How Pocahontas Got Rich Fast

 

The establishment of a disputed boundary line by commissioners between Pocahontas and Randolph counties added much valuation to the Greenbank District of Pocahontas County.

• The disputed line was established by commissioners, with the deciding vote of an umpire, which added much valuation to the Greenbank District.
• Many thousands of acres were added to Pocahontas County because of this.
• The disputed area was the site of many towns including Burner, Hay, Gertrude, and Wildell.
• Lumber operations on the Western Maryland Railroad were also located in the disputed area.
• These lumber towns had churches and schools and modern conveniences that made them desirable places to live while the mills were in operation.
• Lumber mills operated on the West Fork of the Greenbrier River from 1900 to about 1920.
• About 10 miles of the Western Maryland Railroad ran through the disputed area, adding to the valuation of Pocahontas County.
• The disputed line followed the top of the mountain between the waters of the Greenbrier River and the Shaver's Fork of Cheat River.
• The commissioners from Randolph County dissented.
• The survey of the line began at the top of Back Alleghany, on Shavers Mountain, where the Staunton and Parkersburg Turnpike road crossed the mountain.
• A surveyor measured 8415 poles for the line and found that it had 146 courses.
• The straight line from the road leading from Slavens to the Randolph County courthouse to the top of the Allegheny Mountain led to misunderstandings and controversy between Pocahontas and Randolph Counties.