Guarding the Turnpike
Federal forces built Cheat Summit Fort to control the strategic Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike, the road below you. It ran from Virginia to Parkersburg, (West) Virginia. When finished, the turnpike opened the first continuous route between Richmond and the Ohio River. The road was originally chartered in 1817, but would not be completed until 1847. Today U.S. 250 and WV Route 47 roughy follow its path.
Further east along the turnpike, Confederates constructed Camps Bartow and Allegheny. They hoped to deny the Union easy access to the Shenandoah Valley. On clear days, soldiers at Cheat Summit could see the campfire smoke of the enemy over twenty miles away on Allegheny Mountain.
Marker can be reached from County Route 250/4 1.1 miles west of U.S. 250.
Courtesy hmdb.org
