WASHINGTON -- A 448-acre parcel of Pocahontas County woodland bordering the historic Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike in the vicinity of several Civil War encampments and battle sites could soon be added to the Monongahela National Forest.

U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall secured funding to pay for the land in the 2010 Interior and Environment Appropriations Bill, which passed the House of Representatives on Friday and now moves to the Senate. The bill includes a $985,000 allocation to pay for the land, known as the Cummings Tract.

The land is east of Bartow, adjacent to the Staunton-Parkersburg National Scenic Byway -- an unpaved section of the original east-west toll road, built in the 1840s, connecting the Shenandoah Valley with the Ohio Valley.

The parcel lies between Camp Allegheny, a Confederate fort built along the turnpike at a 4,000-foot pass, and Camp Bartow, a Confederate position along the Greenbrier River overtaken by federal troops following an extended artillery duel in 1861.

The section of the old Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike that still carries travelers from Bartow to the site of Camp Allegheny forms the eastern boundary of property. Camp Allegheny itself is not a part of the tract, nor is the site of Camp Bartow. Camp Allegheny and the section of the old turnpike connecting it to Bartow are part of the Monongahela National Forest's Civil War driving tour.

"The tract was homesteaded and farmed in the early 1800s, but no buildings remain," said Kate Goodrich-Arling, public-information officer for the Monongahela National Forest. The land, which lies at elevations ranging from 2,920 to 3,920 feet, is mostly forested, includes some of the headwaters of Deer Creek, a native brook trout stream.

The Trust for Public Land is assisting in the acquisition of the land.

"Preservation of special places like the Cummings Tract enables our children and grandchildren to enjoy the same wild, natural and historic places for which our state is so well known throughout our nation and around the world," Rahall said.

Addition of the tract, Rahall said, consolidates currently unconnected National Forest lands along the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike, which "will help protect historic sites and benefit tourism."

Reach Rick Steelhammer at rsteelham...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5169.

WASHINGTON -- A 448-acre parcel of Pocahontas County woodland bordering the historic Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike in the vicinity of several Civil War encampments and battle sites could soon be added to the Monongahela National Forest.

U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall secured funding to pay for the land in the 2010 Interior and Environment Appropriations Bill, which passed the House of Representatives on Friday and now moves to the Senate. The bill includes a $985,000 allocation to pay for the land, known as the Cummings Tract.

The land is east of Bartow, adjacent to the Staunton-Parkersburg National Scenic Byway -- an unpaved section of the original east-west toll road, built in the 1840s, connecting the Shenandoah Valley with the Ohio Valley.

The parcel lies between Camp Allegheny, a Confederate fort built along the turnpike at a 4,000-foot pass, and Camp Bartow, a Confederate position along the Greenbrier River overtaken by federal troops following an extended artillery duel in 1861.

The section of the old Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike that still carries travelers from Bartow to the site of Camp Allegheny forms the eastern boundary of property. Camp Allegheny itself is not a part of the tract, nor is the site of Camp Bartow. Camp Allegheny and the section of the old turnpike connecting it to Bartow are part of the Monongahela National Forest's Civil War driving tour.

"The tract was homesteaded and farmed in the early 1800s, but no buildings remain," said Kate Goodrich-Arling, public-information officer for the Monongahela National Forest. The land, which lies at elevations ranging from 2,920 to 3,920 feet, is mostly forested, includes some of the headwaters of Deer Creek, a native brook trout stream.

The Trust for Public Land is assisting in the acquisition of the land.

"Preservation of special places like the Cummings Tract enables our children and grandchildren to enjoy the same wild, natural and historic places for which our state is so well known throughout our nation and around the world," Rahall said.

Addition of the tract, Rahall said, consolidates currently unconnected National Forest lands along the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike, which "will help protect historic sites and benefit tourism."

Reach Rick Steelhammer at rsteelham...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-5169.