Update – this is no longer a mystery, the foundation was once Foley’s Mill. Explained in comments.
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Rarely do I visit West Virginia’s state parks. For the most part, anything you can do in a state park you can do in the backwoods.
Today was the exception, gorgeous day for a relaxing hike at Twin Falls State Park.
I have only been to Twin Falls a handful of times my whole life so I don’t really know much about the park. I’m pretty sure it was named after this waterfall.
Twin Falls State Park
I went hiking there today with my friend Joe. A short hike down the trail from the falls I notice something that has had my curiosity in overdrive ever since… a huge stone foundation/structure.
From the trail it doesn’t look like much. However, my curiosity easily stirred, I had to go for a closer look.
A few things struck me as odd right away. The foundation is 4 foot thick and the only thing holding it all together is gravity and the weight of really big rocks.
After exploring the top a little bit I decided to go around and see what it looked like from the bottom outside. To say I was shocked would be an understatement. This was at one time a very imposing structure at least two stories tall. I just can’t fathom what could have been built here that would need a foundation so massive.
There are enormous stones scattered throughout the structure that left me wondering how they were placed. From the surrounding trees I’m thinking the structure is at least 100 years old or older. I wouldn’t have wanted anything to do with that project in that time and in this location.
I keep calling this a stone structure or foundation because of a feature that did nothing to squelch my curiosity, a window/opening. I couldn’t stand back far enough to get the whole wall with the opening because of thick mountain laurel and about a 100 yard drop to the creek.
The stone used as a header over the opening is huge by itself, 2 feet thick at the big end and as wide as the wall is thick.
For the life of me I can’t imagine why this would have been built. It is hard to dismiss it as simply a rock wall because of the corner still visible and the window/opening. The structure served a purpose that had to be pretty important for the effort it would have taken to move and place the massive stones. It would be a big job even today. The outside is about 25 feet tall and the entire thing is 4 foot thick. Believe me when I say the photos do not do it justice.
I was very surprised that since this is located right beside of a trail in a state park that there was no historical marker or anything indicating the presence of the structure. I would definitely think something this massive would have historical significance. I guess you could say I am on a mission to find out. Somebody has to know what it is and writing this article is the first step in finding that person. If you know anything about the ‘rock house’ at Twin Falls, educate me… please.
I have read where the Pioneer Farm at Twin Falls dates back to the first settlers of the area in the 1830′s. I would say the rock house is pretty close to that old.
Why did they build it? How did they build it? Where did they get the rocks? How did they move the rocks? Why so massive? Definitely more questions than answers.
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Update – This may be the remnants of a gristmill called Foley Mill that was in operation in the early 1900′s. With the size of the foundation, I would’ve loved to have seen the mill. -Thanx Sissie ;)-
Photos best viewed in high definition!!
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When one tugs at a single thing in nature; he finds it attached to the rest of the world.
This is Foley’s Mill. Info from the book, “Where People and Nature Meet”:
Another Local resident who left his mark on what is now Twin Falls State Park was Mario Foley. Around 1892, Foley and John Wyatt built a mill at the falls of the Marsh Fork of Cabin Creek. Local legend has it that Foley had heard that the Indians often traveled to the falls to use its water for medicinal purposes. Foley and Wyatt operated their mill, which had a 28 foot overshot wheel, until about 1920, grinding corn and buckwheat. There is some evidence that the mill and wheel may have been burned by vandals around 1900 and that it was rebuilt with a smaller wheel.
Today, the falls where Foley’s mill stood is known as Foley Falls. Approximately one-quarter mile from Foley Falls is Black Fork Falls. It is these two falls that give the park it’s name. Although these streams are located at relatively high elevations, their water supply is highly dependent upon spring runoff and both falls are generally dry by mid-summer.
The Foley foundation still stands in the park, although it is overgrown with trees and ferns. When the park was being constructed, a mill stone was found in the Marsh Fork near Foley Falls.
A second smaller mill was built and owned by Troy Wadell, slightly upstream from Foley’s mill. Wadell’s mill had an undershot wheel, with pocket in it to hold the water.
Tara Crickenberger,
Assistant Superintendent
Twin Falls Resort State Park
304-294-4000
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Awesome!! Thank you very much Hoy for taking the time to clear this up. After being told about Foley’s mill I had been able to find out very little about it on the web.
I didn’t really consider a mill because of the distance from the foundation to the creek bed. But then again the topography can change a lot in 100 years.
Twin Falls is definitely a park I would recommend for it’s beauty and rich heritage.
Thank you.