June 9, 1909 · Masontown
James J. Brown dates Oak Park’s opening near Masontown to June 9, 1909, although the exact opening date remains under review. Brown describes its entrance as facing the railroad tracks and says the amusement park generated excursion traffic for the M&K, including trains arriving from as far away as Pittsburgh. A July 22, 1909 newspaper notice advertised a Knights of Pythias basket picnic at Oak Park for August 26. The notice described cooperation with M&K Railroad officials, connections with B&O trains, and a special $1 round-trip fare from M&K Junction.
Research status: Captured · not verified
- Citation / research lead
Peggy Ross, “Echoes of Things Past: Preston County’s Oak Park,” Goldenseal 20, no. 2 (Summer 1994), pp. 46–52
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Read full entry and research notes →1930 · Bretz / Masontown
Oak Park closed its gates in 1930. e-WV attributes the park’s decline to the growing popularity of automobile travel, the weakening rail and coal industries, and the onset of the Great Depression. Peggy Ross’s 1994 Goldenseal article preserves an eyewitness recollection that the park likely closed around 1929, when the Bretz mine and the powerhouse supplying Oak Park shut down.
Research status: Verified to source
- Citation / research lead
Peggy Ross, “Echoes of Things Past: Preston County’s Oak Park,” Goldenseal, vol. 20, no. 2 (Summer 1994), pp. 46–52
No direct online link recorded for this citation.
Read full entry and research notes →Early 1949 · Rowlesburg area
In early 1949, Harlan Castle rented a small log cabin near Rowlesburg and opened the roadside business that became Cool Springs Park. He chose U.S. Route 50 for its east–west traveler traffic and began selling hamburgers, hot dogs, soft drinks, and gasoline. Picnic tables and restrooms were already on the property. After five years of renting, Castle bought the property and continued expanding it. Over the years, Cool Springs grew to include a general store, restaurant, picnic area, machinery and railroad collection, animals, a trout pond, a covered-bridge replica, and a waterwheel.
Research status: Verified to source
Read full entry and research notes →1958 · Silver Lake / Eglon area
Peter and Elizabeth “Beanie” Milkint completed Our Lady of the Pines, a tiny sandstone chapel near Eglon, as a memorial to their parents. Measuring 24 by 12 feet outside, its sanctuary contains six stained-glass windows and six pews seating 12 worshippers. The Milkints intended it as both a place of devotion and a roadside attraction, promoting it as the “Smallest Church in 48 States.” The chapel became a popular setting for prayer, christenings, and small weddings and eventually drew tens of thousands of visitors annually.
Research status: Verified to source
Read full entry and research notes →July 13, 1981 · Rowlesburg area
On July 13, 1981, a fire destroyed much of Cool Springs Park along U.S. Route 50 near Rowlesburg. In Norman Julian’s 1991 Goldenseal account, the fire was attributed to old electrical wiring in the original log cabin. Harlan Castle recalled that he had no insurance. Castle and his family rebuilt, and Cool Springs continued serving travelers and local customers.
Research status: Verified to source
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