Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Sunrise Carriage Trail

The Sunrise carriage trail is a trail connecting the C&O Train Depot with the mansion home of the 9th governor of WV, William MacCorkle.  During construction of the mansion, what is now Bridge Road proved too steep for the oxen to carry materials, so a trail was cut especially for that use.
The mansion, generally known as Sunrise Mansion for the Sunrise Museum that was housed there for nearly 40 years, is now owned by a local law firm, Danny Cline, being one of its most famous partners. It was built in 1905 and is said to be haunted by Mr. MacCorkle himself.

 The trail is also said to be haunted. There once was a statue about halfway down    that  supposedly cries blood every Halloween at midnight. This statue is actually a memorial erected by MacCorkle commemorating the death of his daughter Isabel in 1926 by automobile accident. The monument has since been removed due to vandalism, but the outer pedestal is still there, and is said to contain the ashes of Gov. MacCorkle. There is also said to be a cold spot along the trail.

During the Civil War, two females were accused of being Confederate spies, and their bodies were buried along what is now the trail. During construction of the trail in 1905, the bodies were discovered removed to a nearby location. At the base of the trail is also a memorial for these two women, both of whom's names have been lost to history.

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