Barboursville, WVA
I first visited Civil War Days of Barboursville a few years ago with only two books. I took several photos of the charming town where everyone flies an American Flag, and yards are kept moved and trimmed. The event is held at the village park. A huge park on several levels, that is, you can drive up and look down! When you look down you’ll see a soccer complex, equestrian trails, and a large fishing lake with a dog walk around it. It’s a lovely location. The battle reenact is on Main Street. Because that’s where the second battle, September 1862, actually happened.
Located in Cabell County, it’s close to Huntington, the largest city in West Virginia. Barboursville is the second largest in the county with about 4,000 residents.
The piece of history that is closest to my heart, is that all this area was once part of Kanawha Valley, Virginia. This is the home of Avery Junior Bennett, the hero of my Avery and Gunner stories. It was Virginia when he left home in 1861. When he returned five years later it was West Virginia, a new state born as a result of the secession and war.
The portion of the Kanawha Valley that was in Kanawha County became Cabell County. Its first representative was Daniel Boone.