Historic Middleway, West Virginia, endangered by bottling facility

ELKINS, W.Va. — The Preservation Alliance of West Virginia is adding the Middleway Historic District in Jefferson County to the West Virginia Endangered Properties List.

The measure highlights the risks that could result from the construction and operation of the proposed Mountain Pure water bottling facility by Sidewinder Enterprises.

The proposed development by Sidewinder is under consideration by Jefferson County authorities, according to Danielle Parker, executive director of the alliance.

The state's chief non-profit preservation group, the alliance board is composed of architects, state officials, economic development consultants, and preservation experts from across the Mountain State.

Parker said the organization has determined that the facility as proposed is a threat to the district and a threat to the state and nation.

“With this listing, our chief goal is to ensure that public officials and citizens of West Virginia recognize Middleway as a rare historic treasure," she stressed," not only for the state but also nationally, and to understand the threats posed by this proposed development."

The quaint, scenic district is a rare intact example of a historic rural village that features homes and buildings from the 1700s and 1800s.

Parker added that the move would negatively impact nearly 300 years of history now vital to the economic development of the state's eastern panhandle.

"The proposed water bottling facility risks the historic, cultural, and environmental significance of a community that has existed for nearly three centuries," she said.

"There is simply no other place like Middleway in West Virginia. It deserves to be protected, cherished, celebrated and supported.”

Sidewinder has submitted a concept plan to the Jefferson County Planning Commission to construct a one million square foot bottling facility in two stages on a remediated brownfield industrial site formerly owned by 3M/Kodak that borders the village.

Once completed, it would become one of the largest such facilities in the U.S. and would depend on the daily extraction of more 1.2 million gallons of water from the local aquifer that feeds Lake Louise, located just outside Middleway.

"This extraction volume is the equivalent of servicing water to over 4,000 homes," Parker said.

Sidewinder proposes to install a pipeline to transport the water over two miles to the facility, crossing through the village, impacting significant historic and archeological resources.

The final facility plan includes parking for 406 tractor trailers, which would necessitate driving through Middleway’s narrow historic streets. The proposal will be reviewed at a public meeting of the Jefferson County Planning Commission on February 11.

Middleway Conservancy President Jessie Norris expressed gratitude for the alliance’s recognition, stating that its influence should cause state and local officials to consider the economic loss the region would suffer.

"The challenges facing Middleway undeniably warrant its inclusion on the endangered properties list," Norris said.

"The additional heavy truck traffic on our narrow historic roads could cause significant damage to the stone-stacked foundations and increase the risk of collision as the streets are not wide enough to accommodate semi-trucks."

In addition to the economic impact on the region, Norris said environmental impact was a chief concern for many inhabitants.

"The remediated 3M/Kodak site contains two toxic chemicals in a plume of contaminated groundwater which hydrological experts fear could be disrupted by the significant amount of water being moved by the plant, threatening hundreds of residential wells in the village and surrounding areas."

Norris said that her organization is not against industrial development, but that the negative impact on real estate and the local economy will have long lasting consequences.

"While we are not against all industrial development, the scale and design of this proposed plant and the pipeline will cause irreparable damage to our historic village.”

Parker added that the Middleway threat is garnering attention among officials statewide.

“Preservation leaders throughout the state are deeply concerned by the threat this proposed development poses to the Middleway Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980," she said.

A groundswell of citizen support has also emerged, including a newly formed advocacy group called "Protect Middleway," dedicated to safeguarding the village’s water, ecology and safety.

Parker said the alliance is encouraging local officials to consider the impact the facility will have on one of the state's most attractive towns.

"We call upon Jefferson County authorities to reconsider the scale and direction of this proposal. Given the risks it presents to a historic village of statewide and national significance, we urge the county to reject this development. The Middleway Historic District deserves protection.”

Since 1999, the West Virginia Endangered Properties List has become one of the most powerful tools instituted by the Preservation Alliance to raise awareness and garner support for the preservation of threatened landmarks and landscapes.

In 2024, the organization announced three additional endangered property listings, including the state's historic hand-cut stone walls, Charleston’s Art Deco Municipal Auditorium, and the proposed demolition by the National Park Service of 35 historic structures in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.