bed & Breakfast, named the Inn located in his original house built-in 1810, after Thomas Edgarton.

The house is beautiful and chucked full of history and scenes from days gone by in Greenbrier County.  It is spacious with a common dining area and sitting room downstairs that is a great place to just sit and relax.  Upstairs there are four bedrooms each with its own bathroom.

The Blue Ridge Suite is part of the original 1810 house that was built with timbers; then brown sand from the Greenbrier River and horse hair were mixed into plaster which is still in place under the old wallpaper coverings.  The wooden floors are original and to stand on them is to go back 200 years in history.

The Greenbrier Room is also located in a section of the original house built-in 1810.  The Bay windows were added when Col. Best remodeled the house after the Civil War. If you notice, the house faces the river, as most houses built-in the early 1800’s did.

The Renaissance Suite contains the Victorian tower, which features the Queen Anne architecture popular in this historic period.  If you look at the photos that accompany this article, you will see just how spacious and beautiful these rooms are.

Take a step back in time, and at the same time, enjoy the present while staying in the Edgarton Inn.  Kathy, the owner is a great host and you will find the town, now named Ronceverte, to be populated by friendly people who help make your stay enjoyable.  Come prepared to enjoy your stay in the Inn while you discover all the attractions and fun shopping experiences Greenbrier County has to offer.

A Day In Pineville

By Guest Blogger: Sherry McCormick-Hawkins

Recently I had the privilege of spending a day in Pineville. It is a small West Virginia town with a lot of things to offer in regards to lodging, food and shops.

First, Bill and I checked into our room at “Trails Lodging.” We decided to “splurge” and we got a great room with our own private Jacuzzi! The room was terrific and had just been remodeled. The bathroom was large and spotless. We enjoyed sitting in the Jacuzzi and watching old movies! The cost was well under $100 and definitely a bargain. The staff is friendly and the lobby and atmosphere are inviting. On top of that they are located right beside the fascinating “Pinnacle Rock” and across the street from the Wyoming County Courthouse.

Pat’s Fashions

Wyoming County Courthouse

I felt like I was stepping back in time as we ventured out after checking into the room. The downtown area is small, but exciting. Our first stop was “Pat’s Fashions”. After looking around a few minutes I urged Bill to head out because I knew that I would be “busy” for quite a while. He gladly complied once he realized how large the store was and he knows I love to “look around.” I was amazed at the HUGE assortment of formal dresses as well as fashionable clothing ranging from jeans to dress clothes. They also have a large variety of jewelry, purses, shoes and other things that women can’t live without. I bought myself a really neat shirt while I was browsing around. The ladies working there were all very friendly and eager to help me find what I needed. In fact, one of them owns a new lodging place herself named “Mimmies Place” which sounded like the perfect place for ATV people, business people and travelers. It is out in the country and has all of the amenities of home. I’ll be back at “Pat’s Fashions” soon.

Mimmys Place

Once I left Pat’s I crossed the street and headed to “The Blossom Bucket.” This is a really neat store. First, it is a florist where you can get exactly what you need for weddings, funerals, and anything else. They also offer fruit baskets, balloon and candy bouquets, silk flowers and other items. I love how the store is decorated! You can buy curtains, bedspreads and other home décor. They have candles, primitives and many other items available for sale. Again, just like every place else in Pineville I was greeted with a smile and a willingness to help me find what I needed.

Blossom Bucket

That night we ate at the “Cornerstone Grill” which is located in “Trails Lodging”. I love the décor of the place and they have a great menu with a wide variety of items. I especially enjoyed the steak salad! It was so good that we ate there again a few days later on our way to McDowell County! Their prices are budget friendly too and that is always good.

Cornerstone Grill

After leaving Pineville I told Bill that I definitely want to come back again soon and stay overnight. The folks are friendly, the area is beautiful and the atmosphere is perfect for relaxing. The perfect place to come and leave your cares behind!

Trails Lodging

City Teen Who Visited Greenville in 2012

(The following post is courtesy of Taya McCormick, at the time a high school sophmore from Virginia Beach who visited Greenville, WV in 2012.  Taya wrote the blog and included a few of the photos you see in the article.  We’re reposting the blog on MonroeCo.WVyourWay.com and once again thank Taya, who is now a member of the United States Navy!)

I took a trip to Greenville, West Virginia after finding my interests on MonoreCo.WVyourWay.com, and I absolutely loved it. Everything about it was beautiful. I read the history behind Cooks Old Mill and walked around and took some pictures of it. It’s a very big building and very old.

The old mill located along Rt. 12 in Greenville.

Right across from the building is a red wood Mill. It is really pretty because there are flowers all around it and its interesting to learn about what happened in our history.  Beside the Old Mill building there is a little creek and the water is quite cold. The creek is cold because the water runs from a cave into the creek. I sat down and enjoyed the beautiful view from the picnic table that is under a tree that gives shade. On the other side of the Old Mill is a little building that looks like a house made out of wood. Inside of the little building are two looms that are made out of wood. They were used to make wool. It was interesting to look at the looms because we don’t have them anymore and we have gotten rid of most of them. I also think it is interesting to know that women used to sit there for hours and do it. I liked looking at them because we get to know more about how the world was back when we didn’t have all the technology that we do now.

Looms inside one of the buildings at the mill.

When I walked around the creek I saw some really pretty flowers that surrounded it. It was nice to look around and see all the wonderful colors of the wild life. I really enjoyed walking around and looking at nature. The thing I enjoyed most was the bridge that covered the creek water. It was beautiful and I could spend the whole day standing there on the bridge. It was so quiet and the sound of the creek was very peaceful.

Footbridge across the creek below the mill.

Beside the bridge there were two porter potties that you can not use but they are there to look at because that’s how it was back then. If you look across the bridge you see a man made waterfall that lets the creek water from the pond into the running creek that runs under the bridge. When you go across the street there is more nature and more of beautiful scenes. I also saw some ducks and little baby ducks. It was a great day and I enjoyed going to the Old Mill. I also went to – and enjoyed the animals that were there. There were some weird kinds of animals that let me take some pictures of them. I also saw a lot of deer which not a big deal because here in West Virginia the state has a lot of deer. I enjoyed driving in the car and looking at the different kind of animals that – have. Now I know why it is named Greenville because it is filled with nature and the beauty of it is nature. I got to see a lot of interesting things when I visited Greenville and I really enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun and I recommend it for everyone.

Some of the game at Mountain Meadow Hunting Preserve. Go to the Tourism Heading and check the keyword “Hunting,” or under Lodging check “Cabins, Lodges and Wireless Internet.”

Sleeping in a Barn

As a kid growing up in West Virginia, two of my favorite games to play were played in a barn.  Hide and Go Seek was fun because there were so many places to hide.  Playing tag in a barn was almost like a maze with things to dodge, climb and swing over.   Once I found the perfect hiding place, which was a barrel where the farmer would put all his garden tools like shovels, hoes and rakes.  Since they had long handles, all I had to do was push them aside and sit in the bottom of the barrel where the tools angled on one side at the base and acted as a covering where the handles leaned against the rim on the opposite side at the top.

Beyond the couch are the stairs leading to the loft.

The other fun game to play in a barn was tag.  One time I ran out of the barn, jumped  a  fence, and ended up spending the next fifteen minutes trying to pull my shoes out of the knee-deep mud where they had been sucked off my feet.  The good news was that I didn’t get “tagged”, ’cause no one would come in after me.  (If you’re a country kid, then you know that stuff I sunk knee-deep in wasn’t really mud.)

Recently I was in Berkeley Springs which is located far into the eastern panhandle.  This time I got to stay in a barn that had been converted into lodging.   The fun part was that this place was so unique that I felt like I had gone back in time.  The place had been a working barn, until Ed George, decided to convert it into one big open place for visitors to stay.  The barn is chocked full of antiques and curios that had me wandering around in a process of discovery.  If there hadn’t been a satellite TV available, I would have felt like I was in an old black and white movie set in a foreign land where people lived as best they could. 

Even thought the place had all the modern conveniences, it had so many older things, like old wood stoves and antique farming tools, to old books and a bathroom that has to be seen to believe.  Taking a shower the next morning was like climbing down into a cellar.  Not that it was cold and damp, but more because it was big, concrete and deep.

If you have a big family, or want to visit the place with a few families, then this place is ideal.  Everyone in the family should like it, provided you’re not looking for luxury and glamour.  You can find it on www.WVyourWay.com by clicking on the Lodging heading and then checking the keywords Cabins, Pet-Friendly or Vacation Home Rental.  You can also find it under the Tourism heading and Tennis Courts keyword.

If you want you can play Hide and Seek, don’t worry, there is no “mud” to contend with.