OVERVIEW

Estate adjoining Thurmond entrance to New River Gorge National Park

This six-acre residential estate adjoins the Thurmond entrance to the nation’s newest national park, the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. Built of brick and stone in the Colonial Revival style, the residence is among the best preserved in the region. Like many larger homes built locally around the turn of the 20th century, it was designed to provide an air of gentility on the edge of what was then a veritable wilderness.

The property includes a five-bedroom home and approximately three acres in woodland and two in lawn, which includes large level areas suitable for outdoor entertainment. It is less than two miles from the boundary of the national park and a mile from the Summit Bechtel Reserve, a high-adventure base for the Boy Scouts of America and home of the quadrennial National Scout Jamboree.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Five bedrooms, two full baths and a half bath
• More than six acres, approximately two acres in lawn
• Artisan-worked stone and brick construction
• Encircling driveway with 500-foot approach
• Large areas of level lawn for gardening, festivities
• Two-vehicle detached garage and masonry outbuilding
• Proximity to the national park (1.75 miles)
• Proximity to US-19 expressway (0.7 miles)
• Proximity to the Summit Bechtel Reserve (0.4 miles)

LOCATION

Google Coordinates: 37.930661, -81.151179
Address: 409 Thurmond Road, Glen Jean, WV 25846
Elevation Range: 1,647 to 1,705 feet, more or less

THE RESIDENCE

Designed as a distinguished country home, the five-bedroom residence is an outstanding example of Colonial Revival architecture (1880-1955), intended to recall the formal architecture of colonial America. Hallmarks of the style include the use of brick and rusticated stone and symmetry of the front façade, in this case with side wings and a dominant front-entrance porch. Revival examples include more windowed space than their colonial antecedents, and this residence is no exception. All rooms, notably the large formal rooms on the first floor, include multi-windowed walls.

In addition to its formality and multi-windowed large rooms, highlights include attention to its finishes and cabinetry, all of which have been maintained in excellent repair over the last century. Outstanding examples include oak floors, French doors, and built-in cabinetry. Ceilings throughout the house are relatively lofty and on the first floor are nine feet high and on the second floor are 8.8 feet high.

First Floor

Entering the residence from the central front porch, formality continues inside with the symmetrical placement of formal living rooms to the left and right of an entrance hall. Both large rooms contain prominent fireplaces and lead into further formal common rooms—a dining room, a solarium—and onto a large side porch. The kitchen and family room at the rear of the house exit onto an open patio that adjoins the encircling driveway.

First Floor Room Dimensions

Foyer—8’7″ x 19’9″
Living Room 1—14’9″ x 19’9″
Living Room 2—15’3″ x 13’1″
Dining Room—14’9″ x 13’1″
Family Room—15’3″ x 15’3″
Kitchen—8’7″ x 13’1″
Laundry—8’2″ x 4’1″
Bath—4’5″ x 6’3″

Second Floor

A wide stairway ascends from the central hallway into a large open hallway on the second floor, off of which the residence’s five bedrooms open. All bedrooms include deep closets and plentiful window space. The master bedroom enjoys its own fireplace. Two full bathrooms accessible by flanking bedrooms include large shower tubs.

First Floor Room Dimensions

Hall—11’4″ x 17’2″
Primary Bedroom—14’9″ x 16’3″
Bedroom—14’9″ x 13’2″
Bedroom—12’7″ x 13’2″
Bedroom—10’7″ x 9’10”
Bedroom—9’1″ x 11’1″
Bath—8’0″ x 6’3″
Bath—7’9″ x 5’1″

Basement and attic-loft

The full basement and attic loft are notably spacious. The attic is accessible by a pull-down stair that leads up from the second-floor hall. Its hipped roof and compass-point dormers accommodate a large, story-height space at the center (6.5 feet high) and plentiful storage around the flanking walls. The full basement includes a single-car garage with walk-out doors and multiple utility spaces. Though built principally of worked stone, the basement’s outward walls include many windows. Termed an “English basement,” its upper walls are raised above the ground level at the front, allowing for multi-windowed lighting.

Garage

A two-bay garage of cinderblock opens onto the encircling driveway alongside the house at the end of the long entrance drive. Sliding barn doors allow access without compromising space in the entrance area.

Cottage

At the rear of the residence, a small former quarters for servants and hired hands recalls a time when staff were housed on-site for the upkeep of the property. Though now used for storage, the cottage can be used for alternate lodging and includes its own fireplace but it is not now plumbed.

LANDSCAPE

As with the residence, the grounds were landscaped chiefly in the Colonial Revival style, implying formality through symmetry and perspective. This is notably achieved in the setback of the residence on a tree-shaded lawn at the end of the long, straight entrance driveway. The line of the driveway and paved sidewalks at the residence are also devices employed in the revival style. A remarkable elaboration on the landscape includes an encircling paved driveway around the residence, which provides easy access to all four sides and entrances.

Also of note, the large areas of lawn that extend from the front and rear of the residence are hallmarks of the Colonial Revival but accommodate potentially useful space for agriculture and entertaining. Shaded by a line of oaks, the front lawn slopes gradually upward from the frontage on Thurmond Road. At the rear of the residence, it opens into an open level space more than 350 feet long and nearly 100 feet wide.

LOCATION

Google Coordinates: 37.930661, -81.151179
Address: 409 Thurmond Road, Glen Jean, WV 25846
Elevation Range: 1,647 to 1,705 feet +/-

MINERAL RESOURCES

West Virginia law provides for separate ownership titles for surface rights and mineral rights. This property is being conveyed as surface only.

BOUNDARIES AND SURVEY

There is a metes-and-bounds description of the property in the owners’ deed. The southern boundary runs with the northern side of the road. The property is being sold by the boundary and not by the acre.

UTILITIES

Water: West Virginia Water Co.
Electricity: American Electric Power
Natural Gas: Mountaineer Gas Co.
Internet: High-speed service available
Fire Service: Mount Hope Fire Department
Cell: 4G coverage supplied by several carriers
Sewer: Public service provided by Oak Hill Sanitary Board

ACCESS/FRONTAGE

The property includes more than 700 feet of frontage on Thurmond Road (Route 25).

ZONING

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

PROPERTY TYPE/USE SUMMARY

The property is mostly forestland. This summary is an estimation of current property use as determined from aerial photography. It is made subject to the estimation of property boundaries and any errors in the interpretation of land use type from aerial photography utilized.

DEED AND TAX INFORMATION

Deed Information: Deedbook 601, Page 112
Fayette County, West Virginia
Acreage: 6.04 acres +/-

Real Estate Tax ID/Acreage/Taxes:
Fayette County (10), West Virginia
Plateau District (2)
Tax Map 38J Parcel 2; Class 2

2021 Real Estate Taxes: $930.78

PUBLIC & PRIVATE SCHOOLS

The property is located within the Fayette County School District. Public school students attend the multi-use campus at Oak Hill in which primary, intermediate, and high schools and the county’s vocational school are located. Several private schools within the Fayette County School District operate in the region, and homeschool programs are supported.

HIGHER EDUCATION

West Virginia University and New River Community & Technical College maintain campuses at Beckley, 15 miles to the south, and courses by Concord University and Bluefield State College are offered at the Irma Byrd Higher Education Center nearby. Appalachian Bible College is a drive of approximately 10 minutes south at Bradley.

HEALTHCARE

The nearest hospital to the property, Plateau Medical Center at Oak Hill is a 3.7 mile drive and includes 25 beds and an emergency care unit. Nearby at Beckley, Raleigh General Hospital, with 300 beds, and Appalachian Regional Hospital, with 173 beds, also include emergency rooms and are both approximately 20 minutes away. A Veterans Administration Medical Center is also located at Beckley. Major state medical centers are located at Charleston and Morgantown, an hour and 2.5 hours from Glen Jean respectively.

ABOUT GLEN JEAN

At the central entrance to the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, Glen Jean is one of the principal focal points for access to the region. The National Park Service maintains its headquarters for the New River Gorge here, and the north entrance to the Summit Bechtel Family National Scouting Reserve is located here. The Army National Guard opened the Glen Jean Armed Forces Center here in 2005, a 105,000 square foot facility that provides armory housing for four West Virginia National Guard units, the Southern West Virginia Military Entrance Processing Station, and a maintenance center for over-the-road and tracked military vehicles.

Glen Jean was first developed in the 1890s following the completion of the Loup Creek Branch of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway. It was chartered in 1898 and named in honor of Jean McKell, the wife of Thomas Gaylord McKell, president of the McKell Coal and Coke Co. In 1910, it was the second-largest incorporated town in Fayette County, with a population of 722. Its corporate limits extended as far east as Thurmond and as far south as Mount Hope. With the decline of the coal industry after World War II, the town began to decline, and its population in 2000 was 246.

Several historic properties of note are located in Glen Jean, including the former Glen Jean National Bank, now owned by the National Park Service, the former Glen Jean Presbyterian Church, and the former Glen Jean School, now a base camp for a Christian youth recreational ministry. The bank building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

SURROUNDING AREA

The property is located in the heart of the New River Gorge Region, one of the state’s chief tourism and outdoor recreation destinations. The local economy is now centered chiefly around the national park and other outdoor recreation areas. The US-19 expressway runs north-to-south through the region, linking a string of municipalities that include Beckley, Oak Hill, Mount Hope, and Fayetteville. An estimated 100,000 residents live here in the central part of the New River Gorge region.

New River Gorge National Park and Preserve

The nation’s newest national park, the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve attracts more than 2.6 million visitors annually to the region. Two park visitor centers, at Thurmond (seasonal) and Canyon Rim, are 10 and 15 minutes from Glen Jean respectively. The park’s best-known attraction, the New River Gorge Bridge, is a drive of approximately 15 minutes at Fayetteville. Hiking, biking, angling, hunting, kayaking, and camping are popular throughout the park. However, it may best be know as a destination for rock climbing and whitewater rafting. The park is among the nation’s top destinations for both.

The Summit Bechtel Family National Scout Reserve

Less than a mile from the property, the 14,000-acre Summit Bechtel Reserve is a veritable outdoor-recreation park that also hosts the quadrennial Boy Scout Jamboree and one of five high-adventure bases for the scouts. The 24th World Scout Jamboree welcomed more than 45,000 visitors in 2019. The 17th Interamerican Scout Jamboree is planned for 2023. The reserve is the home of the Paul R. Christen National High Adventure Base, the James C. Justice National Scout Camp, and the John D. Tickle National Training and Leadership Center.

Hunting Preserves

Two public hunting and fishing areas with a combined 10,000 acres of woodland are located within five miles of the property. Deer, turkey, and squirrel are the principal game taken. The Plum Orchard Lake Wildlife Management Area includes 202-acre Plum Orchard Lake, a popular destination for flatwater kayaking as well as fishing. The Beury Mountain Wildlife Management area conserves some of the most remote highland forests in the region. In addition to the two preserves, hunting is also permitted in season in more than 65,165 acres in the national park.

Outdoor Recreation Resorts

Seven outdoor adventure resorts are located in the New River Gorge Region near the property. All offer guided whitewater rafting tours on the New and Gauley rivers and most include basecamps that accomodate cabins and camping and coordinate outdoor recreation adventures. Several offer canopy tours and zip line and adventure courses.

Historic Thurmond

Deep in the New River Gorge,  tiny Thurmond is among the most visited locales in the national park. A quintessential ghost town with a population of five permanent residents, it includes a collection of historic buildings and a restored passenger station, which houses a seasonal park visitor center and is a functional Amtrak flag-stop on a Chicago-Washington-New York City line.