Did You Know?

Ansted holds an important place in early United States aviation as the birthplace of Paul Peck, the Birdman of West Virginia, who became the state's first pilot, learned to fly and received his license in seven days, was the first to fly over the U.S. Capital, is believed to have been the first to land a plane in Raleigh County, set numerous speed and endurance records, and was among the first to carry U.S. Mail by plane. The town is also home to the Page-Vawter House, built for the William N. Page family in 1889-90 by carpenters from the Gauley Mountain Coal Company, whose 52 eight-foot windows, 11 fireplaces with ceramic tile hearths, and carved cherry, oak, and walnut mantles reflect the area's coal mining history; listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, it remains a centerpiece of Ansted and Fayette County. The Ansted Culture and Heritage Museum preserves the heritage of the area with exhibits, artifacts, and paintings tracing the Midland Trail from before the first settlers through the coal boom of the 1940s, including the Elwood Maples Coal Mining Collection. Ansted is also one of more than forty towns and villages along the 180-mile Midland Trail Scenic Byway on U.S. Route 60, a route from the Virginia border to the Kentucky border associated with George Washington's idea for a mid-land road and celebrated in 2015 for its 225th anniversary, with attractions along it including The Greenbrier Resort, the West Virginia State Capital, the Downtown Huntington Historic District, and nearby Hawks Nest State Park.

Ansted, West Virginia · United States