Midland Trail
Ansted (WV)

Located near Hawks Nest State Park & Lodge, Anstead was the hilltop home of many settlers in the 1790s, due the the rich coal seams located there. On a knoll in the middle of town, the mansion of William Nelson Page still stands as evidence of the once thriving coal business.

Visitors can take the time to see other historical landmarks that include the Halfway House, a former tavern and headquarters of the Chicago Dragoons during the Civil War; or the African American Heritage Family-Tree Museum, which helps Afro-Americans trace their roots. Also located in Ansted is the Contentment Historical Complex, an 1830 home that not only houses a museum, but is the headquarters for Fayette County Historical Society.

In the third week of September is the Country Roads Festival, and during the holidays the Festival of Lights is not an event to miss. In the first few weekends of December, the Fayetteville theater produces an annual holiday play. Ansted also hosts an annual PRO-AM Street Luge competition.