Pin Oak Fountain
Pin Oak Fountain is a stone and quartz drinking fountain in Hampshire County that draws water from a natural spring high on a hill and operates by gravity without pumps. The structure uses local materials, with quartz quarried from behind the Bloomery Iron Furnace and stone sourced from the hillside behind it.
Built in 1932 by the State Road Commission and local craftsmen on land donated by H.R. Edeburn, the fountain reflects the artisanal skills of the early 1900s. It underwent careful restoration in 1988 by the Pin Oak Extension Homemakers Club and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.
The name comes from a large oak tree that once grew nearby and was part of the local landscape for generations. The fountain served as a gathering place where people stopped to share news and meet during community events.
The fountain sits along West Virginia Route 29 about 8 miles southeast of Paw Paw and is easy to locate. The surroundings are open and green with simple facilities, making it a good spot for a quick stop or casual picnic.
Water flows to the fountain from a natural spring high on the hillside by gravity alone, requiring no pumps or electricity. This simple system has worked for over 90 years and makes it a rare example of sustainable engineering from the early industrial era.
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