A HISTORY OF TIMBERLINE, CANAAN VALLEY,

The Origination of Timberline

The early history of Timberline began in 1971. David Downs, in his late 20s, was learning to ski and in the process visited the Canaan Valley State Park’s new ski area. He came to not only like skiing there but respected the natural beauty of the Valley. David was working out of Petersburg, WV in the land development business, often partnering with James “Buck” Geary, a Petersburg lawyer. Geary likewise skied at the State Park and knew the Valley well. A colleague of both and World War I veteran, Edward Winters, was searching the area for gas and oil drilling properties. He told David of a 1720-acre tract that had become available in Canaan Valley and that it would border on the proposed power company lake. David and a “silent partner,” Clay Morris, out of Washington, DC created Allegheny Properties to buy and develop the land. They teamed up with “Buck” Geary to obtain the property and begin the development. The land was owned by the descendants of Jason and Elmira Harman [note that the top of Cabin Mountain on federal maps is called “Harman.”] who had their farmstead at the foot of Cabin Mountain just north of where today is the junction of Timberline Road and Sand Run Road. The Harman’s had purchased the land in 1906 and 1907in four pieces or tracts for a total of $10,279.20. They had sixteen children, many then living in 1971, and so it was necessary to get the approval of all to effect the sale. Lester Harmon, the oldest of the children, had the power of attorney and with his sister Ruth negotiated with Downs and Geary. The sale was completed November 29, 1972 at a price of $465,000 or about $274 per acre. It comprised what is now the southern section of Timberline from the Blackwater River up to the top of the mountain plus Northface, Yoakum Run and a major portion of today’s ski resort.

Shortly after the purchase was completed, David and Buck visited their property including the rundown farmhouse but a still very usable barn. They found a group of hunters ensconced there and told them they were welcome to hunt but that this would be their last year. The next year, on a similar visit, some of the same hunters were there. They were displeased to be told, once again, that now they could no longer hunt there. A few words were exchanged and the two decided it best to leave, the hunters having rifles. Not long after, the barn burned to the ground; no one ever learned how it caught fire.

The route in was the old farm road off of Cortland Road (known as Old Timberline Road once Timberline was established in 1972, then since 2010 as Coffman’s Farm Lane in recognition of the Coffman family that once owned the farmlands in that area and now as Beall Farm Road) and across the now defunct bridge (known by locals for generations as the “Jason Harman bridge”) over the Blackwater River. The only road of note on the Harman farm was the continuation up to the farmhouse. Hence the first sections to be opened for development were Deer Ridge and Sand Springs, each just off of the original route into the property.

An early concept was that lots would be about one acre and in cul-de-sacs with open space surrounding them to include the septic leech fields. This proved unworkable due to state regulations so the developers switched to larger lots. Many were about five acres in size and this was enough for keeping horses. Indeed, the developers thought that Timberline would be largely

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A HISTORY OF TIMBERLINE, CANAAN VALLEY, WEST VIRGINIA a horse lover’s community; many of the earliest purchasers had horses and the Timberline covenants indicate that those with five or more acres are allowed to have horses.

Meanwhile it was decided to create a conservancy and build the dam for Spruce Island Lake which was begun in 1973. [See the William Gerhold watercolor, compliments of James Paul Geary, of the Harman home and barn that also shows the lake in the conservancy. Also note that in 1973 the trees were still quite small, few had grown more than about 12- 15 feet tall.] The center of the conservancy was on land that was too low for building homes but the decision was made to further enlarge it as an inducement for land sales. That proved to be an immediate success.

Expecting the power company lake to be built in the coming years, the partners held back some of the lots in Deer Ridge with the expectation that they would be waterfront or nearly so and hence of greater value later. There is today a small conservancy space, the equivalent of one lot, at the junction of Deer Run Road and Buck Run that would have been an access to the lake by all owners in Timberline. Today it goes to the lands that border on the Blackwater River behind Deer Run.

On July 25, 1978, the Roscoe and Virginia Beall family sold the partners a 1000-acre tract, thought to be 886 acres until actually surveyed, for $645,000 in cash and other considerations. This is now the northern aspect of today’s Timberline, north of Beech Lane including the Blackwater (where David Downs found the remnants of a moonshine still), Timberwood, Blackwater Alcove and Spruce Glades sections along with the northerly aspects of the Mountainside section. The conservancy was extended up Sand Springs with the creation of the second lake in 1979. The Beall property purchase was not without controversy. There was a multi-year legal skirmish with the power company over the exact land boundary affecting about 100 or so acres along the northern side of Timberline. Eventually the dispute was settled in Allegheny Properties favor.

Walking the trail on the east side will reveal why the stream got its name. There is a depression to the left of the trail (just to the west and marked by a trail sign, an overlook and bench) that looks like an old pond. Close inspection will show the bubbling sand springs (there are similar ones along the Refuge’s Freeland Trail boardwalk and in other locations in the Valley including behind the Ski Resorts’ sign at the corner of Route 32 and Timberline Road.) Lester Harman explained that his family always loved the sand springs and kept a well-maintained gazebo

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A HISTORY OF TIMBERLINE, CANAAN VALLEY, WEST VIRGINIA nearby where they would go in the summer to picnic. Now there is an observation deck built in 2010.

Land sales progressed but the economy was tight, there were oil embargos making gasoline both expensive and difficult to buy and interest rates in the late 1970s were in the high double digits making debt very expensive. Sales slowed substantially. Most of the homes built were as second or vacation homes with few initially rented out.

After Deer Ridge and Sand Springs sections were initiated, the road was continued across the conservancy and Loop Road was created opening up the beginnings of the Cabin Mountain section. (Lots on the south side of Loop Road, now Mountainside Road, were then the farthest from the original entrance making them appealing to some individuals but of course now they are actually almost adjacent to the current entrance.)

In 1976 the Reverend Fred Soltow, former pastor of the Davis St John’s Lutheran Church, was hired by Allegheny Properties as the superintendent. He remained with the company until 1992 when he was called to pastor two Lutheran churches in Shepardstown and Uvilla, WV. Randy Vance began working for Allegheny Properties part time in 1979 at the guard house and full time in 1980, with his first job clearing brush on the newly purchased Beall tract for the Sands Spring Lake.

Initially there was no security and probably little was needed although hunters still tried to use the land as they had for generations. The old Timberline Road off of Cortland Road and the “Jason Harman” bridge across the river was the most efficient way for hunters, bikers and others to access not just the Harman and Beall farms but the lands to the north that were owned at the time by the Allegheny Power Company. The homeowners wanted some degree of protection so a gate was erected on the old Timberline Road. After the Beall tract was purchased, a small guard shack was built on the west side of the Backwater River at the top of the rise (near the present Refuge gate and parking lot) before descending to the old bridge into Timberline. An employee of Allegheny Properties was there part time on weekends.

The next major purchase, in 1981-82, was the Dove-Judy tract of 585 acres comprising land on the southern side of what is now the Timberline Resort, beginning about where the current Frontier Telephone building is located across from Cedar Place, and today encompassing the southern aspect of the ski slopes, Winterset, Woods End and Winterhaven developments and the Refuge beyond to the S curve in the road. At one time, the most southerly area had been planned for the golf course. Additional land was purchased later from Ben Thompson on the western side of today’s Timberline Road to enlarge the resort options and a tract of land toward the top of Cabin Mountain critical to the ski slopes, owned by Davis Elkins. Altogether, the various land purchases totaled almost 4000 acres.

Realizing that the old road into Timberline was difficult for prospective buyers to find, the decision was made to open a new road. A right of way, known locally as the “GI Road” or often as the “Gates Road,” was purchased from Ben Thompson on July 10, 1979 with an extension from S. Franklin Burford on November 6, 1981. The first name came from the WW II usage of the roadbed by the Army during maneuvers and training in the Valley and the second from the

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A HISTORY OF TIMBERLINE, CANAAN VALLEY, WEST VIRGINIA gates that crossed the road as part of the pasture lands of the Thompson farm, that area being prime woodcock hunting territory. The new road, which required converting an old farm road, which in turn had largely been an old logging railroad, into something that would withstand heavy traffic, required extensive work to develop the base. The work was done beginning in the fall of 1980-1 and the road opened in 1982. This offered a better quality gravel road than before, a more attractive entrance to Timberline and a direct route off of Route 32. It immediately led to increased interest in the development. A new guardhouse was built initially near the current entrance to the fishing dock by the river. It was soon moved to where the road widens out just before reaching the S curve. A locked gate was erected across the original entrance and residents who so wished could purchase a personal key. But once the 1985 flood damaged the Jason Harmon Bridge, there was no longer access via the old route. Eventually, and with substantial effort, the developer and the landowners persuaded the State to accept responsibility for the new Timberline Road.

The roads in Timberline, other than the original road to the Harman farm house, were developed by Downs and Geary, extended over time as they purchased the additional sections and as land sales permitted. The job was done by Oliver Riggleman of Moorefield with some work by Jerry Sites of Petersburg. Riggleman created a number of quarries to obtain and crush rock for the roadbeds; these can be seen on the east side of Valley View Road and off of the original Timberline Road behind Sand Springs and River Run. Some of the roads followed old jeep trails to gas well sites which had largely been old logging roads long before. Examples are Lakefront Road and Sand Run Road. The current Beech Lane, the dividing line between the Harman and Beall properties, was originally an old jeep trail.

It was also possible in the early 1900’s to access the Harman farm and others to the north without crossing the Blackwater River by a dirt road that began off of Freeland Road. It ran through where the ski lodge is now, across the Harman’s farm, near the homestead, across what is now the conservancy and along Lakeview Road and then further north along what is now the Middle Valley Trail of the Wildlife Refuge.

The developers had wanted to have underground utilities – electricity and telephone - but it was prohibitively expensive given their budget so they began with above ground utilities. They were able to get approval for utility poles that were shorter than average, “tree-top” high. Later, as funds permitted, new sections were developed with underground utilities, thus explaining why some areas have above ground and others have underground utilities today.

The name Timberline came as a eureka moment. Downs and Geary were traveling, sharing a hotel room. Downs noticed that Geary used an after shave called “Timberline;” the name for the development was settled. To be sure, they asked numerous individuals which of a number of names they preferred and the vast majority liked Timberline so the name “Timberline” was put into use and later registered. The Timberline logo was designed by Mr. Downs’ mother, a professional artist.

The partners’ initial vision was for Timberline to be the “best development in West Virginia.” To achieve this, they foresaw the need for not only developed land for purchase but for an organization to maintain the common property and roads, standards for home construction and

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A HISTORY OF TIMBERLINE, CANAAN VALLEY, WEST VIRGINIA for a community association that would be effective for years to come. The partners looked at the covenants of other developments and thought that those of Wintergreen along the Skyline Drive were worth emulating. They delayed opening lots for sale until they had the covenants in place. Although each Section has its own covenants, they are generally quite similar; an exception being that Mountainside requires owners to hook up to the water and sewer system for lots carved out of the Harman tract and water only for those in the Beall tract. Likewise, Blackwater covenants allowed ATVs for a period of time until the roads were opened in that area. The covenants were thought to be too restrictive by some and perhaps deterred a few from purchasing land here but the developers felt they had done the right thing in having appropriate restrictions that would keep the area in as natural a state as possible.

The Ski Resort

At the time Timberline was first started, the partners anticipated that the western side of Timberline would border on or near the new power company lake. Another part of the vision was to develop an all-season resort with skiing and golf on the property as an added inducement to sell lots. The golf course would have been created on the Dove-Judy tract adjacent to the ski slopes and, with the power company lake, there would be a “complete development.”

Horseback riding was an important early element of Timberline. Many of the original owners had horses and trails were laid out in the conservancy with riding in mind. Downs established stables, organized sleigh rides and riding opportunities. Bobby and Annie Snyder operated the stables, initially in the barn at the corner of Timberline and Sand Run Roads and later near where the road exits from the ski center and Yoakum Run onto Timberline Road. This in turn attracted more horse-oriented buyers.

With lot sales slowed by the economy, there was concern among some that the development might not survive financially. Notwithstanding the financial situation, Downs and Fred Soltow, who had been a ski instructor at the Canaan Valley State Park, contemplated how a ski center could be developed on the north facing side of Cabin Mountain, which they called “Mt Timberline.”

Geary liked the idea but was not personally interested in being involved with the ski resort so they divided up some of the land and Geary withdrew from the partnership. Geary took sole possession of land that became Timberwood which he developed although as part of the overall Timberline and with equivalent covenants. The land behind Timberwood and Blackwater Alcove, extending to the River, was eventually sold to the Refuge by Geary.

Yoakum Run section was now begun in earnest with the proceeds of lot sales slated as capital for the new ski center. Downs probably priced them too low; they sold out quickly and left him with inadequate funds for the ski resort development.

The resort was to be “Four Seasons” with not only skiing but also hiking, mountain biking and golfing. The ski slopes, with the new Timberline Road now finished, first opened for the 1982-83 winter season with a 1200 foot T-bar lift, a 350 foot vertical drop, snow-making capability and several trails, nearly a decade after the initial Harman property purchase. Using a Piston Bully

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A HISTORY OF TIMBERLINE, CANAAN VALLEY, WEST VIRGINIA pulling a 132 person sled, skiers could ascend the mountain and come down a 1000 foot vertical drop on newly developed trails. Initially there was just the smaller building but shortly Downs asked Detleis Pressler of Helican Design to plan the Lodge. Over dinner at a local restaurant with Downs and Soltow, he produced a rough design on the back of a paper placemat. Soltow framed this and for some time it hung on the wall of the Lodge. Pressler was known for designing round houses; the realty office at the entrance to Timberline Road being of his design.

The lodge sits near to where the Harman School had been. The Harman’s constructed the school house for their many children and hired a teacher. There was a lime kiln up the hill behind the school house, now demolished. When the Lodge was built, the school house was razed but David Downs took the limestones that served as a foundation and used them in the Lodge for a fireplace. Later, the new owners removed the fireplace to expand the retail section, with the loss of the stones as a reminder of the past use of that spot as a school house.

Critical to the ski resort’s success was a steady supply of water for snow making. The resort plan was also to have close-in lodging and homes on small lots for skiers. This would only be possible with a community water and sewer system. The ski center itself would also need a sewer system. The decision was to create a separate entity to construct a water and sewer system for the resort, for Northface and Yoakum Run and for the as yet undeveloped Mountainside section. Indeed, having water and sewer allowed the Mountainside section to become a reality. Otherwise the lots would have been very large to support the septic fields and digging wells high on the mountain would have been difficult at best. Water from Spruce Island Lake would be used for snow- making in the winter, hence the pumping station just below the dam.

Like many other such resorts, the operating costs were high, requiring large amounts of working capital and a loan to purchase a lift rising to the top of the mountain for the 1000-foot vertical drop. The hoped for loan fell through in 1984 and there was a cash flow shortage not covered by continuing operations. Eventually, Allegheny Properties sold the ski center and the water/sewer company to Dr. Frederick Reichle, his sister Rose Marie Herz and her son, Fred Herz. Reichle, a Philadelphia surgeon, had come to the area looking for land for a Boy Scout camp near . Asked if he was interested in a ski center, he demurred but a few weeks later returned and negotiated the sale with Downs. They left the center closed for a year while building the new ski lift and other amenities and reopened for the 1985-86 season. They developed the ski in – ski out programs, established a dormitory style housing area for ski groups on a tight budget and initiated ski racing, mountain biking and other programs.

With the sale to Reichle and the Herz’s, the guard house needed to be moved in toward Timberline so as not to obstruct free flow of visitors to the ski slopes. Initially it was placed near the current intersection of Timberline Road and the road into the ski center. However, the owners of lots in Yoakum Run, originally planned as a part of Timberline, chose to be separate so the guard house was moved once again [it had been built on skids] to its present location. Later it was removed and the current guard shack was built. Altogether the guard house has had five locations.

The total land belonging to the resort meant for tremendous expansion opportunities including the proposed golf course and the development of upscale housing that now includes Winterset,

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A HISTORY OF TIMBERLINE, CANAAN VALLEY, WEST VIRGINIA

Wood End and Winter Haven. But the Reichles/Herz’s, likewise, faced financial and cash flow pressures and this led to fewer investments, timbering of mature cherry trees, plus the forced sale (to cover delinquent federal taxes) of the land that would have become the golf course to the Wildlife Refuge along with the land that became Aspen Village to a private entity. In 2019 the utility company was placed by the Court under the auspices of the sewer authority and shortly thereafter the Resort declared bankruptcy and under Court supervision was sold to a private firm with plans for major restorations to be completed by the opening of the 2020-2021 season.

Development of the Timberline Homeowner’s Association

Downs and Geary had established a set of covenants for Timberline to ensure the protection of the conservancy, set certain requirements for home construction and maintenance, exclude the use of firearms and open fires, and other standards. It was anticipated that as more and more lots were sold that a homeowner’s association would be formed and ultimately take over from Allegheny Properties.

Timberline began a new phase of its existence during the mid-1980s. By then Timberline had become a reality, most of the roads were in place and the outline of the future development of the various sections was fairly well settled. Downs (long with Morris) and Geary had gone separate ways, the resort was now sold and the stables were also sold to others. During the early years, road maintenance, snow plowing and other amenities were provided by Allegheny Properties. Downs then established Cabin Mountain Maintenance, Inc. with Fred Soltow in charge, to maintain the roads and operate the water and sewer company.

Over time, the residents and land owners desired to have greater control of road maintenance and other functions. The homeowner’s association, Timberline Association, Inc., (TAI) began to form and was incorporated in 1986. The association phased in control, purchased the road work equipment and began the process of electing officers, setting the annual association fee and hiring staff, including security, maintenance and administration. The longest serving staff are Donna Britton, hired as the office manager, part time in July, 1987 and then full time in July, 1988, and Randy Vance, hired in maintenance in July, 1987. At the first recorded meeting of the new association, it was decided that henceforth the residential community would be called “Olde Timberline” to differentiate it from the ski center. [This terminology has been largely ignored over the years although many of the realtors use it on maps for clarity of location.]

In 1988, with the Supreme Court decision not to hear the power company appeal, the lake project was dead. The original vision for Timberline had been the mix of lakefront and lake access, the ski and golf resort, and the conservancy as inducements to land sales. Without the lake and with high interest rates and the various oil embargos that meant for long lines at gas stations, sales had slowed. But, over time, more and more individuals found the area intriguing for hiking and nature observation and just spending time in the mountains. Many purchased and rented out their homes via the various realty firms in the Valley. From just a few, more and more families found Timberline a satisfying place to live permanently or as a site to retire.

Buck Geary set aside a number of lots, now called River Run, for himself and his family members. These would have been lakeside but now they are riverside instead. As the roads in

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A HISTORY OF TIMBERLINE, CANAAN VALLEY, WEST VIRGINIA

Timberline were constructed, the trees removed were sent to sawmills, but Geary kept some of the cherry wood for the flooring in his home and the paneling in his law office in Petersburg. Downs initially lived in Timberline [CM 3] not far from where the old Harman family homestead was located and set up horse stables nearby. He later moved elsewhere in Canaan Valley. Downs sold the stables in 1985; the new owners kept them open for a few years but then closed. Over the years, Downs did multiple other developments in the Valley such as Black Bear Resort and renovated the old Cooper homestead. In 1997, Allegheny Properties ceased operations as such and in 2001 Downs at the urging of his silent partner, Clay Morris, agreed to close out their investment and placed the remaining Timberline parcels up for auction.

Cleaver’s One Acre

There was a small parcel of land “within” the Harman tract that belonged to Belmont Cleaver and his wife, Kathryne Worden Cleaver. This one acre had been sold to the Carter family in 1925 by Jason Harman and eventually became the Cleaver’s in 1948. It bordered to the east on the old timber railroad grade and to the north the land that would be sold later by the Beall’s. They owned the Worden Hotel in Davis and both were children of long-time area families. Downs and Geary visited them and while walking to the front door they heard Mrs. Cleaver loudly tell her husband not to sell. So, they had a pleasant conversation, never asked about a purchase and left. A few years later, Mr. Cleaver died and his wife invited then to buy the acre. A stand of spruce planted by Mr. Cleaver is still visible as one walks the Sand Springs Trail on the west side, which at that point is the old railroad grade. Continuing north on the trail and just past the old fence line demarcating Cleaver’s acre, is the area which David Downs was told had been used by the railroad for taking on water for the steam engines but the lot’s owners told me that there was no evidence at least when they bought.

Epilogue

As of 2020, Timberline comprises 2677 acres with about one sixth in conservancy. There are 452 lots of which 366 have been developed. There are 23 miles of roads maintained by the Timberline staff and a homeowner’s association, Timberline Association, Inc. (TAI) that serves all. A gatehouse and security staff assure twenty-four hour, seven day a week, year round controlled access. Trails in the conservancy have been upgraded. With a new well-designed trail from the parking area to the top of Cabin Mountain, the Valley View Trail offers exquisite views of the Valley and makes easy connections to the trails in . The Blackwater River meanders along the western border. Timberline is surrounded on three sides by the Canaan Valley which affords easy access to over 16,000 acres of natural beauty. The adjacent Resort should be back to renewed operation within 2020. The combination of the two state parks affords multiple venues for recreation including hiking, sledding and skiing. The views from the Valley View Trail at the top of Harman Mountain remind one of that long-ago utterance “Behold, the land of Canaan.”

For more on the history of Canaan Valley check out Fortune Seekers in the Promised Land by Stephen Schimpff and David Miller

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A HISTORY OF TIMBERLINE, CANAAN VALLEY, WEST VIRGINIA

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