The Sacred Waters of Knapp’s Creek

 

The Sacred Waters of Knapp’s Creek: A Religious and Social History of Minnehaha Springs, West Virginia

The religious history of Minnehaha Springs, an unincorporated community nestled in the Knapp’s Creek Valley of Pocahontas County, West Virginia, is a narrative characterized by the transformation of natural landscapes into sacred spaces. Situated at the junction of Knapp’s Creek and Douthat Creek, approximately nine miles east of Marlinton, the area’s thermal springs have served as a focal point for spiritual devotion, communal gathering, and therapeutic restoration for centuries. To understand the evolution of faith in this specific corner of the Allegheny Mountains, one must analyze the intersection of indigenous spiritualism, the rugged itinerant ministries of the frontier era, the formal institutionalization of Protestant denominations during the resort boom of the early twentieth century, and the modern transition toward non-denominational retreatism and youth-oriented ministry.  

The Indigenous Foundation: Thermal Springs as Sacred Neutrality

Long before the arrival of the first European permanent settlers, the geography of Minnehaha Springs was already imbued with religious significance. The thermal springs, which maintain a constant temperature and flow, were perceived by Native American tribes as manifestations of divine power. Archaeological findings of Indian relics near these mineral springs confirm a long-standing indigenous presence, where the waters were used not merely for physical sustenance but as sites of spiritual purgation.  

In the indigenous worldview of the region, thermal springs were often designated as "neutral ground." This concept carried a quasi-religious weight, suggesting that the landscape itself dictated a temporary cessation of tribal conflicts. Different tribes would converge upon the springs to rest and recover after battles, adhering to a shared understanding that the healing properties of the water were a gift from the Great Spirit that should not be tainted by violence. This early tradition established a precedent for the community’s later identity as a place of "hospitality" and "restoration," themes that would be central to the Protestant settler narratives of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.  

The naming of the community—Minnehaha—reflects a nineteenth-century romanticized appropriation of this indigenous spiritual history. Named after the fictional Native American maiden in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's The Song of Hiawatha, the community’s identity was constructed as a bridge between the "primitive" sanctity of the springs and the modern resort culture. This linguistic choice served to sanctify the commercialization of the water, framing the "medicinal virtue" of the springs as a continuation of ancient healing traditions.  

Analysis of Mineral Springs in Minnehaha Springs	Values and Context
Predominant Chemical Components	Silica, Calcium Carbonate
Historical Spiritual Status	Sacred Neutral Ground for Indigenous Tribes
Early 20th Century Medicinal Claims	Cures for Eczema, Diabetes, Bright's Disease
Geological Source	Thermal Mineral Spring at Knapp's/Douthat junction
Comparative Water Profiles	Similar to Hot Springs, VA and Bethesda Spring, WI

 

The Frontier Awakening: The White Pole Church and Circuit Riding

As European settlers began to establish permanent homesteads in the Knapp’s Creek Valley in the mid-to-late eighteenth century, the informal spiritualism of the indigenous era was replaced by the organized, though still highly adaptable, traditions of the Protestant Reformation. Among the early families who obtained patents from the Commonwealth of Virginia were Lanty Lockridge, Michael Cleek, and Henry Harper, Sr.. These families brought with them a deep-seated commitment to the Methodist and Presbyterian traditions of the Virginia backcountry.  

The religious development of Minnehaha Springs was heavily influenced by the "White Pole Church," or the White Pole Meeting House, which was established by John McNeel in the nearby Little Levels area (Hillsboro). While not located within the immediate boundaries of Minnehaha Springs, this log structure was the primary religious anchor for the entire county. John McNeel, a pioneer who felt a profound sense of gratitude for the fertile lands he had settled, personally reared this "rude temple" and dedicated it to "the Builder of the Universe". This act of personal devotion—building a house of worship with one's own hands—mirrored the spiritual ethos of the Minnehaha settlers, who viewed their labor as an extension of their faith.  

The early religious services in the region were characterized by the circuit rider system. In 1789, Bishop Francis Asbury, the foundational figure of American Methodism, is reported to have preached at the White Pole Church. The influence of these itinerant preachers extended into the Knapp’s Creek Valley, where the lack of a formal church building for many decades meant that services were often held in the private homes of families like the Lockridges or the Harpers, or in the open air. This period of "home worship" reinforced the communal nature of faith in Minnehaha Springs, where the boundaries between family life and religious duty were virtually non-existent.  

Early Settler Families and Religious Foundations	Settlement/Influence Period
Lanty Lockridge	Early 19th Century; Landowner of Springs
Henry Harper, Sr.	Early 19th Century; Lay Leadership
Michael Cleek	Early 19th Century; Agricultural Development
John McNeel	Built White Pole Church (County Landmark)
Martha Davis McNeel	Co-founder of White Pole Church; Welsh roots

 

Stability, Conflict, and the Mid-Nineteenth Century Prosperity

The period between 1825 and 1860 is often described as an era of "prosperity" for the Minnehaha Springs community. During these decades, the primary settler families cleared large tracts of timber, established "up-and-down" sawmills, and built frame houses to replace the original log structures. This economic growth was accompanied by a stabilization of religious life. While a dedicated church building had not yet been constructed in Minnehaha Springs itself, the proximity to Huntersville—the original county seat—allowed residents to participate in the growing Presbyterian and Methodist congregations there.  

Huntersville’s religious infrastructure served as a model for Minnehaha. A Presbyterian congregation was organized in the area in 1836, initially holding services in the courthouse before constructing a dedicated building in 1854. The use of shared spaces—courthouses, academies, and private homes—for worship was a common Appalachian necessity that fostered a high degree of inter-denominational cooperation. This shared spiritual landscape was briefly disrupted by the Civil War. The Confederate Army established "Camp Northwest" just east of Minnehaha Springs, and the region became a strategic point of transit for troops and supplies moving through the Allegheny Mountains.  

During the war years, the church’s role shifted from purely liturgical to humanitarian. Buildings in the surrounding county, such as St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal in nearby Leetown (though distinct from the local parish), were used as hospitals. In Minnehaha Springs, the community’s reputation for hospitality was tested as homeowners sheltered "wagoners" and military personnel under their roofs. The post-war reconstruction of religious life was marked by a renewed focus on community building, led by figures like Henry White, Sr., who purchased land near the springs in 1876 and was credited with making the community "better" through his industry and faith.  

The Resort Boom and the Theology of Health

The late nineteenth century saw the emergence of a new religious and social dynamic in Minnehaha Springs: the intersection of faith and the "water cure." In 1891 and again in 1910, the Lockridge family conducted chemical tests of the mineral springs, finding them rich in silica and calcium carbonate. These findings were used to market the water as a therapeutic agent for conditions such as eczema and diabetes.  

This era introduced a "theology of health," where the physical restoration offered by the springs was seen as a divine blessing. The Pocahontas Mineral Water Development Company advertised the water as having "medicinal virtue," a term that carried spiritual undertones in the Victorian era. The arrival of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway's Greenbrier Division to Marlinton in 1900 made this "divine water" accessible to a national audience of tourists and spiritual seekers.  

The shift from a rural agricultural community to a resort town necessitated a more formalized religious presence. In the early 1900s, visitors to the Minnehaha Springs Hotel (completed in 1914) expected not only physical amenities but also spiritual services. This period saw the informal use of the Minnehaha Springs School for religious meetings, where the line between education and worship remained blurred. The community, which briefly operated under the name "Driscol" (named for a local lumberman) before reverting to "Minnehaha Springs," struggled to balance the extractive industrialism of the timber boom with the romanticized spiritualism of the springs.  

The 1926 Minnehaha Springs Methodist Episcopal Church, South

The most significant architectural and institutional event in the community’s religious history was the construction of the Minnehaha Springs Methodist Episcopal Church, South, in 1926. The decision to build a dedicated house of worship reflected the peak of the community's resort-era stability. Categorized under "Methodist church buildings—West Virginia," this structure became the spiritual anchor for the residents of the Knapp's Creek, Cochran Creek, and Douthat Creek valleys.  

The "South" designation of the church is a crucial historical marker. It identifies the congregation as part of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, which had split from the main body of Methodism in 1844 over issues related to slavery and the power of the episcopacy. In many Appalachian communities, these distinctions persisted long after the Civil War, reflecting a conservative theological and social identity that prioritized local autonomy and traditional southern religious values.  

Architectural and Institutional History of Minnehaha Springs Methodist Church	Details
Year of Construction	1926
Corporate Name	Minnehaha Springs Methodist Episcopal Church, South
Primary Social Function	Weddings, Funerals, Community "Country Dinners"
Associated Landmarks	Adjacent to Minnehaha Springs School
Long-term Identity	United with Evangelical United Brethren in 1968

 

The 1926 church building was not just a site for Sunday services; it was the center of the community’s social fabric. Obituaries from the era highlight the church’s role in managing life’s transitions. For example, the funeral of Timothy Samuel Alderman (1877–1964), a life-long resident of Douthards Creek, was held in the church and conducted by Rev. L.E. Saville. The church also hosted significant community gatherings, such as the "Country Dinner" fund-raisers, which were characterized by "free will offerings" and a welcome-all-comers ethos of hospitality.  

The Pastorate of Palmer Eubank and the Social Gospel

The spiritual life of Minnehaha Springs in the early to mid-twentieth century was shaped by the leadership of "supply" pastors and traveling ministers. Rev. Palmer Eubank is a representative figure of this period. Serving as a supply pastor for the M.E. Church, South, Eubank managed various charges across Pocahontas and Rockbridge counties, including locations like Collierstown, Rockbridge Baths, and the Bethel church.  

The nature of the pastorate in these rural communities was deeply personal. Pastors were often called upon to conduct services in private homes rather than in the church building itself, particularly for funerals. Rev. Eubank, described as having "early and thorough training in the doctrines and usages of the Church" as the son of a Methodist minister, embodied the "gentlemanly" fervor of Southern religious faith. His work, and later that of Rev. L.E. Saville, was focused on maintaining a sense of moral order in a community that was increasingly influenced by the secular trends of tourism and the railroad industry.  

Denominational Diversity and the "Two Churches"

While Methodism was the dominant institutional force, the community history recorded by Mrs. Sidney Wilson in 1928 explicitly mentions that the settlement consisted of "two churches". This suggests a second congregation, likely of a Baptist or Presbyterian persuasion, reflecting the broader religious pluralism of Pocahontas County.  

The Southern Baptist influence in the region has been a persistent presence, often competing with or complementing the Methodist tradition. Nearby Huntersville maintained both a Baptist and a Methodist church, and this pattern of "paired" denominations was common across the Knapp’s Creek valley. Additionally, the mention of the "Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston" (Catholic) and "Transcendental Meditation" in local records suggests that by the late twentieth century, the religious landscape of Minnehaha Springs had begun to diversify significantly, moving away from its purely Protestant origins toward a more varied spiritual ecosystem.  

This diversification was partly driven by the presence of the Allegheny Sportsmen’s Association and the Allegheny Club, which brought a different demographic of seasonal residents to the community. These visitors, while often secular in their primary goals, contributed to the community’s social life and sometimes participated in the fundraising and hospitality efforts of the local churches.  

The Transformation: From Resort Hotels to Summer Camps

The mid-twentieth century brought a major shift in the community’s "sacred" use of the landscape. As the popularity of the large mineral spring hotels declined, the facilities were repurposed. In 1944, the Minnehaha Springs Hotel began its transition into a summer youth camp. Initially known as Camp Minnehaha, it became a site for the physical and moral instruction of young boys, and later, in 2001, it was transformed into the co-ed Camp Twin Creeks.  

This transition from "medicinal resort" to "summer camp" represents a shift in the community’s redemptive narrative. The healing power of the springs was no longer aimed at the ailments of the elderly but at the character-building of the young. The camp environment, set in the "unspoiled natural state" of the Monongahela National Forest, allowed for a type of spiritual engagement with nature that mirrored the earlier indigenous beliefs in the sanctity of the springs. The camp remains a major economic and cultural force in the community today, with its current owners, Gordon Josey and his wife, investing heavily in the facility's upgrade.  

The Modern Frontier: Ambassadors for Christ Retreat

Perhaps the most significant development in the modern religious history of Minnehaha Springs is the establishment of the Ambassadors for Christ Retreat. A non-profit, non-denominational Christian facility, this retreat has operated for over thirty years and represents a new model of faith in the region. Capable of housing 120 persons and hosting up to 2,400 guests annually, the retreat utilizes motel-type rooms, cabins, and RV hookups to facilitate spiritual programs and seminars.  

The rise of a non-denominational retreat indicates a move away from the strict denominationalism of the 1926 M.E. Church, South. The "Ambassadors for Christ" model focuses on spiritual "restoration" in a way that is strikingly similar to the nineteenth-century therapeutic promise of the springs, but with a explicitly evangelical and non-sectarian focus. The retreat benefits from the "quiet, unspoiled atmosphere" of Pocahontas County, where over 60% of the land is owned by state or federal agencies, ensuring a pristine environment for spiritual reflection.  

Modern Religious and Educational Institutions in Minnehaha Springs	Status
Ambassadors for Christ Retreat	Non-profit, Non-denominational; 2,400 guests/year
Camp Twin Creeks (formerly Camp Minnehaha)	Co-ed Summer Youth Camp; 127 acres
Minnehaha Springs Methodist Church	Historic 1926 Building; Community Social Anchor
Huntersville Historic Traditions	Reenactments and preservation of regional faith

 

Regional Contrast: Minnehaha Springs vs. Pocahontas, VA

While Minnehaha Springs in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, remained rooted in the Protestant traditions of the rural Alleghanies, it is useful to contrast its history with that of the town of Pocahontas, Virginia (in Tazewell County). The latter was a coal-mining boomtown that developed a highly diverse religious landscape, including a strong Eastern European Jewish community that established Congregation Ahavath Chesed in 1892.  

Unlike the coal towns, which saw waves of immigrants (Lithuanian, Russian, Polish, and Italian) and the establishment of synagogues and Catholic parishes, Minnehaha Springs maintained a more homogeneous religious demographic. The "hospitality" described by Mrs. Sidney Wilson was a product of a cohesive, largely British-Appalachian population whose faith was inextricably linked to the land and the thermal waters. This stability allowed for the preservation of nineteenth-century traditions, such as the "country dinners" and family-centric funeral services, long after more industrialized towns had seen their religious communities fracture or dissolve.  

Conclusion: The Persistence of Sacred Restoration

The history of religion in Minnehaha Springs is a testament to the enduring power of place. From the indigenous belief in the sacred neutrality of the springs to the nineteenth-century "theology of health" and the twentieth-century institutionalization of Methodism, the community has consistently viewed its natural environment as a site of divine restoration. The 1926 construction of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, stands as the architectural peak of this devotion, serving for nearly a century as the primary social and spiritual anchor for the Knapp's Creek residents.  

As the community has moved from a medicinal resort to a center for youth camps and non-denominational retreats, the fundamental ethos of "hospitality" and "restoration" remains unchanged. The work of local historians like Mrs. Sidney Wilson and the ongoing presence of the Ambassadors for Christ Retreat ensure that the religious identity of Minnehaha Springs continues to evolve while remaining rooted in its unique Allegheny geography. The springs, once a sacred site for tribes resting from battle, remain today a site for modern seekers to "get away from it all" and find spiritual renewal in the "unspoiled natural state" of the West Virginia mountains.