Roanoke ,West Virginia is the sight of one of West Virginia's newest state parks. West Virginians are proud of their state parks and rightfully so. There are many and they all offer opportunities for activity close to nature.
Stonewall Resort is names after Stonewall Jackson, the civil war general who, with his sister spent much of his childhood at nearby Jackson's Mill where they came to live when they were orphaned in 1830.
Stonewall Resort offers golf and fishing as well as hiking, camping or just relaxing while enjoying the scenery from the deck of a lake-side cabin or the rustic lodge.
The massive entrance of Stonewall Lodge welcomed my husband, Jeff, and I on our recent day trip to the park.
Each side of the long, timber-framed entrance was lined with hand-made Adirondack style rocking chairs. This shady spot would be a nice place to relax during warmer times but not today. Today was sunny, but cold, the first nice day after more than a month of snow and gray skies. For now, I just wanted to get inside the lodge, out of the wind.
The inside of the lodge welcomed us with a roaring fire from behind the stone hearth. Gentle lighting illuminated the timber-frame structure showing off large roof beams and giant arched rafters.
The lodge is decorated in a mixed western style similar to some of our great national parks like Yellowstone. The general style is accented and complimented by artwork of native West Virginians, including hickory and leather chairs in the lodge rooms and in the main dining room (more about that tomorrow).
There should be little fear of anyone every stealing these hickory chairs for they are so very heavy. I've learned that this heaviness the nature of hickory which is why it is so good for making furniture. The hickory chairs in Yellowstone's Old Faithful Inn were placed there in 1906. If I'm still blogging, we'll come back to Stonewall in a hundred years to check on these chairs.
This glass table in the lodge's entryway is supported by a welcoming black bear carved with a chainsaw, an art form found all over rural West Virginia.
Art work by West Virginia painters and fiber artists adorns the walls of the lodge.
Tomorrow's blog entry will take us into the library as well as enjoy a meal in the dining room before we venture outside.
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