Ansted,WV

Ansted, WV, was incorporated in 1891 and named for David T. Ansted, a celebrated geologist of London, England, and former owner of the land which the town is located. Ansted is located on U.S. 60 on high bluffs along U.S. Highway 60 on a portion of the Midland Trail a National Scenic Byway near Hawk's Nest . It is three miles downstream of the New River Gorge National River . As a result, tourism is the town's most promising economic sector. Several museums are located in and near Ansted.

During Dunmore's War , Col. Andrew Lewis and his men moved through Ansted on Sept. 17, 1774, on their way to join the forces of Lord Dunmore, which resulted in the Battle of Point Pleasant .

Around 1790, the area now known as Ansted was settled by a group of Baptists who did not hold legal title to the land. These people were known as "squatters," and built the Hopewell Baptist Church nearby. In 1792, a 400 acre (1.6 km²) tract of land in the area was patented to Charles Skaggs.

William Nelson Page (1854-1932) a civil engineer and industrialist, lived in Ansted, where he managed Gauley Mountain Coal Company and iron, coal, and railroad enterprises.
Mr. Page owned a coal and coking company at Page and was the first
president of The Virginian Railway Company (now a part of Norfolk Southern).

The Page-Vawter House at Ansted is a Fayette County landmark which is as treasured for its beauty as it is for its history. The site of the stateley mansion from Hwy 60 still causes people to stop take pictures and pause to imagine its beauty in its prime. It was the dream home of a man as impressive as the house itself.

Restoration
of the Page-Vawter House

http://www.pagevawterhouse.com/

Near Ansted on the Midland Trail National Scenic Highway, (US-60), at Lookout, WV, there is a sandstone outcrop at an elevation of 2,510 feet that was known by Native Americans as the "The Rock of Eyes." Indians used the rock as vantage point from which to watch for approaching enemies or smoke from their camp fires. The rock provides a view of Sewell Mountain , to the east and south, and parts of Greenbrier County and Nicholas County , to the north.

Spy Rock is an outcrop of the upper edge of the resistant Nuttall Sandstone, which also forms the towering cliffs nearby along the rim of the New River Gorge National River at nearby Beauty Mountain . A historic marker along U.S. 60 at Lookout marks the site of Spy Rock. The rock can be scaled with moderate difficulty, though an observation area with walkway has been proposed.

During the Civil War , Union and Confederate soldiers alike used the rock to monitor movements along the Midland Trail, and early settlers referred to the formation as "Spy Rock." In September 1861, Gen. J. D. Cox and 5,000 Union soldiers camped near the rock. Some sources claim the community of Lookout takes its name from Spy Rock.

Julia Neal Jackson
...... mother of Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson is buried in Ansted

Thomas Jonathan Jackson
January 21 , 1824 (1824-01-21) – May 10 , 1863 (aged 39

Jackson's own troops accidentally shot him at the battle of Chancellorsville while returning from scouting northern battle lines.

Moved south to Guina Station, VA after the amputation of his left arm, he died on May 10th of pneumonia . Military historians consider Jackson to be one of the most gifted tactical commanders in United States history . As Jackson lay dying, General Robert E. Lee sent a message to Jackson through Chaplain Lacy, saying "Give General Jackson my affectionale regards, and say to him, he has lost his left arm but I my right arm."

Antebellum home of Civil War Col. George Imboden,               Tyree Tavern/ Halfway House
Ansted's first mayor and now the headquarters for                    Tavern and stagecoach stop on Old James the Fayette County Historical Society.                                       River and Kanawha Turnpike

Veterans Memorial Dedication

2007

The Town of Ansted dedicated signs in former football standout Tom Pridemore’s name Saturday. Shown following the sign dedication are Adam Toney, left, Rodney LeRose, Dr. Steven Wilson, Larry Pridemore, Helen Pridemore, Mike Fox, Jamie Pridemore, Tom Pridemore, Leigh Pridemore and Erin Pridemore.
Steve Keenan / The Fayette Tribune