The Tale of the Floating Church

As the waters of the Tygart River rose it began to reek havoc on the structures that stood in it way, one of these unfortunate buildings was a small white church. Swept from its foundation, it slowly drifted with the current. Surely it was a strange sight to see a church that was once filled with worshipers now filled with water and driftwood. This, however, was not the end of the church or of this tale. As if from divine intervention or heavenly providence the church was spared, plucked from the clutches of sure destruction and pulled from the waters. The church was hoisted and hauled to its present location near Knottsville, West Virginia. Worshipers once again filled its halls and the tiny church can now be seen as a symbol of rebirth and new hope.

I do not have definitive proof this event actually occurred, although some clues maybe gathered from the Federal Geographic Names Information System. According to the site found here the name of the church as been changed many times over its history. Some of the other names include Riverside Church and Cecil Church. These names seem rather odd considering the present location of the church miles from both a river and the location of Cecil. This evidence coupled with different sources speaking to it validity I tend believe the story to be true. The church in question can be seen in the following photographs. If anyone has any further information on the church please add a post or send an email.

Photos by K.A. Pitzer

Pre-Dam Maps

These map were created before the construction of the dam. It may be a testament to the size and importance of these small towns that they where placed on this maps. On the first map you can clearly see Yates, Stonehouse, Cecil, and Cove Run depicted on the map. The only town that may have existed but not placed on the map was the town of Sandy. It, however, can be seen on the second map along with Cecil and Yates.

Map #1 created in 1921










Map #2 created in 1922