Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park And Patterson House Museum

Nestled on the rim of the Gauley River Canyon near Summersville, West Virginia, Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park is an important Civil War battle site. On September 10, 1861 Union troops led by Brigadier General William S. Rosecrans engaged the Confederates and forced them to evacuate an entrenched position on the Henry Patterson Farm which overlooked Carnifex Ferry. The Confederate commander, Brigadier General John B. Floyd, retreated across the ferry to the south side of the Gauley River and on eastward to Meadow Bluff near Lewisburg. This Civil War battle represented the failure of a Confederate drive to regain control of the Kanawha Valley. As a result, the movement for West Virginia statehood proceeded without serious threat from the Confederates.

Today, Carnifex Ferry is recognized as part of The Civil War Discovery Trail which links more than 300 sites in 16 states to inspire and to teach the story of the Civil War and its haunting impact on America. The Trail, an initiative of the Civil War Trust, allows visitors to explore battlefields, historic homes, railroad stations, cemeteries, parks and other destinations that bring history to life.

Patterson House Museum  was built in the 1850’s by Mr. Henry Patterson and was caught between two opposing armies during the Battle of Carnifex Ferry on September 10,1861. Museum houses relics relating to the civil war and period life and a small gift shop. Structure still bears scars of the small but significant civil war battle.

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