History

The area surrounding the forks of the Cherry River has been populated since the late 18th century CE. Local legend holds that Shawnee chief Blue Jacket was in fact a young white hunter named Marmaduke Van Swearingen who was kidnapped in the area. This theory, however, has generally fallen out of favor with most scholars.

During the 19th century, the area was a sparsely-settled semi-wilderness of homesteads and subsistence farms. This changed in 1898 when a railroad was extended into the area, then known as Cherry Tree Bottoms. In 1901, the town was incorporated with its present name, a nod to the abundant hardwood forests in the area. Soon the area possessed a large sawmill and the world's largest clothespin factory. Coal mine closures, however, crippled Richwood's economy in the 1970s and 1980s.

The town was once home to several large businesses and industries. In addition to the sawmill and the clothespin factory, there were other factories that produced wood-based products such as axe-handles and paper. Coal also came into the industry picture during Richwood's boom-era during pre-depression years. During this time the city's population neared 10,000 citizens. Banking was also a white collar industry that succeeded in the city with the large companies investing into the city's financial corporations. Once the large factories closed or relocated, many of the people followed. The final hit was when the coal industry took a downward turn and most of the local coal mines ceased operation. This was combined with a deep mining disaster when one of the local mines collapsed.

The city has also had problems with periodic flooding. Recently, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has approved impact studies in order to determine the propriety of the construction of dam on the South Fork of the Cherry River in order to limit future flooding. The proposed name for the possible lake is Eagle Lake. Depending on the exact location of the dam, the reservoir could become the largest lake in the state of West Virginia, surpassing nearby Summersville Lake.

Richwood is now seeking to be reborn as both an artisan community and a technology center.

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OK So here goes my story...

I was around 8 to 9 years old, My family (My mother , step father, baby sister & myself) Moved into this little house on Maple Street It sat across the river from the High School up on the hill.

It was a cozy little 2 bedroom house, It had a good sized front porch & a sun porch on the back of the house. You could not get to the back porch from out side, The only way in & out of the house was through the front door.

It did not take long at all for my baby sister & I to know that we were not the only ones living in that house. I seen stuff right as soon as we started unpacking. I was amazed and scared by the things I seen. I told my mom as soon as I seen things happen I think she was reluctant to believe me until she had her own experiences.

One thing that I recall happening in my mothers bedroom. My sister was in her crib she was maybe 1 to 2 yrs old if that, my mom was unpacking. I was helping a little & playing with my sister, who was playing with a ball-cap. She was at the age that she liked to throw stuff so she couldn't reach it & got a kick out of you picking it up & giving it back to her, so she could do it all again.  I was getting tired of that game really fast...

She tossed the hat to the ground I didn't feel like picking it up & handing it to her again so I didn't! LOL  My mom was busy trying to get things in order her back to the crib I was facing the crib thinking to myself "I wish she would stop fussing over the hat & play something else!"  And to my shock the hat lifted up & into my sisters hands!! 

I stood there in shock trying to wrap my young mind around what I had just seen. I got the power in me to tell my mom who was in the same room as my sister & I, but had not seen it as she was facing the wrong way. She told me to stop messing around & behave. So I went about my business.

After living there for a while others things happened too, little odd things that just made you stop wonder & think Hmm what is going on? Am I losing my mind? Did I just hear what I think I heard. or did I just see what I think I seen!  When stuff happens out of the range of "Normal" it can make anyone of any age question there sanity, Then when you are sure there is something going on out of the "Normal range" & into the Paranormal one. It might be to much to own up to... so then you pretend nothing happened, until it gets to a point that you can no longer hide the fact!!
 Things become so bothersome you feel something has to be done, but what? Just pick up & move? Call a priest, Tell a friend all the while you wonder if they will question your sanity just has you have.

I kept seeing things move in the house, I would see what looked like a person standing in the room out of the corner of my eye... I turn to see who it is.. mom, my step dad? I look and find no one there.

Then hearing foot steps walking up & down the narrow sun porch on the back of the house. Looking to find no one. The sun porch was as long as the house it had many windows looking out side & many from in the house looking onto the sun porch. My mom kept the blinds in her bedroom pulled that looked out onto the sun porch. She seen a man (or his shadow) walking on the porch & heard foot steps she went to go see who was trespassing in our home, only  to find nobody there. She started to see also that we was not the only ones living there. At this time we felt a little un-nerved but didn't fear for our safety.

Then more stuff started happening, We started getting touch, grabbed, and poked really hard, I was going to sleep in my bed, my room had 2 doors to it one led from the dinning room & the other led to my moms room, I was facing the wall and just relaxed enough to drift off. My mom and step dad had gone to bed too and was sleepy sound.

Finally I'm sleeping sound too! Then I get a jabbing poke on my shoulder. I woke up real fast fully awake but to scared to move or speak or anything!!  I lay there paralyzed with fear trying to search my mind yet again as to what was really going on?
 
Did I dream I got touched just now or did something really take a poke at my shoulder?
 Before I finished that thought 3 more really forceful taps hit my shoulder and the room felt very cool!!!  I sprung up from my bed & ran to my moms room & I leap into thier bed! I was shaking scared. What ever or who ever is in that home with us must of gotten bored with us paying them no mind and wanted to make us aware that they was still around.


When I got tapped it was at first like a straight poke into the back of my shoulder, enough to move me as if you are trying to wake a person for school or work. Then the other taps was even harder like when you can't get the person to wake you use more force. After that happened I became scared of being in my own home cause it didn't feel so cozy or homey anymore.

Another thing that seemed very odd is my baby sister who before moving into that house had to be held or in the same room with one of us, you know the normal separation anxiety all kids go through. Well she got to a point of being happier in her crib in my moms room, it seemed as if she had found the perfect playmate, yet no one was there.

A couple other things I recall faintly that took place was the Christmas tree rocking like it was going to topple over, The tree set solid and did not move easy at all the houses' floors was solid as well!! So for the tree to start dancing on it's own was a shocker!

And the last thing I recall was my step father sleeping in a recliner (that also set solid)
Flipping back like someone grabbing the foot rest and flinging it. I was napping on the couch & my sister was in the chair resting on my step fathers chest. He at first thought I had grabbed his feet and flip the chair. Until he seen I was snoozing on the couch. I woke to see what the loud noise was, to see him flipped over in the chair with the look of fear on his face! It shook him up pretty good & he isn't one to spook easy as he was an EMS worker & Fire Fighter. He has seen many things, But I guess what is scariest of all is hearing, feeling, and catching glimpses of something that "isn't there"



So That was the first time I ever had a paranormal experience, &  I say with certainty it was not my last