Ramsdell House: On the Amazing Things We Find When We Ask

There's nothing like small-town tourism -- the civic pride of community leaders, the friendly folks who like showing the way.  Always push through the "there's nothing here" and you will get to the interesting.

We recently visited the Kenova Pumpkin House, four hours away from home base.  We stayed overnight and explored the region the next day.  Someone told us about the Ramsdell House, that it was an Underground Railroad stop open infrequently but that we could drive around and spot its historic cellar.  A little GPS work and we pulled up in front of it, finding it open.

Turns out Ramsdell is a wonderful historic home, recently restored and typically open four days a week as well as by appointment.  It's got an amazing story of protection and preservation, having been a rental property and a community center and in disrepair, all in recent history.  

Most significantly, it started the town of Ceredo, begun as an abolitionist colony steps from both Confederate and Union Civil War forts.  It was an Underground Railroad stop just at the Ohio River -- freedom on the other side.  During the time since, much of the house's contents have been miraculously preserved, just locked in the attic.  There are everyday objects, papers from McKinley before his Presidency, shoe-making tools, religious leaflets from the Christian tradition,  newspapers ... all sorts of too-close-to-forgotten history now saved. And the found toys -- they are nothing short of delightful. The building was probably a house church as well as a civic center, and those in town promoted a vision of economic change and development. 

Director Deborah Wolfe, the individual responsible for coordinating much of the restoration, gave us a personal tour.  We discussed directions for future interpretation, including the link to the Native Burial Mound on which the site is situated. We have every confidence that this site is becoming a place of memory and reconciliation -- and we know its staff, including its volunteers, are willing to become your fast friends. Just read the story of the dedication.

Excitingly, traditionally African-American churches across the river are capturing the oral histories of the descendants of the formerly enslaved that made it to freedom.  There are now connections to this wonderful site -- and how powerful to know its success in such a real way. 

Things to Know

• These folks seriously want to show you treasures.  Contact them, and they will try to welcome you when it is convenient for you.  They have a Facebook page called Ramsdell House.  Do reach out -- they are still updating their web presence, and you don't want to miss out because you didn't reach out.

• Free admission, always a gift. 

• There are opportunities to purchase a small souvenir or book from their shelves reserved for such. 

For Further Exploration 

• We were inspired to find Criel Mound, another Native Burial Mound, on our West Virginia Turnpike trip back to Virginia.  It is in South Charleston, both easy to find and large by comparison. It's also in town, allowing one to reflect on its preservation. 

• If you also like to explore mound builder sites, there are others within the broader region.  We've also visited Town Creek Indian Burial Mound in North Carolina; it's interpretation gives more context from cultural geography.

• Oh, and there are Ramsdell House ghost stories.  Of course.

Halloween Bucket List: Kenova Pumpkin House

It's been featured on The Travel Channel and on Ellen. It's just overnight-trip distance away from us (four hours).  We bought an EZPass in January 2019 that allows us to travel the WV Turnpike cheaply.  It seems unwise not to visit the Kenova Pumpkin House, right?

A great tradition sparked by a family that honored each of their kids with carved pumpkins has grown into this event, free to the public.  

The pumpkins are carved differently every year.  We were especially impressed by the Judeo-Christian pumpkins and the Presidential pumpkins. 

Designs change with the times and the gourds. There is a musical display as well -- and it's about two stories tall. 

Allow time for photo ops and conversations.  Volunteers are likely to be working away in the garages behind the house, drilling the designs and soaking the pumpkins in protective bleach water.

The atmosphere is festive and there are food trucks -- hence, our ice cream for dinner from Austin's Homemade Ice Cream.

Things to Know

• It's free!  Parking is surprisingly easy, probably thanks in no small part to the elementary school very nearby.  You will need to park and walk a short distance -- you cannot simply drive around the house when it's in its full glory. 

• Speaking of full glory, you want to visit bear Halloween and preferably during C-K Autumn Fest, a community event sponsored by the tiny towns of Kenova and Ceredo.  The pumpkin display takes time, and you want to show up when it is finished or nearly there.  This video from SpotlightWV will help you get a sense of the ambiance.  

• We stayed overnight in nearby Huntington, WV.  Book at least a bit early -- our hotel was sold out on the night of our stay.  There are other seasonal events in the area, including at the older amusement park Camden Park and Dreamland pool.  

• The owners of the pumpkin house are owners of the local pharmacy and old-fashioned soda fountain, Griffith and Feil.  It's a piece of local history and full of friendly local folks.  Plus, it was the highlight of the trip for 10-year-old E -- yummy hand-mixed Coca Cola.  

For Further Exploration 

• We're amazed by the beauty and fun of West Virginia.  These tiny towns had treasures, including the Ramsdell House.  We highly recommend stopping by this gem.  From the soda fountain, you are also close to Virginia Point Park, a space that will give you a feel of the geography of the area.
• The Midland Trail, a driving path running reasonably close to the WV Turnpike, is honestly interesting to explore and perfect for planning your road trip.
• The C-K Autumn Fest makes the list for the top small town Halloween destinations in America -- here are the others.

Lost in an Adventure: Lost World Caverns, Lewisburg, WV

Kim adores a good cave, commercialized ones included.  There's something about living in the mid-Atlantic and seeing all these fascinating underground spaces.  In the Lewisburg, WV, area, there are around 2,500 known caves--what awe that thought can inspire!  E has been to several caverns, as historic readers of this blog know, but he recently reported he had no memory of those visits.  G, well, she hadn't been to any.  So, really, we all know what happened next.

Enter Lost World Caverns, a family-owned tourism treasure just over the state line from Alleghany County, VA, on I-64.  To arrive, you turn off the paved road (almost always a good sign).  Their self-guided cave tour is a perfect adventure for a "first cave" and young visitors to the cavern scene.  The pace was perfect because we could control it, allowing Kim to explain to G that caves were a magical world, not a scary one, and allowing E to shine a flashlight they provided into many interesting crevices.  The visitor paths are winding and full of stairs, also adding to the kid-interest factor.  We particularly enjoyed the Smurf Village formations (yes, they look like Smurf houses) and Goliath, a massive column like the name suggests.  (E wanted to name a nearby smaller formation David.)  We spent a little over an hour in the cave and about thirty minutes in the spacious gift shop.  And the gift shop? There were several reasonably-priced items, including Kim's favorite souvenir Christmas ornaments, as well as a small fossil exhibit with items loaned from the Smithsonian.  The science of this cave is truly in progress, and a prehistoric bear skeleton, significant in dating the location of various animals in the area, was found just a few years ago.  It's also a place of popular culture legend for those interested -- the home of Bat Boy, which you can buy in plush form in the gift shop.

If you go, know that this cave is beautiful with lighting that adds to the splendor (similar to Lost Sea Adventure).  You will descend to (and leave from) the cave via a long, steep tunnel with stairs, and the visitor pathways are a bit narrow, uneven, and often feature stairs.  In short, while there are no steep drop offs or similar heights, this is a cave for the surefooted.  We took a stroller into Shenandoah Caverns--you wouldn't do that here.  Really, though, this is all part of the charm and engagement, especially for young kids.  Kim has been caving in wild caves twice, and the overall effect of Lost World Caverns is that it closer to a cave adventure feel than most commercialized caves can accomplish.  Visitors with kids a bit older than us can enjoy wild cave tours; same-age visitors will probably be equally fascinated with the flashlight they loan you for touring.  On the day of our visit, there were people rappelling into the cave from the natural entrance--very nifty.  We've not seen a lot of ads for this attraction, but their digital brochure is helpful in planning.  Also, check Groupon for discount entry--and also consider adding the frequent Groupon coupon codes on local activities for a steeper discount.  Remember jackets as needed for comfort--the cave is about 50 degrees F.  For your interest, here's another family's take on the cave.  Nearby Lewisburg, WV, is an interesting town on its own and has been proclaimed one of the nation's best small towns--just get away from WalMart and to the small town part.  Visitors are also in reach of Alleghany County, of which there is a LOT on this blog, but one of our favorites for kids there is the C & O Railway Heritage Center.

And E?  Well, he remembered visiting caverns once he arrived in this one.

Snowed Again--Time to Plan!

One of the more exciting weekends on the agenda this year is taking the New River Gorge canopy tour. Cat Mejia and I have agreed to do it--Justin's likely to provide childcare on the ground. Wanna go? I think we are going in May.

Links:
www.newrivergorgecanopytour.com

That adventure will probably fill a weekend!