Long/Trail Southeastern West Virginia Historical Records
Collection
Collection Number: A&M 3762
Records and photographs documenting the history of southeastern West Virginia compiled by Summers County residents Fred Long and Stephen Trail. Many of the items were collected by a local newspaper, the Hinton Daily News (later the Hinton News). The collection focuses on the history of Summers County and Hinton from the mid-1700s to 2012, as well as the history of other areas in southeastern Virginia and western Virginia. Subjects include the town of Hinton, Hinton High School and Summers County schools, genealogy and family history, the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Railroad, archaeological and geographical features, other Summers County communities, wars, and other topics. Materials include a large quantity of photographs and negatives along with clippings, printed materials, ephemera, oral histories, maps, motion pictures, sound recordings, typescripts, manuscripts, and other types of materials. Many items are facsimiles of photos, documents, and newspapers.
Records about Hinton include photos and documents related to businesses and buildings. Highlights includes documentation for the Hinton National Historic District nomination; photos, game programs, and other records related to Hinton High School and its sports teams, including football and basketball; and photos, clippings, and ephemera regarding the West Virginia Water Festival, including pageant contestants and winners.
Genealogy and family history materials include genealogy charts, narrative histories, oral histories, and photographs (historic and more recent) of families of southeastern West Virginia.
Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Railroad materials document activities of the company primarily in Hinton and Summers County, but includes other regions as well. Materials include photographs, clippings, and other documents about trains, railroads, tunnels, and construction. Highlights include historical photographs of railroad buildings, engines, and company employees.
Geographical features are documented by photographs and other material related to the construction of Bluestone Dam, and to the history of the New River, New River Gorge National Park, and other area rivers such as the Greenbrier. There are also records related to bridges and bridge construction, as well as numerous archaeological records, including surveys, maps, and reports.
Summers County communities, including Avis, Greenbrier, Green Sulphur Springs, Pence Springs, Sandstone, and Talcott, are documented by photographs, maps, and other material. Schools and churches in these communities are documented by photographs, school newspapers, bulletins, and other records.
War-related material includes photographs, clippings, and other documents. Highlights include photos of Civil War veterans at reunions, and photos and clippings related to World War I and World War II, including parades and the transportation of troops on the C&O Railroad.
Note on Terminology in the Contents List:
Photographs are referred to as "photos", "prints", or the specific photo type (tintype, carte de visite [CDV], cabinet card, or mounted photo). Photographs can also be found, of course, through the term "negatives"; many negatives do not have corresponding prints.
For genealogical information, search for a specific family name, or more generally, search for the terms "genealogy" or "family history". Photographs or negatives of "family members" identify groups of photographs of numerous individuals who share the same last name (or related name).
The Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Railroad can be both spelled out fully or abbreviated C&O.
Clippings may also be noted as articles or newspapers.
Addendum of 2018/02/27 is located in box 110 through box 116. It includes material relating to Stephen D. Trail's personal career, the history of the Trail family, and the history of Summers County, W. Va. Types of records include photographs, newsletters, correspondence, publications, and other material.
Addendum of 2018/05/31 comprises box 117 through box 128. This material was compiled by Fred Long, who worked at the Hinton Daily News. It includes records relating to Hinton, W. Va., Pence Springs resort and prison, and other subjects related to Greenbrier and Summers counties. Much of this material is foldered by topic; many of these topical folders contain clippings from the Hinton Daily News, as well as related material, such as photographs, publications, and correspondence, etc.
Addendum of 2018/07/03 comprises box 129 through box 131. This addendum includes materials relating to Stephen Trail's life and career, material relating to Summers County History, several issues of the Proceedings of the New River Symposium, bound transcriptions of the Summers County 1880 census and marriage records from 1871-1883, and two books: Greenbrier Pioneers and Their Homes by Ruth Woods Dayton, and A History of Greenbrier County by Otis K. Rice.
Addendum of 2024 September 18 (box 129, folder 36) includes a folder of assorted publications and printed ephemera regarding tourism in southeastern West Virginia and two county historical societies.
No special access restriction applies.
Researchers may access digitized and born digital materials by visiting the link attached to each item or by requesting to view the materials in person by appointment or remotely by contacting the West Virginia & Regional History Center reference department at https://westvirginia.libanswers.com/wvrhc.
Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.
116.81 Linear Feet (29 document case, 5 in. each; 19 document cases, 2.5 in. each; 78 record cartons, 15 in. each; 3 small flat storage boxes, 1.5 in. each; 1 small flat storage box, 3 in.; 4 large flat storage boxes, 1.5 in. each; 4 large flat storage boxes, 3 in. each; 1 card file box, 4.5 in.; 1 square roll tube, 3 in.; 1 square roll tube, 4 in.; 1 oversize folder, 2 in.; 1 framed item, 0.25 in.; 1 oversize photograph)
38.2 Gigabytes (14,700 files, formats primarily include .tif, .jpg, .doc)
English
Records and photographs documenting the history of southeastern West Virginia compiled by Summers County residents Fred Long and Stephen Trail. Many of the items were collected by a local newspaper, the Hinton Daily News (later the Hinton News). The collection focuses on the history of Summers County and Hinton from the mid-1700s to 2012, as well as the history of other areas in southeastern Virginia and western Virginia. Subjects include the town of Hinton, Hinton High School and Summers County schools, genealogy and family history, the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Railroad, archaeological and geographical features, other Summers County communities, wars, and other topics. Materials include a large quantity of photographs and negatives along with clippings, printed materials, ephemera, oral histories, maps, motion pictures, sound recordings, typescripts, manuscripts, and other types of materials. Many items are facsimiles of photos, documents, and newspapers.
West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / Fax: 304-293-3981 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/
Separated to the dvd / vhs / betacam collection:
DVD and betacam copies of motion picture documentary of Hinton, West Virginia. Created in 1963 by the Area Redevelopment Agency of the U.S. government, it aimed to promote economic development in Hinton after the fading of the economy based upon steam railroads. (See items numbered 125 and 126 in the collection.)
Separated to the book collection; forwarded to Curator of Books:
Bragg, Melody. Thurmond and Ghost Towns of the New River Gorge. Glen Jean, West Virginia: Gem Publications, ca. 1995.
Daly, Dorothy. The Dart, 1926, Volume VII. Hinton, West Virginia: Senior Class of Hinton High School, 1926.
Directory of Hinton, West Virginia. 1927.
Enoch, Harry G. Affair at Captina Creek. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 1999.
Foster, Elizabeth Carroll. Virginia Carrolls and Their Neighbors 1618-1800s. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 1999.
Glen Jean Historical Society. Dunloop Days: Glen Jean to Thurmond: Exciting Times and Precious Memories. Glen Jean, West Virginia: Glen Jean Historical Society, ca. 1989.
Grafton, Emily. West Virginia Adventure Guide to the Natural History of Blackwater Falls State Park. Terra Alta, West Virginia: Headline Books, 2002.
Harsh, Sharon Wilmoth. School Board Minutes, Enumeration Lists and Account Records, Barbour County, West Virginia: Township of Barker, 1870-1890; Independent District of Bellington, 1893-1899. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 2000.
Hatcher, Charles Silas. Historical Genealogy of the Basham, Ellison, Hatcher, Lilly, Meadows, Pack, Walker, and Other Families. Princeton, West Virginia: Jake Forest Hatcher, 1980.
History of the Great Kanawha Valley, Volume I. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 2000.
Keller, Barbara, editor. Summers County, West Virginia, Historical Society: Cemetery Book. Beckley, West Virginia: BJW Printing, 1996.
Keller, Robert, editor. Senior "34". Hinton, West Virginia: Senior Class, Hinton High School, 1934.
Kirk, Bert A., Harold Neely, and the Hinton Junior Chamber of Commerce, editors. Hinton City Directory. White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia: Sentinel Publishers, 1939.
Lilly, Jack. Historical Genealogy of the Lilly Family. Canton, Ohio: Jack Lilly, 1977.
Lilly, Jack. Lilly Family History, 1566-1997. Canton, Ohio: Jack Lilly, 1997.
Lilly, Jack. Our Heritage: The Lilly Family, Vol. II. Canton, Ohio: Jack Lilly, 1978.
Long, Fred and Steve Trail. Historic Pence Springs Resort. 1987.
Marockie, Henry R. School Laws of West Virginia: 1989 Edition. Charlottesville: The Michie Company, 1990.
McBride, W. Stephen, Kim Arbogast McBride, and Greg Adamson. Frontier Forts in West Virginia: Historical and Archaeological Explorations. Edited by Lora A. Lamarre and Joanna L. Wilson. Charleston, West Virginia: West Virginia Division of Culture and History, 2003.
McKey, JoAnn Riley. Accomack County, Virginia: Court Order Abstracts; 1682-1690, Volume 7. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 1998.
McKey, JoAnn Riley. Accomack County, Virginia: Court Order Abstracts; 1690-1697, Volume 8. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 1999.
McKey, JoAnn Riley. Accomack County, Virginia: Court Order Abstracts; 1703-1710, Volume 10. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 2000.
McNeer, Sally Withrow. Echoes of Summers. Undated.
Miller, Hurley. Once in a Lifetime. Raleigh: Pentland Press, 2000.
Myers, Tom E. Moccasin Trails of the French and Indian War: The Eastern Frontier War 1743-1758. Parsons, West Virginia: McClain Printing Company, 1995.
Pemberton, Robert L. A History of Pleasants County, West Virginia. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 1999.
Peters, Okey Erwin, compiler. Conrad Peters and Wife Clara Snidow. Paducah, Kentucky: Paducah Printing Co., 1954.
Roles, Joe B. Mary Janes's War: A Civil War Novel Based on a True Story. Annandale, Virginia: Joe B. Roles, 2002.
Scott, Eugene. Thurmond: Dodge City of West Virginia: Believe It or Not City. Beckley, West Virginia: Eugene Scott, undated.
Senior Class of Hinton High School. The Senior Handbook; 1935. Hinton, West Virginia: Senior Class, Hinton High School, 1935.
Shuff, Murray. Stone Cliff, West Virginia: "Life Along New River", 1930-1938. Beckley, West Virginia: Central Printing Company, 1984.
Small, Sally, Louis Torres, Larry J. Reynolds, United States. National Park Service. Denver Service Center. Thurmond Commercial Buildings: New River Gorge, National River, West Virginia. Denver, Colorado: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National Park Service, Denver Service Center, 1992.
Stewart, Kathleen. A Space on the Side of the Road: Cultural Poetics in an "Other" America. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1996.
Sullivan, Ken. Thurmond: A New River Community. Oak Hill, West Virginia: Eastern National Park and Monument Association, ca. 1989.
Taylor, Sharon. The Amazing Story of the Gwinns in America. Washington, D.C.: Halbert's, 1982.
Trail, Stephen D. and Vandalia Consultants, Inc. Bluestone Dam 50th Anniversary Commemorative Album 1949-1999. Hinton, West Virginia: Fox Photographics, 1999.
United States. National Park Service. Denver Service Center. Development Concept Plan / Interpretive Prospectus: Thurmond, New River Gorge National River, West Virginia. Denver, Colorado: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National Park Service, Denver Service Center, 1992.
United States. National Park Service. Land Protection Plan: New River Gorge. Denver, Colorado: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National Park Service, Mid-Atlantic Region, 1984.
Wardell, Patrick G., compiler. Virginians and West Virginians, 1607-1870, Volume 1. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 1986.
Wilson, Goodridge. Smyth County History and Traditions. Bowie, Maryland: Heritage Books, 1998.
Separated to closed collections:
Baseball card of Jack Warhop, originally in box 79, folder 15.
Hinton High School Year Books, titled "The Dart", were separated to the book collection at the History Center. Includes years 1924, 1925 (2 copies), 1936, 1940, 1954, 1955 (2 copies), 1956, 1957, and 1959.
Part of the West Virginia and Regional History Center Repository