Opportunities for solitude abound, whether it's on the trail or kicking back on the porch of Shalimar Farms secluded accommodations, such as the Blake Cabin, at right. Photo by Sunny Given

Mickey Deike works with her horse, Keeper, at a Parelli workshop recently held at Shalimar. Photo by Drew Tanner

A 9,700-SQUARE-foot arena, above, hosts the occasional clinic and is available to individuals who need to do some focused work with their horses. Photo by Drew Tanner

Sunlight pours into Trackside Cabin (upper right), which affords view of the Cass Scenic Railroad. Photo by Drew Tanner

Tucked away in a quiet corner of the 900-acre farm, a stone temple offers a quiet place to rest and reflect. Photo by Drew Tanner

A walk through Pocahontas' past:

Drew Tanner
Staff Writer

The stately Hunter house has been home to the Pocahontas County Historical Society's Museum for more than 40 years and has stood on the western bank of the Greenbrier River since 1904 Photo by Drew tanner

      Stories and relics of Pocahontas County fill a century-old house perched above the western bank of the Greenbrier.
      The county's own museum contains a collection of mementos from various eras of its history. And the grounds that surround it are a final resting place for people who lived there and Confederate soldiers who were once encamped along the river.
      In 1904, Frank R. Hunter, the first cashier of the Bank of Marlinton, and Anna Virginia Price were married in their newly constructed home, according to local accounts. Nearly 60 years later, the Pocahontas County Historical Society acquired the property from Mrs. Hunter in 1962 and the house was renovated for use as a museum.
      The Pocahontas County Historical Society Museum was dedicated and opened June 5, 1963, during West Virginia's centennial. Notables who attended the dedication included celebrated author Pearl S. Buck and West Virginia Governor W.W. Barron.

The sewing room houses a magnificent loom, spinning wheels and sewing machines that once produced home-spun clothes and quilts for local families. Photo by Drew tanner

      The Museum was eventually placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976.
      The Hunters' house was built on two acres of land that were part of the James Atlee Price farm on the western bank of the Greenbrier River. A native of Botetourt County, Price was the first postmaster of Marlin's Bottom in 1849.
      Price and his wife, Margaret Davies Poage Price, are buried in the cemetery on the north side of the house, as are other members of the family.
      In addition to the Price family graves, around 40 Confederate soldiers were buried on the opposite side of the house after the measles swept through their camp in 1861. The soldiers, who had camped in the vicinity of the present-day house, were part of General Loring's Command during the first campaigns of the Civil War.

Odds and ends - barrels, kegs, baskets, cookware and farm equipment from the late 19 and 20th century. Photo by Drew tanner

      Near the graves, a log cabin was moved to the site in 1969, from its home on Kee Flats on the heights south of Marlinton. On the land that is now the golf course of the Pocahontas County Country Club, the Kee family built the cabin between 1835 and 1840. Tiny by today's standards, the one-room cabin ­ with its loft above ­ was home to a family of nine in the late 1800s.

A recruitment poster from the Civil War. Photo by Drew tanner

      Walking inside the museum today, visitors will find a treasure trove of relics, artifacts and documents that form a sort of patchwork quilt of the history of Pocahontas County and the Price family.
      In one display case, a selection of points and stone tools attest to the presence and activities of paleo-Indians and later progressions of Native Americans.
      In the same room sits the portable organ that the Rev. William T. Price used in the services he preached in both of the Virginias.

The cash register and hand-painted store window from downtown Marlinton's storied Peoples Store & Supply Co. recall a day when mom-and-pop general stores carried everything a person might need. Photo by Drew tanner

      A former sitting room now houses Civil War artifacts, including muskets, swords, Confederate currency and posters asking for able-bodied men to join the military ranks. Bearing witness to the split personality of a county that sat on the line between the North and the South, mementos of the Confederacy appear to outnumber reminders that West Virginia officially fought on the side of the Union.
      In the dining room ­ now the museum's library ­ documents and artifacts from the early establishment of Pocahontas County's boundaries and government are on display.

The museum back porch faces the Greenbrier River. Photo by Drew tanner

      In one corner, a highly-detailed topographic map from 1886-87 depicts a boundary line dispute to the north with Randolph County. It was eventually settled in Pocahontas' favor, encompassing much of Cheat Mountain and its productive forests within the county line.
      In another case, visitors can view the beautifully crafted brass and wood transit that was used by E.F. Curry, the county's surveyor between 1908 and 1910.
      Of course, no library in Pocahontas County would be complete with out a collection of the works of Buck and other writers born here, including Louise McNeill Pease, Warren "Tweard" Blackhurst, and G.D. McNeill, and the museum's shelves are filled with volumes.

A Swiss music box from the 1870s still plays melodies from its hand-finished, monogrammed case. Photo by Drew tanner

      Still more displays in the former kitchen speak to the timber boom that cleared millions of board feet of virgin timber from the Allegheny Highlands and the network of railroads that hauled the timber from the mountains and hollows to the sawmills and tanneries.
      Upstairs, individuals such as Calvin Gay and Dr. Norman R. Price have their own displays. Through the lens of his camera, Gay chronicled much of the history of Pocahontas County and neighboring communities from 1915 through 1942. Social gatherings, sawmill laborers, county fairs and family portraits were all captured in his black-and-white photographs.
      Dr. Price, who lived from 1874 until 1965, was known as the last of the country doctors in Pocahontas County who traveled by foot, horse and automobile to make housecalls up and down the mountains and valleys to care for the sick.
      His calls also took him to neighboring communities in Webster, Randolph and Nicholas counties as well.
      Several of the doctor's personal items, including two box cameras and items he carried with him on his visits to the ill, are on display at the museum

The tiny cabin that sits just south of the museum was moved, intact, from Kee Flats, near the present-day golf course south of town. At one time, the pre-Civil War era cabin was home to a family of nine. Photo by Drew tanner

      In room after room of the spacious house, various people and aspects of Pocahontas County's history are represented through photographs, tools and documents.
      While many of the pieces on display were already in the home when the Historical Society bought it, many more have been donated by various people and families in the county.
      "The generosity of people has been amazing," said Bill McNeel, a founding member of the Historical Society, as he reflected on the donated items the museum has received in its 40-plus years.
      That generosity has resulted in a collection brimming with stories of Pocahontas County's colorful history and the people who first made their homes among its endless mountains.
      The museum is open through Labor Day from 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday - Saturday and 1- 5 p.m. on Sunday, and on weekends in the fall. Call 799-6659 for more information.

The Opera House, as it stands restored today. Photo by Drew Tanner

Opera House Memories

A recital program from 1914. Photo courtesy Roy Shearer and/or Photos courtesy of the Pocahontas Co. Historical Society.

Alice McClintic Moore, in retirement with her three dogs. Photo courtesy Roy Shearer and/or Photos courtesy of the Pocahontas Co. Historical Society.

An unidentified (who has since been identified as Bill McLaughlin) man on his horse poses in front of the Opera House in the early 1900's. Photo courtesy of the Pocahontas Co. Historical Society.

Two employees of The Republican News, operating from the Opera House, circa 1914. Photo courtesy Roy Shearer

Frank Hill was the attorney who defended Dr. Howard against his wife's murder charge. Photo courtesy of the Pocahontas Co. Historical Society.