“Life is old there, older than the trees.” So goes John Denver’s iconic ode to West Virginia, his hit song “Country Roads.” And it’s true. Life is old here. West Virginia history reaches its fingers way back into time. The New River alone, the oldest river in the world, represents eons. Millenia-old burial mounds signify human life here that long predates ours. And then there’s West Virginia’s pioneer era, one that’s slightly closer to our own time, yet still so foreign to our modern experience. Enter Watters Smith Memorial State Park, an underrated West Virginia state park that preserves some of our state’s earliest colonial heritage for our modern experience.

Located in Harrison County, West Virginia near Lost Creek, the 532-acre Watters Smith Memorial State Park is a historical Mountain State farm that boasts restored log cabins, barns, farmhouses, and other period buildings from as early as 1796.
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It's also a scenic, quiet, underrated West Virginia State Park that's always good for beautiful mountain and pasture views.
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This plot of ground was settled by pioneers Watters and Elizabeth Smith in 1796.
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The two raised eight children on this farm, passing down the land for four generations (the Smiths' great-grandson reconstructed their original log cabin in 1876).
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Finally, one of the Smith descendants, Burr Smith, willed the land to the West Virginia Parks system in 1949. Now, that original log cabin is one of two museums in the park that detail what life was like for the earliest West Virginia pioneers.
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In addition to history, visitors come to enjoy picnicking, birdwatching, biking, and hiking. There are also game courts near the picnic area and an activity building that seats 60.
Management / TripAdvisor

Learn more about the beautiful, educational, completely underrated Watters Smith Memorial State Park at the West Virginia State Parks website. Have you ever toured this sweet little historical park? The museum is only open seasonally, so call ahead if you want to make sure you catch it open for tours. Otherwise, there’s still plenty to enjoy with a wander around the park grounds. And interestingly, Watters Smith’s place isn’t the only famous farm here in Lost Creek, West Virginia.

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Watters Smith State Park, Lost Creek, WV 26385, USA