Fort Spring
Encyclopedia
Fort Spring is an unincorporated community
in Greenbrier County, West Virginia
, USA. It is situated along the Greenbrier River
within the Greenbrier River Watershed. It was once a substantial portion of the Chesapeake and Ohio
railway by way of the Gravel Girtie route from Hinton
in Summers County, West Virginia
to Clifton Forge in Virginia
. The name comes from its main export; Mississippian limestone
from Snowflake Quarry sent to Clifton Forge, Virginia
as an industrial flux; hence the route was affectionately called, "The Gravel Girtie" after the Dick Tracy
character. This route passes through the Alderson Federal Prison Camp
and the Big Bend Tunnel in Talcott
, Summers County, home of John Henry
the legendary Steel-Driving Man.
Farming remains the main source of income within the community itself. It was once a depot
for the great Turkey Drives. In her novel, "The Great Turkey Walk", Kathleen Karr
depicts the movement of poultry from county to county where poultry was walked from Union
in Monroe County
to the stockpens in much the same way it was done for centuries. Cattle, pigs, and other animals were also sent to Fort Spring to be shipped to the larger cities. There was a barn used to store the apple
export of Monroe County
alongside the main tracks, which is now the main street.
Fort Spring was originally called "Mann's Ferry" and the community's current name refers to the old settler fort that has been lost to history. Colonel John Stuart
, who shipped Ice Age sloth bones (Megalonyx jeffersonii
) to Thomas Jefferson
, noted the presence of saltpetre
caves in the area. The area is a combination of karst topography
, riparian floodplain
and ancient riverbeds with limestone (karst) outcropping mixing with farmlands and deciduous
forest. The only available drinking water is by drilled wells or cistern
or transportation. The majority of the caves in the area are small with the exception being that of the mouth of the Davis Spring. During the Cold War
a modified cave system was transformed into a bomb shelter
and bunker
against the quarry.
In the absence of the railroad, Nonpoint Source Pollution (NPS) is a leading pollutant due to the combination of human and animal (agricultural) impacts. One large sinkhole is known as the source of a minor Typhoid epidemic in the mid-nineteenth century, due to confusing the water in the sinkhole with that of springwater.
and Ronceverte. The railroad paid a citizen to patrol the train tracks at the Second Creek side of the town during the night. Nazi sympathizers and suspicious characters were treated gingerly. Men from the National Guard oversaw the potato fields on what is now the Miller Farm at the basin of Fort Spring. German POWs worked the crops and were known for trading all their cigarettes for one American cigarette. After the war, several of them stayed on in the area.
, where is it often wrongly called Marlington. The library for New River Community and Technical College
in Lewisburg
deals with these problems by having flubbed employees recite out loud two poems, "No 'G' In Marlinton," and "No S in Fort Spring."
In tribute of "The Sage of Pocahontas," Andrew Price, Mike Williams created the following poem:
In the footsteps of the late Andrew Price long ago,
Who wrote, "There Ain't no G in Marlinton," you know,
I take up pen and pad just to say, that it is definitely so,
There is but one S in Fort Spring—or did you not know?
The late John Perry, "mayor" forever it has been said,
Lays up in his Mount Vernon grave, as good as dead.
But continue to use that second s—oh! Such a dread,
He'll haunt you until you face your grave as dead...
There was but one Fort and one Spring, it is told,
And change the history—no one can ever be that bold.
It is Fort Spring and proudly so, no matter hot or cold,
And add the second S—do not be so carelessly bold!
Acme Limestone knows it and so the River's Edge does too,
The Missionary Baptist and the Grace Methodists are also true,
Postmaster Dorsey retired, knowing this was the thing to do:
Spell Fort Spring correctly and to this village, this district be true.
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...
in Greenbrier County, West Virginia
Greenbrier County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 34,453 people, 14,571 households, and 9,922 families residing in the county. The population density was 34 people per square mile . There were 17,644 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile...
, USA. It is situated along the Greenbrier River
Greenbrier River
The Greenbrier River is a tributary of the New River, long, in southeastern West Virginia, USA. Via the New, Kanawha and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of...
within the Greenbrier River Watershed. It was once a substantial portion of the Chesapeake and Ohio
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway
The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P...
railway by way of the Gravel Girtie route from Hinton
Hinton, West Virginia
Hinton is a city in Summers County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 2,880 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Summers County. Hinton was established in 1873 and chartered in 1897. Hinton was named for John "Jack" Hinton, a prominent lawyer of Summers County and husband of...
in Summers County, West Virginia
Summers County, West Virginia
Summers County is a county located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 13,927. Its county seat is Hinton. Summers County was created by an act of the West Virginia General Assembly on February 27, 1871 from parts of Fayette, Greenbrier, Mercer and Monroe...
to Clifton Forge in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. The name comes from its main export; Mississippian limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
from Snowflake Quarry sent to Clifton Forge, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
as an industrial flux; hence the route was affectionately called, "The Gravel Girtie" after the Dick Tracy
Dick Tracy
Dick Tracy is a comic strip featuring Dick Tracy, a hard-hitting, fast-shooting and intelligent police detective. Created by Chester Gould, the strip made its debut on October 4, 1931, in the Detroit Mirror. It was distributed by the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate...
character. This route passes through the Alderson Federal Prison Camp
Alderson Federal Prison Camp
Alderson Federal Prison Camp, also known as Federal Prison Camp, Alderson or FPC Alderson, is a Federal Bureau of Prisons minimum security prison for women in the United States in unincorporated Monroe County and Summers County in West Virginia...
and the Big Bend Tunnel in Talcott
Talcott, West Virginia
Talcott is an unincorporated community in Summers County, West Virginia, United States.It lies along West Virginia Route 3 and the Greenbrier River to the east of the city of Hinton, the county seat of Summers County. Its elevation is 1,526 feet , and it is located at about...
, Summers County, home of John Henry
John Henry (folklore)
John Henry is an American folk hero and tall tale. Henry worked as a "steel-driver"—a man tasked with hammering and chiseling rock in the construction of tunnels for railroad tracks. In the legend, John Henry's prowess as a steel-driver was measured in a race against a steam powered hammer,...
the legendary Steel-Driving Man.
Farming remains the main source of income within the community itself. It was once a depot
Train station
A train station, also called a railroad station or railway station and often shortened to just station,"Station" is commonly understood to mean "train station" unless otherwise qualified. This is evident from dictionary entries e.g...
for the great Turkey Drives. In her novel, "The Great Turkey Walk", Kathleen Karr
Kathleen Karr
Kathleen Karr is an American author of historical novels for children and young adults. She is the winner of the Golden Kite Award, for her work The Boxer.-Personal:...
depicts the movement of poultry from county to county where poultry was walked from Union
Union, West Virginia
Union is a town in Monroe County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 548 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Monroe County.-History:...
in Monroe County
Monroe County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 14,583 people, 5,447 households, and 3,883 families residing in the county. The population density was 31 people per square mile . There were 7,267 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile...
to the stockpens in much the same way it was done for centuries. Cattle, pigs, and other animals were also sent to Fort Spring to be shipped to the larger cities. There was a barn used to store the apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
export of Monroe County
Monroe County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 14,583 people, 5,447 households, and 3,883 families residing in the county. The population density was 31 people per square mile . There were 7,267 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile...
alongside the main tracks, which is now the main street.
Fort Spring was originally called "Mann's Ferry" and the community's current name refers to the old settler fort that has been lost to history. Colonel John Stuart
John Stuart (Virginia)
Colonel John Stuart was a Revolutionary War commander and pioneering western Virginia settler...
, who shipped Ice Age sloth bones (Megalonyx jeffersonii
Megalonyx jeffersonii
Megalonyx jeffersonii, or Jefferson's ground sloth, is an extinct species of giant ground sloth that lived from the Illinoian Stage during the Middle Pleistocene through to the Rancholabrean of the Late Pleistocene . Its closest living relatives are the two-toed tree sloths of the genus...
) to Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
, noted the presence of saltpetre
Potassium nitrate
Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with the formula KNO3. It is an ionic salt of potassium ions K+ and nitrate ions NO3−.It occurs as a mineral niter and is a natural solid source of nitrogen. Its common names include saltpetre , from medieval Latin sal petræ: "stone salt" or possibly "Salt...
caves in the area. The area is a combination of karst topography
Karst topography
Karst topography is a geologic formation shaped by the dissolution of a layer or layers of soluble bedrock, usually carbonate rock such as limestone or dolomite, but has also been documented for weathering resistant rocks like quartzite given the right conditions.Due to subterranean drainage, there...
, riparian floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
and ancient riverbeds with limestone (karst) outcropping mixing with farmlands and deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
forest. The only available drinking water is by drilled wells or cistern
Cistern
A cistern is a waterproof receptacle for holding liquids, usually water. Cisterns are often built to catch and store rainwater. Cisterns are distinguished from wells by their waterproof linings...
or transportation. The majority of the caves in the area are small with the exception being that of the mouth of the Davis Spring. During the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
a modified cave system was transformed into a bomb shelter
Bomb shelter
A bomb shelter is any kind of a civil defense structure designed to provide protection against the effects of a bomb.-Types of shelter:Different kinds of bomb shelters are configured to protect against different kinds of attack and strengths of hostile explosives. For example, an Air-raid shelter...
and bunker
Bunker
A military bunker is a hardened shelter, often buried partly or fully underground, designed to protect the inhabitants from falling bombs or other attacks...
against the quarry.
In the absence of the railroad, Nonpoint Source Pollution (NPS) is a leading pollutant due to the combination of human and animal (agricultural) impacts. One large sinkhole is known as the source of a minor Typhoid epidemic in the mid-nineteenth century, due to confusing the water in the sinkhole with that of springwater.
History
- The Davis Spring, the largest springSpring (hydrosphere)A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
in West VirginiaWest VirginiaWest 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...
, is at Fort Spring. It is the site of the second gristmillGristmillThe terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
Col. John Stuart built when settling into the Greenbrier River Valley. - Small limestoneLimestoneLimestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
quarries and lime kilns sprinkled the entire area; seams of soft, high-calcium limestone called "whitestone' was easily extracted and burned for industrial lime.
World War II
Fort Spring was prepared for war and sabotage during World War II. It was a small area suitable for attacks due to its close proximity to important cities and its lying between the towns of AldersonAlderson, West Virginia
Alderson, a town in the US State of West Virginia, is split geographically by the Greenbrier River, with portions in both Greenbrier and Monroe Counties. Although split physically by the river, the town functions as one entity, including that of town government...
and Ronceverte. The railroad paid a citizen to patrol the train tracks at the Second Creek side of the town during the night. Nazi sympathizers and suspicious characters were treated gingerly. Men from the National Guard oversaw the potato fields on what is now the Miller Farm at the basin of Fort Spring. German POWs worked the crops and were known for trading all their cigarettes for one American cigarette. After the war, several of them stayed on in the area.
No terminal 'S' in Fort Spring
Residents of Fort Spring have fought bitterly over the spelling for over a hundred years. 'Fort Springs' refers to two other addresses nearby. Those who live within Fort Spring refuse to call it "Fort Springs," stating correctly that it could be a subdivision downstream or a housing development in Ronceverte. A similar, but humorous problem exists upriver in Marlinton, Pocahontas CountyPocahontas County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,131 people, 835 households, and 527 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile . There were 7,594 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile...
, where is it often wrongly called Marlington. The library for New River Community and Technical College
New River Community and Technical College
New River Community and Technical College is West Virginia's newest independently accredited institution of higher education. Founded July 1, 2003, by enactment of the West Virginia Legislature, the college was independently accredited February 8, 2005, by the Higher Learning Commission of North...
in Lewisburg
Lewisburg, West Virginia
Lewisburg is a city in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 3,830 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Greenbrier County.-Geography:Lewisburg is located at ....
deals with these problems by having flubbed employees recite out loud two poems, "No 'G' In Marlinton," and "No S in Fort Spring."
In tribute of "The Sage of Pocahontas," Andrew Price, Mike Williams created the following poem:
In the footsteps of the late Andrew Price long ago,
Who wrote, "There Ain't no G in Marlinton," you know,
I take up pen and pad just to say, that it is definitely so,
There is but one S in Fort Spring—or did you not know?
The late John Perry, "mayor" forever it has been said,
Lays up in his Mount Vernon grave, as good as dead.
But continue to use that second s—oh! Such a dread,
He'll haunt you until you face your grave as dead...
There was but one Fort and one Spring, it is told,
And change the history—no one can ever be that bold.
It is Fort Spring and proudly so, no matter hot or cold,
And add the second S—do not be so carelessly bold!
Acme Limestone knows it and so the River's Edge does too,
The Missionary Baptist and the Grace Methodists are also true,
Postmaster Dorsey retired, knowing this was the thing to do:
Spell Fort Spring correctly and to this village, this district be true.
See also
- West Virginia Spring SalamanderWest Virginia Spring SalamanderThe West Virginia Spring Salamander is a species of salamander in the Plethodontidae family.It is endemic to the United States.Its natural habitats are inland karsts and caves.It is threatened by habitat loss....
- Greenbrier RiverGreenbrier RiverThe Greenbrier River is a tributary of the New River, long, in southeastern West Virginia, USA. Via the New, Kanawha and Ohio Rivers, it is part of the watershed of the Mississippi River, draining an area of...
- Greenbrier River Watershed AssociationGreenbrier River Watershed AssociationThe Greenbrier River Watershed Association is one of the oldest watershed associations in the state of West Virginia, currently on its 15th year of existence...
Sources
- Jones, William K. "The Karst Hydrology Atlas of West Virginia
- Jones, William K. "Hydrology of Limestone Karst." 1973
- McCue, J. B., Lucke, and Woodward, H.P., 1939, WVGES
- "Greenbrier County" 1939 United States Geological Survey
- "What is this Thing, Thomas Jefferson?" Wilson, Marcia 2005 Unpublished Thesis