Glen Ferris, West Virginia
Encyclopedia
Glen Ferris is an unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 census-designated place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...

 on the western bank of the Kanawha River
Kanawha River
The Kanawha River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 97 mi long, in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The largest inland waterway in West Virginia, it has formed a significant industrial region of the state since the middle of the 19th century.It is formed at the town of Gauley...

 in Fayette County
Fayette County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 47,579 people, 18,945 households, and 13,128 families residing in the county. The population density was 72 people per square mile . There were 21,616 housing units at an average density of 33 per square mile...

, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...

. It is situated approximately one mile south of the town of Gauley Bridge
Gauley Bridge, West Virginia
Gauley Bridge is a town in Fayette County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 738 at the 2000 census. The Kanawha River is formed at Gauley Bridge by the confluence of the New and Gauley Rivers...

. The sole highway linking Glen Ferris to the area is U.S. Route 60
U.S. Route 60
U.S. Route 60 is an east–west United States highway, running from the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast in Virginia to western Arizona. Despite the final "0" in its number, indicating a transcontinental designation, the 1926 route formerly ended in Springfield, Missouri, at its intersection...

, known also as the Midland Trail
Midland Trail
For the trail's section in West Virginia see: The Midland Trail in West Virginia.The Midland Trail, also called the Roosevelt Midland Trail, was a national auto trail spanning the United States from Washington, D.C...

. As of the 2010 census
United States Census, 2010
The Twenty-third United States Census, known as Census 2010 or the 2010 Census, is the current national census of the United States. National Census Day was April 1, 2010 and is the reference date used in enumerating individuals...

, its population was 203; the community had 104 housing units, 87 of which were occupied. The village is roughly a mile and a half in length. Glen Ferris is home to two churches, one Apostolic and one Methodist. A railway owned by Norfolk Southern runs parallel to US Route 60 through the village.

The first permanent building to be constructed in Glen Ferris was the Glen Ferris Inn (originally a private residence) which was built in 1810. It served as a private home from 1810 until 1839 when it began operation as a hotel http://www.midlandtrail.com/attractions/detail.asp?attID=18. After falling into disrepair, it was renovated and an addition was built in the 1960s (date uncertain). A further addition of a dining hall was completed in the 1980s (date uncertain). In 1996, the Inn was purchased from Elkem Metals by a local family. The new proprietors added a glass walled Dining Room that overlooks the Kanawha Falls. It continues to operate as a hotel. The Glen Ferris Inn
Glen Ferris Inn
Glen Ferris Inn, also known as Stockton's Inn, Stockton's Tavern, and Hawkins's Hotel, is a historic hotel located on the bank of the Kanawha River overlooking Kanawha Falls at Glen Ferris, Fayette County, West Virginia. It may have been built as early as 1815. It is a "T"-shaped brick building in...

 overlooks the Kanawha Falls. On the east bank of the river, across from the inn, lay the remnants of Camp Reynolds, a Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...

 camp and gun embankment used in the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

.

After the Civil War, the area began to grow as coal production escalated in the state of West Virginia and abundant water made the generation of power inexpensive. In 1917, Union Carbide purchased a small ferro-alloys plant in Glen Ferris, the brick remains of which can still be seen on the edge of the Kanawha River. While continuing to operate this small plant, in 1929-30, Carbide built a much larger one at Alloy, a few miles downriver from Glen Ferris, which was the world's largest ferro-alloys plant, employing some 2800 people, during its heyday from the time of its construction through the early 1960s. In order to generate power for the larger plant by diverting water from the New River, the company had a 3-mile long tunnel built through the mountain at Hawks Nest. The rock through which it was built was the cause of acute silica poisoning in hundreds of unprotected workers, many of whom died within a few years. The disaster was the focus of Congressional hearings in Washington in the mid-thirties, and acute silicosis was identified as an occupational illness for the first time. A majority of the homes in Glen Ferris, as well as in other towns in the Upper Kanawha Valley, were built by Union Carbide and leased to workers and their families. After the 1950s, as plant production declined, Union Carbide began to sell the houses to their occupants. In the 1970s, several homes were constructed on the mountainside above Glen Ferris, these would be Glen Ferris' largest homes and lead to its continued development as a place people choose to live, in contrast to much of the surrounding towns and areas. In recent years, more larger homes have been built on the northern edge of Glen Ferris.

On the southern edge of Glen Ferris lies the Kanawha Falls public access fishing area that provides the best ground-level view of the Kanawha Falls on the west side of the river. Immediately to the north of the fishing area is the Glen Ferris Hydroelectric station, which formerly produced the electricity to power the village and the coal mine. It will start producing electricity again sometime in the near future.

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