Fall is the perfect time for roadtrips on the Mountain State’s Civil War Heritage Trail. Our second outing (see Part I), we visit Clarksburg, Jackson’s Mill, and Bulltown. In one full day, we tour these three sites on the trail, with little more than an hour’s drive between them. A few days later, I return to the genealogy research center in Clarksburg and find links to the details I’ve amassed.

Near the southern end of north-central West Virginia’s hi-tech corridor, we exit I-79 onto Route 50, known to locals as the most accident-prone mile of highway in the state: Bridgeport Hill. We can turn left (east) into Bridgeport, Clarksburg’s wealthy "bedroom community" suburb and now shopping and chain-dining Mecca, that--thanks to Senator Robert Byrd’s finesse in relocating the FBI Fingerprint Division here!--continues to grow beyond reasonable expectation. Meanwhile, the downsized mother city of 17,000 (Clarksburg) rests on its historic laurels that date back to the frontier. We turn right onto Route 50 West and roll down the other side of Bridgeport Hill to Joyce St. exit and Clarksburg, birthplace of Stonewall Jackson and Cyrus Vance.

On E. Pike Street, we find Jackson Park between Charleston Ave. and Cherry St.

Behind the park is Jackson Cemetery. Here, we see relatives of Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson and are surprised by the mother and sister of Dolly Madison. In another graveyard, Daniel Davisson DAR Cemetery, established 1790 on West Main Street, we find the earliest settlers on the Ohio frontier. These discoveries pique my curiosity enough that I consult a genealogy expert at Waldomore in the old Goff family mansion next to the public library. Family is important here.

At Harrison County Courthouse, we see memorials to those who fought in all the nations’ wars, but the name that figures most prominently in places here and south of here is that of Stonewall Jackson. Later today, we’ll drive to Jackson’s Mill (the boyhood home), once a self-sufficient plantation with a dozen slaves, and Stonewall Jackson Dam, Stonewall Resort, and Stonewall Jackson Lake State Park.

Thanks to a local informant, we also find the tiny plaque that marks Jackson’s precise birthplace on West Main Street. Godfrey tells us that a hotel once occupied the spot, which we can see from the courthouse. I’ve seen the statue at the courthouse before, and it isn’t the same. Somebody has stolen the hat and sword!

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Learn about Jackson genealogy, bizarre UFO writer Barker, and the antebellum mansion at Waldomore, Pike Street.

Unless you prefer dining at the many upscale chains on Emily Drive, Bridgeport, plan on delicious Italian food in Clarksburg’s many family-owned restaurants. Here’s one convenient choice on Pike Street, one block from the Courthouse.

Minard’s Spaghetti Inn, Julio's Cafe, and Philip's are other fine options.

Labor Day weekend, the annual WV Italian Heritage Festival brings 100,000 people to Main Street. There is traditional Italian entertainment (from headline singers to local accordion players), but the food is the rave. Find more here.

South of Clarksburg along I-79 and Route 19, West Virginia’s mountain lakes all have camping, and some offer resort accomodations. At Stonewall Jackson Lake State Park and Resort, you can be pampered at the spa or join a mushroom walk, cooking class, or murder mystery. See more here. Colorful boats are on the lake; one offers dinner and sightseeing cruises ($35/15).

We want lunch in one of the restaurants overlooking the water, but discover an admission gate ($3/person) and scrap the resort tour, since we are only passing through. Next time, we’ll pay and stay a while.

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Burnsville, Sutton, Stonecoal, and Summersville lakes are farther south. You can launch your own boat or rent one. You can even rent a houseboat and spend the night(s) on it, but it isn’t cheap. "Almost Heaven" is an expensive, luxury vacation for those who want it to be, but hiking is still free, along with touring sites on the Civil War Heritage Trail.

The great wilderness of the Mountain State adds a bit of authenticity to any Civil War jaunt, and we combine the two so that we can see the state as it was then--we imagine. Oops! There is irony here--it was less forested then, when much land was kept cut for farming. Many of the nineteenth-century sites we tour were created by the Army Corps of Engineers when they moved historic structures from farming villages they flooded to create the Middle Mountain Lakes, which contribute to the "natural" beauty of the region. These are along Route 19 near Civil War sites. For those driving south, Clarksburg is the first heritage stop along I-79.

Walkable downtown Clarksburg consists of Main, Pike, and side streets. Enjoy the business section interspersed with antebellum homes and several buildings on the National Register.

From journal The State Born of the Civil War, Part II: Clarksburg