Old Mill Creek Rd, Charleston, WV 25311

Mill Creek Falls & Gorge at CharlestonFewer than five miles from the state capitol, this 16-acre woodland preserves one of the lesser-known scenic resources in the lower Kanawha Valley--the falls of Mill Creek and its gorge. Near Coonskin Park and West Virginia International Yeager Airport, the property is ideally suited for tourism or residential development. The state proposed in 1965 that the falls and surrounding gorge be preserved as a park, though the property remains in the care of private owners and has been managed only as a Charleston-area retreat. HIGHLIGHTS Scenic Mill Creek And Its High Falls More Than 16 Wooded Acres More Than A Mile Of Woodland Trail Ecologically Sustained Adjoins 225 Acres Of Forestland 1 Mile To The Elk River Trail Extension 4 Miles To Yeager Airport 4.8 Miles To W.Va. Capitol 5 Miles To Coonskin Park Entrance 5 Miles To Downtown Charleston Proximity To Expressways I-77, I-79, I-64 PROPERTY OVERVIEW Proposed the site of a nature park in the 1960s, the property was referred to by the W.Va. Dept. of Natural Resources as a "Shangri-La," and state officials encouraged Kanawha County officials to preserve the site. However, the property has remained private, and its stewards have carefully preserved the scenic landscape. The acreage includes its namesake waterfalls as well as cliffs and caves, the stone ruins of a millers house, and a two-acre flat that has been developed as a camping area. Other highlights include a tree house and towering oaks, beeches, and hemlocks that shade an understory of fern, mosses, and rhododendron. LOCATION Google Coordinates: 38.385291°(N), -81.553144°(W) Address: Old Mill Creek Road, Charleston, WV 25311. No 911 address is assigned to a property without structures. Elevation Range: 695 ft. to 872 ft. +/- HISTORY As early as the 1820s, a mill was established at the upper falls of Mill Creek to serve farmers on the lower Elk River. Its 20-foot drop provided a source of water power that served a series of mills into the early 20th century. During the Civil War, when Charleston was occupied by Confederate troops, a band of soldiers attempted to commandeer the miller's horses. According to a local legend, he was able to hide his string in caves in the surrounding gorge. Even after the demise of milling in the 1920s, the falls remained a favorite hiking and picnicking spot. Yet, the development of new roads in the area circumvented the mill grounds, and the scenic gorge and its falls were forgotten by many. In 1939, Charleston businessman Edward F. Kotch began assembling properties in and around the falls to create a retreat, though his plans never came to fruition. The property has since remained in the hands of stewards who have preserved its scenic nature. ABOUT MILL CREEK AND ITS FALLS Mill Creek descends over nine winding miles through the forests that extend southeast of the Elk River. Near its mouth, at the property, the creek enters a wooded canyon some 200 feet deep. Its geology is more typical of the higher mountains east toward the New River Gorge and features sandstone cliffs and tumbled boulders. Unlike many other streams in the region, its bed is smooth and rocky rather than muddy and accommodates wading. Two layers of sandstone outcrop in the gorge. The upper strata form extensive cliffs along the canyon walls. The lower strata form the waterfall and the bed of the stream, which is alternately smooth and pebbly and accommodates wading. At the falls, the creek drops 20 feet over the lower layer of sandstone, plunging into a pool and smooth bed of rock. Three hundred feet downstream, it drops another five feet over a second waterfall on its course to the Elk River. ABOUT THE TREEHOUSE Built in 2005 by Treehouse Masters affiliate Jonathan Farrow of Living Tree, the treehouse is raised on three mature trees 25 feet above the driveway and 60 feet above the falls. Sided in cedar shakes and roofed in metal, the treehouse cabin is secured to a 16-x-20-foot platform and includes a single 10-x-12-foot room with a sleeping loft. Anderson windows provide exceptional views of the property in all directions. The treehouse was designed to take advantage of the view of the falls while preserving the viewshed of the falls from other angles. The cabin is wired for 100 amp service. The treehouse is currently accessible by ladder. ABOUT THE CAMPGROUND A level field of approximately one acre has been maintained as a creekside camping and picnicking area. Above the floodplain, it has been proposed as a homesite area. Once the site of the miller's residence, stone ruins at a corner of the campground area include a cold cellar with a steeply pitched stone roof, notably uncharacteristic of the area. The campground area is accessed directly by the graveled driveway that leads approximately a quarter mile from the entrance. ABOUT THE CLIFFS AND CAVES The south-facing wall of the gorge is lined with cliffs and caves, including an overhanging rock shelter extending more than 200 feet along the gorge wall. This relatively large shelter, also known as a crepuscular or "twilight" cave, may have been used by prehistoric and early historic inhabitants of the region, though no archaeological investigation has been performed. A portion of the cliffs includes areas of honeycomb weathering. These rocky areas are accessible by footpaths that wander up the steep wall of the gorge from the creekside. HISTORY & PREHISTORY Though no archaeological study of the property has been performed, scholars have identified evidence of several cultures in the region, notably a mound-building culture that inhabited the region from about 800 B.C. to 500 A.D. These people raised large ceremonial mounds in valley areas, including large extant mounds at Dunbar and South Charleston and a small mound nearby at Pinch. Various native groups lived and hunted the area until the early 1800s. The Shawnee, arriving from west of the Ohio River, contested Virginian settlers for control of the landin the late 1700s. Indian Creek, which parallels Mill Creek one mile to the northeast, was named for a Native American trail that traversed the area. As early as the 1820s, a grist mill was established at the falls to serve farmers on the lower Elk River and along the nearby Kanawha. Its drop provided a source of water power that served a series of mills that existed here into the early 20th century. During the Civil War, when the Kanawha Valley near Charleston was occupied by Confederate troops, a band of soldiers attempted to commandeer the horses that belonged to the miller. According to legend, he hid his string in caves in the surrounding gorge. After the demise of milling, the falls remained a favorite picnic spot. Yet, the development of new roads in the area circumvented the mill grounds, and the scenic gorge and its falls were forgotten by many. In 1939, Charleston businessman Edward F. Kotch began assembling properties in and around the falls in hopes of creating a retreat, though his plans never came to fruition. The property has since remained in the hands of stewards who have preserved its scenic nature. CLIMATE The micro-climate at the property is relatively cool and pleasant in summer. Thanks to the cooling effect of the creek and shading by the gorge and forest, the local air temperature is typically several degrees cooler than that in the adjacent Elk and Kanawha valleys in summer. The climate in the region is otherwise classified as humid subtropical and features hot summers and cool winters and more than the average amount of rainfall. The average July high in the Kanawha Valley is 86 degrees. The average January low is 24. Charleston averages 46 inches of rain a year and 28 inches of snow. It enjoys a relatively long growing season, extending from April 15 to October 15. FLORA For nearly 100 years, owners have taken great care to maintain the property's forest environment. Several of its older trees now reach more than 100 feet skyward. The forest is classified as oak and hickory and includes beech, poplar, sycamore, and eastern hemlock. Understory trees include laurels and magnolias, both of which flower profusely in spring and early summer. Spring wildflowers include lady's slipper and azure bluets, which blossom on boulders above the falls. FAUNA The property is located in a transitional zone between the metropolitan Kanawha Valley and the mountainous forest region south of the lower Elk River Valley. As a result, it is inhabited by a wide variety of native species, principally smaller mammals, including squirrel, raccoon, and opossum, as well as some larger species, including white-tailed deer and, occasionally, bear, which do not den on or near the property. Wild turkey and blue herons are frequent visitors, and kingfishers are often observed following the creek line. Bobcats likely hunt the property with regular frequency. Amphibians and reptiles such as turtles, frogs, and salamanders are common along the stream and in the surrounding soils and indicate an ecologically healthy environment. MINERAL RESOURCES West Virginia is one of the states in the US that has two ownership titles, those being SURFACE RIGHTS and MINERAL RIGHTS. A title search for mineral rights ownership has not been conducted. All rights the owner has will convey with the property. A mineral title search could be conducted by a title attorney at the same time when the surface title search is being conducted. BOUNDARIES AND SURVEY The owner's deed contains a metes and bounds description for the property. The property is being sold by the boundary and not by the acre. UTILITIES Water: West Virginia-American Water Sewer: Septic Electricity: American Electric Power Telephone: Frontier Communications Internet: Frontier, Optimum, Starlink Cellphone Coverage: Various Carriers ACCESS/FRONTAGE The deed description references corners as being on both sides of and specific boundary lines running with Kanawha County Secondary Route No. 48.