Program

Hometown Heritage™

Subject

Site, Transportation

Location

221 N Kanawha St, Beckley, WV 25801, USA

Lat/Long

37.7798, -81.18773

Grant Recipient

Raleigh County Historical Society

In 1837, the Giles, Fayette and Kanawha Turnpike Company was incorporated through a legislative act passed by the Virginia General Assembly “for the purpose of constructing a turnpike road from the Kanawha salt works, in the county of Kanawha, by the falls of Kanawha river, and Vandal’s in the Loop, to Giles courthouse.” By 1848, three tollgates had been erected and the road was in operation with tolls collected throughout the year.

At approximately 118 miles in length, the turnpike ran north from Pearisburg, in Giles County, Virginia, through Raleigh and Fayette Counties in West Virginia, to Kanawha Falls on the Kanawha River in West Virginia, where it met the Kanawha Turnpike. The road was used by wagons and carriages and aided in the development of the surrounding area.

Throughout the early 20th century, portions of the former Giles, Fayette and Kanawha Turnpike were paved and improved, including the portion through the city of Beckley in Raleigh County, West Virginia. West Virginia Route 210 now runs along the former turnpike through Beckley.