By Stephen Smoot
Harrison County gives residents and visitors alike a broad sampling of the best of West Virginia. From cutting edge scientific facilities to natural gas and the ever-expanding aeronautics industries, Harrison County promises big growth in terms of business expansion and good paying jobs for years – perhaps decades – to come.
Just as in other parts of the state that have seen rapid expansion and strong economic development, what is to come might start to crowd out what has been. The West Virginia Land Trust, along with partners such as county Farmland Protection Boards, help to preserve the landscape and the traditions that those who have lived in it have followed for generations.
Though not active in Harrison County yet, the West Virginia Land Trust recently scored a victory in Monroe County that benefits the state as a whole.
Says Amy Cimarolli, Land Protection Program Director of the West Virginia Land Trust, “Our mission is to protect places and keep them in trust (to) provide a public benefit.” Their work “helps keep West Virginia’s diverse natural history in place.”
The family of Richard Dickson found for themselves an ideal piece of land approximately 250 years ago. As the 13 colonies sorted out whether they wanted reform or independence, Dickson settled on 185 acres and built a log cabin to house his family. Six decades later, obviously finding prosperity in the place, the Dicksons purchased enough acreage to give them an even 600.
In the early decades of the Republic, a well-traveled turnpike, now US 219, ran past the farm, bringing visitors both common and notable. The property envelops both one of the most productive usable natural springs in the state as well as two miles of Second Creek, a popular recreational site.
Said Page Dickson, one of the current family owners, “I want to make sure that future generations can enjoy what we have been so fortunate to inherit.” “They came to us and said ‘we need the Land Trust,'” explained Cimarolli. The family had remained dedicated to stewardship of their family ancestral land that included a historic grist mill, but needed support in maintaining it.
They engaged a number of stakeholders, including the Summers County Commission and federal officials from US Fish and Wildlife, the National Park service, and others. The land will not only be preserved as much as possible in its natural and historic state, but also in such a way as that people can enjoy it responsibly.
“We partner with groups to co-develop with entrance ways, signage” and other needed elements. State support came in part from the Outdoor Heritage Conservation Fund in the West Virginia Department of Commerce.
“I’m thankful to the Land Trust for all of the work that’s been done toward fashioning this easement so that our land and its history can be preserved and protected,” said Joe Dickson, part-owner of the property. “The fact that our family has held on to the original settlement for so many generations is extremely rare. The exceptional beauty and seclusion of the area makes the land worth saving from development,” he said.
West Virginia Land Trust also assisted with the development of a walking trail to link sites on the property together.
The slate of potential partners depends on the nature of the preservation and conservation plan. West Virginia Land Trust has worked with Civil War heritage groups for historic sites, Trout Unlimited to preserve and create pristine fishing areas, and much more.
In Pendleton County, the organization reached even further into the past. A couple and friend purchased a historic farm that dated back to the French and Indian War, then moved there from Washington DC.
Avery and Dan Ouillette were joined by their friend Mark Mueller in obtaining the Trumbo farm along the South Fork of the South Branch of the Potomac River, generally shortened locally to “South Branch.” Said Avery Ouilette “We wanted to be thoughtful about nature and the agricultural aspects to preserve.”
The farm also contains a historic cabin, one of the first white settlements in the area, as well as a church that operated as a sister to a nearby facility until modern times. It had fallen into disrepair until lovingly restored by the current owners.
“It really was an amazing process,” shared Avery Ouillette of working with West Virginia Land Trust. They helped the family to obtain a conservation easement to lock the land in for farming in perpetuity..
The West Virginia Land Trust website offers ways to both protect land and support their efforts. A button that reads “Protect Your Land” leads to the application process while donors can make tax-deductible contributions to the registered 501 © 3 organization.
Though they have not labored in Harrison County yet, they have contributed to projects in Monongalia County. The work they have done statewide could help to benefit historic lands in the region that could otherwise lose their rural and historic character forever.
Additionally, the projects done in Monroe and Pendleton counties show how to preserve, protect, and promote outside of having increasingly cash-strapped state, federal, and local governments do the overwhelming share of the spending and work.
“There’s so much beauty and wealth of land in West Virginia to protect,” Cimarolli shared, adding that “we do as much as we can. We fit in as many projects as we can and we are really good at finding them.”
