Cranny Crow Overlook Shelter

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1935–1937, Civilian Conservation Corps. Millers Rock Trl.
  • (Photograph by Rhonda L. Reymond)
  • (Photograph by Rhonda L. Reymond)

This picturesque shelter in Lost River State Park is the iconic Cranny Crow Overlook of stacked stone and mortar on three sides with a saltbox roof of corrugated metal over wood. Constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), the east and west sides feature slightly arched openings with arched stone caps set under the gable while the rear has a horizontal rectangular “picture window” of stone. The sides form a support for the roof that overhangs the rear of the structure. The vantage point from an elevation of 3,200 feet on Big Ridge Mountain frames sublime views of the West Virginia and Virginia mountains and valleys. A wooden seat and backrest on a stone bench set on a raised-stone pad rewards hikers with a place to rest and take in the scenery.

References

Gioulis, Michael. New Deal Historic Resource Survey. Charleston: West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Charleston, 2008.

Sweeten, Lena L., “New Deal Resources in West Virginia State Parks and State Forests,” West Virginia. National Register of Historic Places Multiple Property Documentation Form, 2010. National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C.

West Virginia State Park History Committee. Where People and Nature Meet: A History of the West Virginia State Parks. Charleston, WV: Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, 1988.

Writing Credits

Author: 
Rhonda L. Reymond
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Data

Timeline

  • 1935

    Built

What's Nearby

White Oak Trail Shelter
Bill Tussing Log House
Hidden Trails Stables
Lost River State Park
Lee Cabin

Citation

Rhonda L. Reymond, "Cranny Crow Overlook Shelter", [Mathias, West Virginia], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/WV-01-031-0003.

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