Blue Ridge Country March/April 2020 - 17

OUR BLUE RIDGE TOWNS
FACING PAGE: Part of Hinton's charm comes
from nestling against the New River.
LEFT: Hinton's historic downtown is a beautiful
blend of architectural styles and stories.
BELOW: The 1905 C&O Railway depot still
welcomes Amtrak Cardinal passengers.

The 1907 Hotel McCreery, which boasted electric
lights, elevators, and a telephone system back in the day.
The 1929 Ritz Theatre, where first-run movies play every
weekend and the classic-hits city radio station broadcasts.
The 1905 Hinton Department Store, now a two-floor
railroad museum featuring 100 native-wood railroader
sculptures by the late Charlie Permelia.
Stately, century-old Neoclassical and Gothic Revival
brick churches.
The C&O Freight Depot, now a heavily booked event
center.
The Passenger Depot, serviced by the Amtrak Cardinal
three days a week.
You'll see new businesses housed in these historic
beauties. The Otter & Oak caters to the outdoors set,
with clothing and equipment for hikers and river runners. Nearby Rivertown Gallery features local artists. And
the Big Four Drugstore has a fine selection of household
decorations, toys and clothing mixed in with the usual
drugstore items.
Downtown is also home to The Market, a restaurant
where the food is varied and delicious, and where the
artwork of Summers County native S.L. Jones hangs on
the walls. (Jones' work also hangs in the Smithsonian's
National Museum of American Art and the American
Folk Art Museum.) A few doors down, the beautifully re-

stored Guest House on Courthouse
Square provides five-star lodging
for visitors.
Much of what you see in downtown Hinton has been restored
with the financial support of native son Ken Allman. He chose to
headquarter his successful physician placement company, PracticeLink, in Hinton, and his MountainPlex Properties group
has financed much of the restoration work in his city's
National Historic District.
With ongoing efforts of a strong group of residents,
Hinton is moving forward.
Cleo Mathews, elected in 2001 as the first (and still
only) female mayor, oversaw creation of the city's first
comprehensive plan and currently is working with Marylou Haley to fund construction of an assisted-living
facility. Hinton Area Foundation Director Myra Hogan
successfully raises money for education and economic
development. City Councilman Jack Scott, who's lived
his whole life in Hinton, stresses the optimism in his city.
"We're seeing the opportunities," he says.
Most of those opportunities focus on tourism. Located
at the confluence of the New, Greenbrier and Bluestone
rivers, whitewater rafting and paddling bring thousands
of visitors to the Hinton area. The New River Gorge National River, the Gauley River National Recreation area,
and the Bluestone National Scenic River are all run by the
National Park Service, and Hinton leaders are well aware
of the benefits that come from being near some of the
best climbing and whitewater rafting in the country.
Also nearby are Pipestem and Bluestone State Parks.
And Hinton's own Wild Water Express water park draws
10,000 seasonal visitors.
Is tourism enough to bring Hinton onto firm ground?
Much progress has been made, and many ideas taking
root. Stephanie Stiffler of MountainPlex Properties is cautiously optimistic: "We're taking baby steps," she says.
In the late 1880s, C&O Railway president M.E. Ingalls
was considering where to build the first YMCA, with financial backers promoting Cincinnati. "Why don't you
tackle Hinton instead of an easy place like Cincinnati...it
is a rough, forsaken place," Ingalls told them.
Today, rough and forsaken aren't words I'd use to describe Hinton. It's words like historic, river-rich, mountain-beautiful that come to mind.
And determined, with a capital D.
MARCH/APRIL 2020

Blue Ridge Country March/April 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country March/April 2020