Black Fork, Blue Grass

Every summer, the banks of the Cheat River are filled with blue grass, but it's not an invasive species! Winner of the International Bluegrass Music Association's Event of the Year, the Pickin’ in Parsons Bluegrass Festival draws hundreds of award-winning artists and fans to Parsons every summer.

Where It All Began

Just outside Parsons, the Fernow Experimental Forest sits on the first tract purchased for the Monongahela National Forest. Designated in 1934, Fernow pioneered watershed and red-spruce research that still guides Appalachian forest management. Today, USDA researchers use the open-air laboratory to evaluate sustainable forestry and continue the search to save the American chestnut.

Ford This!

In 1861, the running Battle at Corricks Ford marked one of the first engagements in the American Civil War, pitting the newly formed armies against the rising river as well as one another.