Slanesville, West Virginia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Slanesville, West Virginia
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 Slanesville, West Virginia
Location in West Virginia
Slanesville, West Virginia
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Hampshire |
| Elevation | 1,181 ft (360 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code |
25444
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| Area code(s) | 304 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1549520 |
Slanesville is a small community in Hampshire County, West Virginia. It's not a city or town with its own government. Instead, it's an "unincorporated community." Slanesville is located where several roads meet: Bloomery Pike (which is West Virginia Route 29), Slanesville Pike (Hampshire County Route 3), and Cold Stream Road (Hampshire County Route 45/20). In the year 2000, about 691 people lived in the Slanesville area.
Contents
A Look Back: Slanesville's History
The Slanesville area was first settled by the Slain family in the late 1700s. Because of where it was located, at the meeting point of important roads, it was first called Cross Roads. These roads included the Martinsburg and Springfield Grade Roads.
How Slanesville Got Its Name
Over time, the community became known as Slain's Cross Roads because the Slain family was so important there. Sometimes, people misspelled it as Slane's Cross Roads, which helped lead to its current name. For a while, it was even called Dog Town because the Slain family had many dogs! Finally, in 1857, when a post office was set up, the community officially became known as Slainsville and then Slanesville, named after Thomas Slain. A nearby hill, Slanes Knob, is also named after this family.
Life in Early Slanesville
Unlike its neighbors, Bloomery and North River Mills, Slanesville never became a big industrial center. Bloomery was known for making iron, and North River Mills had many mills for grinding grain. Slanesville, however, was mostly a farming community. It was also a popular stop for stagecoaches in the early 1800s, as they traveled along the main roads. The only small businesses in Slanesville were two blacksmith shops and a place that made cider.
The General Store and Community Spirit
A store was built near the main crossroads. In the 1940s, Glenn and Opal Heavner bought and ran this store, known as the Old Henderson Store. When a "New Road" (now Route 29) was built, the Heavners moved their business. They built a "New Store," called Heavner's Grocery. The post office also moved into a part of this new store. The old store was taken down, and the Heavners gave some of that land to the Slanesville Presbyterian Church. Later, in the 1960s, an addition was built onto the store just for the post office. The store has changed owners many times since 1973 and is now called the Slanesville General Store.
In 1955, a fire destroyed three buildings in the community. This sad event led to something good: the creation of the Slanesville Volunteer Fire Department that same year. The Heavners donated land next to their store, and the community worked together to build the firehouse and a community center. The Slanesville Volunteer Fire Department is still in the same spot today. The Slanesville Presbyterian Church is also located downtown, across the street from the general store.
A Presidential Visit
Slanesville Elementary School, located south of town on WV 29, had a very special visitor in April 1991. President George H. W. Bush landed by helicopter in a field next to the school. He was there to give Rae Ellen McKee the National Teacher of the Year award for 1991. McKee was a fifth-grade reading teacher. She was chosen as the best teacher from over 2.5 million public school teachers across the country!
Places of Worship
- Christian
- Mount Union Christian Church, Bloomery Pike (WV Route 29)
- Mennonite
- Slanesville Community Mennonite Church, Slanesville Pike (CR 3)
- Presbyterian
- Slanesville Presbyterian Church, Slanesville Pike (CR 3)
