Almost heaven WEST VIRGINIA--Cheat Lake

Sunday was our drive day. Morgantown is not all that far from Cleveland....only about 4 hours. Taking at leisurely, we didn't leave until around 1:00. After picking up some groceries at the Giant Eagle, we checked in around 5:30. The condo is nicely located. In my younger days, I could probably jump into the pool from the porch....or not ;-)


After getting the kayaks down and tied to the front porch and unloading the car, we headed into Morgantown for some dinner and fireworks. Not much was open....it was the 4th of July after all! One of my favs, the Boston Beanery was hoppin.....so in we went. We were informed that their central air was broken. Granted it was over 90 degrees outside, but I ask you, who needs air conditioning when starvation has set in?


I wasn't doing my "Stories in Stone" series the last time I was in town.....and there are plenty to photograph and research. That will be another day when I have some time to walk up and down the streets in daylight.


I did see this unusual brick in a wall across the street from the Old Stone House. Very curious....I wonder what it means????

After dinner it was down to the Mon and the shell for some good old music and the fireworks display. We were not disappointed. The pyrotechnics are shot from the woods on the opposite side of the river. Not far away at all.



I haven't seen live fireworks in years and have never tried to capture it on film. Photographing the firey burst isn't as easy as I thought. For every one I caught, there were about 5 that were blank.

Tomorrow kayaks on Cheat Lake.

© 2010, copyright Linda Hughes Hiser

Tombstone Tuesday--John Hare

This is not a relation, just an interesting tombstone I found while photographing in East Oak Grove Cemetery, Morgantown, West Virginia. It is among those that were moved to East Oak Grove from a cemetery that was located in town. As the town and university began to grow, caskets and tombstones were removed and interred at East Oak Grove.

John Hare and his wife, Mary are both buried in East Oak Grove. He was born in Pennsylvania about 1797 to immigrant parents from Ireland. John was a successful farmer in the Grant District of Monongalia County, West Virginia.

Children I was able to find through the census reports are: Robinson, Louisa who married a Finnell, Silas W., Martha J., Harry S. and Clarence L.

Does anyone know what the symbol at the top of the tombstone is? Is it wheat symbolizing he was a farmer?

What is it about Decker's Creek?

Why feature a photo of Decker’s Creek on my blog? I do enjoy taking photos of water, particularly moving water, however, Decker’s Creek is not just any West Virginia creek…it is special. Decker’s begins in the mountains just outside of Preston County and winds its way down through Dellslow, Rock Forge, Sabraton and through the east side of downtown Morgantown where it finally flows into the Monongahela River.

Decker’s Creek divides Morgantown into north and south. It crosses High Street near the old Hotel Morgan where Ken and I have enjoyed several glorious short vacation stays.

The real draw here is my history. My Grandmother Hughes aka Grams, was born and grew up in Morgantown. Her ancestors (and mine) go back in this area to the late 1700’s, when pioneer settlers began making their way west. Most of ours came from various towns in Maryland, probably taking dirt paths through the mountains along the same route that Interstate 68 crosses today.

Years ago, I did my primary research on microfilm at the Cleveland Historical Society in University Circle. Days spent scrolling through census reports on microfilm and microfiche. One day I was working on the 1900 West Virginia census looking for Grams and her family. They were at the top of the page….the first one’s listed and when I scrolled up to get the date and enumeration district number for my records, lo and behold, there….listed as the enumerator was my Grandmother’s Dad, my Great Grandfather, George E. VanGilder. And, the census read “that part of the Morgan District north of Decker’s Creek”

I guess it was at that moment that Decker’s Creek began to have some meaning for me.

Last summer we stayed at a golf/spa resort at Cheat Lake, north of Morgantown, for a week. On the first day, Ted and I drove along Route 7 (locally known as the Earl Core Road) which follows Decker’s Creek out to Dellslow and into the country. Ted was looking for a driving range, but I was looking at Decker’s Creek. On the way back I pulled the car over to the side of the road to take a few Miss Snap Happy shots. It’s a good thing my camera has a decent lens since I have found that I am not as agile as I was years ago and had to take the photos from the road.

What a sense of belonging….history…..familiarity……home.

My comfort zone.