Cass, West Virginia

Cass is a census-designated place (CDP) on the Greenbrier River in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 census, its population was 52.[2] The town, founded in 1901, was named for Joseph Kerr Cass, vice president and cofounder of the West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company.

Cass
Census-designated place (CDP)
Main Street in Cass
Cass Location within the state of West Virginia Cass Cass (the United States)
Coordinates: 38°23′48″N 79°54′53″W
Country	United States
State	West Virginia
County	Pocahontas
Area [1]
• Total	0.790 sq mi (2.05 km^2)
• Land	0.790 sq mi (2.05 km^2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km^2)
Population  (2010)[2]
• Total	52
• Density	66/sq mi (25/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)

History

Cass was created in 1901 as a company town for those who worked for West Virginia Pulp and Paper Company, logging the nearby Cheat Mountain. The cut logs were brought by rail to the town, where they were processed for use by paper and hardwood-flooring companies throughout the United States. Cass's skilled laborers, who worked in the mill or the locomotive repair shop, lived with their families in 52 white-fenced houses, built in orderly rows on a hill south of the general store.[3]

In 1960 the mill closed. In 1963, the state bought the logging railroad and converted it into a tourist attraction, carrying passengers into the vast Monongahela National Forest. In the late 1970s, the state bought most of the town and its buildings for the new Cass Scenic Railroad State Park. In 1982 the mill burned down.[3]

The Cass Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[4]

Current status

The town has a general store, a restaurant, a history museum, and 20 houses refurbished for tourist lodgings. The tourist railroad runs from the town to the half way point called Whittaker Station. Here a restored loggers' camp has been created on the mountain. Then the railroad continues up the Mountain to Bald Knob (the third highest peak in West Virginia). On Fridays the trains make runs to the ghost town of Spruce, West Virginia (currently not in service). A small number of privately-owned homes remain in the area of the town, while the majority of land and homes in Cass is owned by the State of West Virginia.

Cass is the northern terminus of the Greenbrier River Trail.

Trivia

The town was featured on Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern.[5]

The town was also featured in the 2013 movie Angel’s Perch.

In 2018, the town was featured in an episode of the PBS series, Travels with Darley.

Cass Cave, located in Cass, contains the highest subterranean waterfall in West Virginia and Virginia, Lacy Suicide Falls.[6]

References

1. "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. Retrieved 2011-04-23.
2. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
3. Christine Dell'Amore (September 9, 2009). "Tracking a Lumber Town's History". The Washington Post.
4. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
5. "Appalachia". Travel Channel. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
6. Kevin Adams (1 June 2002). Waterfalls of Virginia and West Virginia: A Hiking and Photography Guide. Menasha Ridge Press. pp. 32–. ISBN 978-0-89732-414-4.