Ashford, West Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ashford
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 Ashford
Location in West Virginia
Ashford
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Boone |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
Ashford is a small community in Boone County, West Virginia, United States. It is an unincorporated community, meaning it's not an official city or town with its own local government. Long ago, Ashford was a busy place built around coal mining. It was known as a "coal town."
History of Ashford
Ashford was started by a company called Crawford and Ashby. It grew as a mining town. The area known as Ashford covers many smaller communities. It stretches from Lens Creek Mountain to the bridge crossing the Coal River. It also goes along the river towards Costa, Emmons, and Lower White Oak.
Inside Ashford, there was another coal camp called Rumble. Rumble never had its own post office. However, it did have an elementary school that burned down around 1960. The area known as Rumble starts near Casey Fork Hollow. It continues along County Route 1 past the new Ashford-Rumble School. From the Ashford bridge, you can travel to Lower White Oak and Emmons. These are both on the Boone County side of the river. You can also go to Dartmont, which is on the opposite side. Ashford Hill Road follows the east side of the Big Coal River. This road is also considered part of Ashford. Ashford Hill Road ends at Brier Branch.
The Ashford post office was destroyed by a fire in 2005. It was never reopened after that. In August 2008, a brand new Ashford bridge opened for people to use. This new bridge was named to remember Willis W. Elkins. He was a United States Navy submarine crewman. He was also a teacher for a long time. Willis Elkins was born very close to where the new bridge now stands. The original bridge, which was built in 1923, was taken down on August 26, 2008.
One of the locks from an old river navigation system was in Ashford. This lock was located where Lower White Oak Creek flows into the Big Coal River. This system of locks allowed steamboats to travel up the Big Coal River. They could go as far as Peytona. The best time for this navigation system was in the 1850s. The American Civil War stopped the river traffic. After the war, the system was fixed. But floods often made it unusable. When the C & O railroad arrived, it meant the end of the river transportation system. However, you can still see parts of some of the old locks when the water level is low.
Education
There is one school in Ashford. It is called Ashford-Rumble Elementary School.
Notable Person
- Josh Holstein, who is a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates. This means he helps make laws for the state of West Virginia.
See also
In Spanish: Ashford (Virginia Occidental) para niños
