Cathedral State Park is the largest virgin timber tract remaining in West Virginia. The park features trees of up to 90 feet in height and 16 feet in circumference.[4] Located on 132 acres (53 ha)[2] about one mile (1.6 km) east of the town of Aurora and five miles west of Redhouse, Maryland, Cathedral is a mixed forest of predominantly eastern hemlock.[5] Rhine Creek runs through the park.[4]
| Cathedral State Park | |
|---|---|
 Cathedral Trail | |
  Location of Cathedral State Park in West Virginia | |
| Location | Preston, West Virginia, United States |
| Coordinates | 39°19′36″N 79°32′17″W / 39.32667°N 79.53806°W |
| Area | 132 acres (53 ha)[2] |
| Elevation | 2,579 ft (786 m) |
| Established | 1942[3] |
| Governing body | West Virginia Division of Natural Resources |
| Website | wvstateparks |
The National Park Service has designated the park as a National Natural Landmark in 1965.[6]
The park is under significant threat from the hemlock woolly adelgid, which has been detected within 20 miles (32 km) of the park.[7]
History
editMr Branson Haas, a workman for the Brookside hotel, purchased the land in 1922 and sold it to the state of West Virginia in 1942.[4] It was included in the Brookside Historic District.[8] The park was entered in the National Registry for Natural History Landmarks on October 6, 1966.[4] The Society of American Foresters recognized the park in 1983 in its National Natural Areas program.[4]
In 2004, the state's largest hemlock tree was felled by lightning.[4]
In October 2012, the park suffered extensive damage resulting from snowfall produced by Hurricane Sandy.[6]
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An Eastern Hemlock in Cathedral State Park -
Hemlock in Cathedral State Park
Trails
edit| Trail Name | Trail Length[4] | |
|---|---|---|
| ft | m | |
| Cathedral Trail | 5,898 | 1,798 |
| Giant Hemlock Trail | 1,170 | 360 |
| Partridge Berry Trail | 2,931 | 893 |
| Trillium Trail | 668 | 204 |
| Cardinal Trail | 1,201 | 366 |
| Wood Thrush Trail | 3,274 | 998 |
| Old Oakland Road | 2,257 | 688 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Cathedral State Park". Protected Planet. IUCN. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
- ^ a b West Virginia State Parks Facilities Grid, accessed March 29, 2008 Archived 2009-02-05 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Where People and Nature Meet: A History of the West Virginia State Parks. Charleston, West Virginia: Pictorial Histories Publishing Company. April 1988. ISBN 0-933126-91-3.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Cathedral State Park" (PDF). www.wvstateparks.com. West Virginia Division of Natural Resources. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 9, 2016. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
- ^ Forests of the Appalachians Project web site, accessed July 22, 2006.
- ^ a b Cathedral State Park web site, access July 22, 2006
- ^ "Trees last stand: Park may be last place to see uncut hemlock forest in state", Charleston Gazette, December 19, 2004, accessed July 22, 2006. Archived May 7, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Courtney Fint Zimmerman (July 2012). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Brookside Historic District" (PDF). State of West Virginia, West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Historic Preservation. Retrieved February 20, 2014.