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Grandview State Park

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1939–1960. North end of Raleigh County 9, 6 miles north of intersection with I-64 at exit 129

Grandview State Park started in 1939 when the state purchased fifty-two acres from the Admiralty Coal Company. Soon, Civilian Conservation Corps workers built the first trails, shelters, and picnic tables. In 1949 the state bought an additional 825 acres from other coal companies. Charleston architect Henry T. Elden, assisted by Kermit Hunter, designed the 1,376-seat Cliffside Amphitheater (1960). Hunter, first and foremost a playwright, authored the outdoor drama Honey in the Rock, which premiered here in June 1961. His play now alternates in summer months with Hatfields and McCoys, which opened in 1970. The National Park Service's New River Gorge National River has managed the park since 1990. The stupendous view (“grand” hardly describes it) of the New River Gorge and its famous Horseshoe Bend remains the chief attraction.

Writing Credits

Author: 
S. Allen Chambers Jr.

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