Midland Trail and the Town of Cedar Grove have been working to build a new interpretive wayside at Virginia's Chapel in Cedar Grove. As the oldest permanent settlement in the Kanawha Valley and the original 1790 terminus of the Midland Trail, Cedar Grove has a long history and has watched the Midland Trail grow from a stagecoach track to a thriving two-lane highway to a National Scenic Byway. Virginia's Chapel was built by William Tompkins, an early settler and salt manufacturer, for his daughter Virginia at her request.
Now the small chapel is open for visitors who wish to explore the grounds and step into history. This is made easier by the completion of the new wayside, which features expanded parking, pervious concrete sidewalks, a rain garden, benches and picnic tables, trash receptacles, and a gazebo.
An interpretive exhibit is in the works which will tell the story of Cedar Grove, Virginia's Chapel, and the Midland Trail from the days of George Washington forward. The painting,
Laid to Rest, which depicts a slave cemetery burial at Virginia's Chapel and is featured on the front of the 2013 Midland Trail Guide, will be a part of this exhibit as well as other illustrations commissioned by the Midland Trail Association. A ribbon-cutting is tentatively planned for the spring.
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