National Historic Landmark -- Gilbert, West Virginia -- McDowell County
Mike Hornick, Dr. L. L. Whitney, and other employees of the U.S. Coal & Coke Company in 1938 leased remote mountaintop land on which they built a poplar-log recreation center. They organized a board of directors and opened the Sandlick Sportsman's Club, which area residents could join for a small fee. Members were permitted to use the facility for social events, such as banquets, weddings, and reunions. U.S. Coal & Coke, then the nation's leading coal producer and a subsidiary of U.S. Steel, often housed visiting executives at the club. The center and a small residence for a caretaker were built in rustic style similar to that employed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in its construction of park structures. After the last formal event hosted there, a 1985 retirement party for Hornick, the facility fell into disrepair. Citizens formed the Miracle Mountain Wilderness Park Corp. in 1991 to renovate the facility for recreational use. Now called Miracle Mountain, the park is available by reservation.
External Links
Nomination Form PDFMiracle Mountain
