OVERVIEW

This 33-acre parcel on a trout stream in the mountains of southern West Virginia is chiefly wooded and includes a period three-bedroom, one-bath homestead, and several additional homesite possibilities. Amenities include a mature hardwood and softwood forest with rhododendron groves accented by bold mountain spring. Public water is also available to tap into at street side.

ATTRIBUTES AND AMENITIES

• 33 acres (+/-)
• Accessible by both Mills Grocery Rd and Peaks Ridge Rd (both paved state-maintained roads)
• Barker’s Creek catch and release trout stream across the street
• Three-bedroom, one-bath home
• Home is approx. 1116 square feet
• Principally wooded
• Bold mountain spring
• Access trails across the property
• Additional potential home sites
• Electric service, cellular service, Starlink
• Convenient to ATV trails, hunting lands, trout streams
• Cove forest with mature specimens, not surveyed
• Interior trails for hiking and ATV riding
• Low light pollution, excellent stargazing
• Several legacy trees

ABOUT THE HOMEPLACE

Built about 1940, the McKinney Homeplace was located on a knoll overlooking Barker’s Creek and the one-lane road that follows the stream into the mountains. The three-bedroom, one-bath, 1116-square-foot home is one story and includes a full basement. Two of its bedrooms, the living room, and an enclosed front porch face the stream and accommodate a peaceful night’s sleep to the sound of water among cobbles. The property lies in between two state-paved access roads, Mills Grocery Rd and Peaks Ridge Road.

• Aluminum siding exterior
• Modern metal roof
• Modern Carrier HVAC electric heat pump with a furnace
• Nearly all windows are modern vinyl replacements, either tilt in or sliding
• 50 Gallon electric water heater
• The water source is supplied by a bold mountain spring (public water is at the street side)
• Covered side porch
• Some chain link fencing

HOUSE EXTERIOR DIMENSIONS 36 x 31

Backside porch 12.5 x 6.3
Side entry on kitchen side 13 x 6 , Offset 10 x 10
Boxed in sunroom/front porch 7 x 13

INTERIOR

Kitchen 18 x 13
Pantry 5.5 x 7.2
Bathroom 5.4 x 10
Master Bedroom 17.9 x 18.3
Living Room 12.1 x 16
Bedroom two, 9.9 x 11.5
Bedroom three 10 x 11.5

BASEMENT

Basement 34.17.3 offset 10.4 x 13.3

OTHER

Former Post office building 20.6 x 17
Big Shed 32 x 30

LOCATION

Google Coordinates: 37.530086, -81.291120
Address: 146 Mills Grocery Road, Herndon, WV 24726
Elevation Range: 2,386 ft. to 2,680 ft. +/-

FOREST/TIMBER RESOURCES

Approximately 90 percent of the property is in woodland that is perhaps best classified as a southern Appalachian Cove Forest, which is one of the most diverse forest types in North America. Many large trees tower over the forest on the upper property, including oaks, hickories, and tulip poplars. Several thickets of laurel and hemlock shade the lower hillside. An assessment of timber resources has not been performed.

WILDLIFE

The region is home to abundant wildlife, including bear, deer, grouse, fox, mink, squirrel, raccoon, turkey, beaver, bobcat, and muskrat. Songbirds and waterfowl are common, as are larger birds of prey, including owls, hawks, and the occasional bald eagle. Hunting is a favorite pastime in the region, and hunting is permitted in the thousands of acres surrounding the property.

WATER

The property overlooks Barker’s Creek, a small scenic trout stream that runs year-round. A bold spring also emerges in the woodland near the homestead and provides water to the home, though municipal water is also available. Much of the property, including the homestead, is above the creek’s flood zone.

MINERAL RESOURCES

The owners’ deed describes one of the tracts comprising the property as being SURFACE ONLY ownership. West Virginia is one of the states in the U.S. that has two ownership titles, those being SURFACE RIGHTS and MINERAL RIGHTS. A title search for mineral rights ownership has not been conducted, though all rights the owner has will be conveyed with the property. A mineral title search could be conducted by a title attorney while the surface title search is being conducted.

BOUNDARIES AND SURVEY

The property is being sold by the boundary and not by the acre.

UTILITIES

Water: spring with municipal water option
Sewer: Septic
Electricity: Appalachian Power
Telephone: Landline by Frontier Communications
Internet:  Starlink and possibly others
Cellphone Coverage: Varies by carrier

ACCESS/FRONTAGE

The home’s driveway connects directly to Mills Grocery Road. The upper property is bounded by Peak Ridge Road.

ZONING

Wyoming County is subject to some zoning and subdivision regulations. All prospective buyers should consult the county commission and county health department for details regarding zoning, building codes, and the installation of septic systems.

PROPERTY TYPE/USE SUMMARY

The property is chiefly woodland with a clearing and a small pasture area near the homestead and creek.

THE MCKINNEY FAMILY

Like many mountain farms and properties, the land includes a small family cemetery.

DEED and TAX INFORMATION

Deed Information: Deed book 470, page 748
Wyoming County, West Virginia
Acreage: 40.36 acres +/-

Real Estate Tax ID/Taxes:
Wyoming County (55), West Virginia
Barkers Ridge District (2)
Tax Map 114; Parcels 55 and 58; Class 3
Tax Map 114; Parcel 59: Class 2

2024 Real Estate Taxes: $351.94

PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Students living on the property are located within the Wyoming County School District and may attend Herndon Consolidated Elementary & Middle School, Wyoming County East High School, and Wyoming County Career & Technical Center.

HIGHER EDUCATION

The property is within an hour’s drive of several institutions of higher education, including Concord University, Bluefield State College, Southern West Virginia Community College, New River Community and Technical College, and West Virginia University Institute of Technology.

AIR TRAVEL

Kee Field Airport near Pineville is a general aviation airport that’s a 35-minute drive from the property and includes an asphalt runway (08/26), which is 3,701 by 60 feet. Mercer County Airport near Bluefield is a 50-minute drive and includes an asphalt runway (5/23), which is 4,743 by 100 feet. Raleigh County Memorial Airport near Beckley is an hour’s drive and includes two runways, 5,000 feet and 6,750 feet. The nearest large airport is Yeager International Airport, a two-hour drive from the property. Delta, Spirit, United, and American serve the airport. Its busiest domestic routes are Charlotte, Atlanta, Chicago, Orlando, and Washington.

ABOUT THE REGION

The property is in eastern Wyoming County, a region now best known for its recreational trails and mountain scenery. It is bounded to the north and south by the headwaters of the Bluestone and Guyandotte rivers. Coal mining attracted thousands of miners and their families to the region in the early 1900s. However, much of the coal was mined out by the late 1900s, and the area has since become a preferred destination for outdoor adventure and leisure residency.

The US-460 and I-77 expressways bound the region to the north and south, providing easy access to interstate commerce. Mullens (population 1,383 in 2023) is the largest community nearby and is a drive of about 25 minutes from the property. Beckley (population 17,024 in 2021) is the largest city nearby and is a 40-minute drive to the north. To the south, Princeton (population 5,798 in 2021) is a drive of some 45 minutes away, and Bluefield (population 9,499 in 2021) is an hour.

HISTORY AND PREHISTORY

Long before settlers of European descent arrived, the region was part of a prehistoric travel route across the Appalachian Mountains. Several important trails used by Native Americans for more than 12,000 years led through the region. Among the most important was a trail that followed the crest of Barker’s Ridge, leading between the waters of the Bluestone and Guyandotte rivers. The Shawnee in the 1700s used the trail to raid Virginian settlements in the New River valley.

Through the 1800s, the region was settled by families that established highland farms. Their descendants account for a large part of the local population. The surnames Walker, Mills, McKinney, Milam, Reed, Lusk, Graham, Shrewsbury, and Shrewsberry are all familiar in the region.

In the early 1900s, the pastoral nature of the region was interrupted by the discovery of rich coal seams, and in 1909, the Virginian Railway tunneled through Clark’s Gap, four miles southwest of the property, opening the region to a period of mining that would continue through recent decades. Small mining towns sprang up along the streams in the valleys below the highlands. Though mining continues in some areas, many former mining towns have become ghost towns and now attract tourists.

TOURISM & RECREATION

The area is now a chief destination for outdoor recreation and leisure living. Hiking, biking, hunting, paddling, and off-road motor touring are now primary draws to the area. State-designated all-terrain-vehicle (ATV) trails attract thousands of vacationers to the region annually. Three sections of the Hatfield-McCoys Trail System converge near the property. Trout fishing has also become a popular draw in the area, and the nearby Bluestone and Guyandotte rivers have become well-known paddling streams ideal for kayaking and canoeing. The New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, one of the newest national parks in the U.S., is a 50-minute drive east of the property. Winterplace Ski Resort, also a 50-minute drive, attracts several hundred thousand skiers annually.

The following are tourist attractions and amenities that influence the property and the surrounding region.

Hatfield-McCoy Trail System

More than 45,000 off-road vehicle enthusiasts annually tour the Hatfield-McCoy Trail network near the property, a chief driver of development in the region. Officials with the trail authority, which oversees more than 1,500 miles of off-road routes, emphasize the need for private investors to develop more lodging and services for users. The nearest trailhead is five miles from the property.

The Guyandotte River Water Trail

A significant draw to the area, this 120-mile water trail follows the Guyandotte from its source, near Mullens, through a spectacular mountain landscape. Conveniently spaced for day trips, kayak access sites are being installed every six miles along the way. The trail is a 10-minute drive from the property.

Twin Falls Resort State Park

A state-managed vacation park renowned for its namesake waterfalls, Twin Falls attracts more than 40,000 visitors annually and includes a 47-guest-room lodge, a 50-site campground, and 14 cottages. An 18-hole golf course, 10 miles of biking trail, and more than 50 miles of hiking trail are principal park attractions. The park is a half-hour drive from Herndon.

The National Coal Heritage Area

Designated in 1996, the national heritage area was established to promote tourism, historic preservation, and economic development in a 13-county region that was long a bituminous coal source. Herndon is on the National Coal Heritage Trail, a national scenic byway that tours many historic landscapes along a 100-mile route.

R.D. Bailey Lake

A 630-acre lake during summer, R.D. Bailey Lake is among the least visited reservoirs in West Virginia due to its distance from expressways, but the relatively remote situation is part of its allure. In addition to fishing, the lake offers picnic areas and campgrounds with electric and full hookup sites, playgrounds, restrooms, showers, and shoreline fishing. The lake is a 50-minute drive.

ESTIMATED DRIVE TIMES

Hatfield-McCoy Trails — 5 minutes
Mullens, WV — 15 minutes
Twin Falls Resort State Park — 25 minutes
Pineville, WV — 30 minutes
Beckley, WV — 35 minutes
Interstate 77 — 35 minutes
Interstate 64 — 35 minutes
New River Gorge National Park — 50 minutes
Winterplace Ski Resort — 50 minutes
Welch, WV — 50 minutes
Princeton, WV — 40 minutes
R.D. Bailey Lake — 60 minutes
Bramwell, WV — 50 minutes
Bluefield, WV — 50 minutes
Gilbert, WV — 60 minutes
Charleston, WV — 1.5 hours
Roanoke, VA — 2.5 hours
Charlottesville, VA — 3.5 hours
Charlotte, NC — 3.5 hours