Falling Spring, West Virginia (WV), better known as Renick, is a community in Greenbrier County, so-named for a bold spring, the water from which descends steeply to the Greenbrier River. The town is divided into upper and lower sections. The lower town is located along the river; the upper is on the level uplands above.
The Greenbrier River Trail travels through the town, which is situated across the Greenbrier River from the Monongahela National Forest. Its population was 171 people as of the 2020 census.
Lodging near Falling Spring, West Virginia
History
In 1769, Major William Renick relocated from Augusta County, Virginia, to settle 1,000 acres in the northern area of what's now Greenbrier County north of Lewisburg.
Spring Creek Presbyterian Church was established in 1783. The first pastor was Rev. John McCue. The original site of the church was in Spring Creek, about 2.5 miles south of present-day Renick.
A school was established in the town in 1796. In 1928, the public school system established Renick High School in a building that now houses Renick Junior High School.
The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was built through the center of the lower town around 1900, following the Greenbrier River. In 1901, Pitts and Colley built a large store next to the railroad depot, around which many other businesses were established. The railroad line is now the Greenbrier River Trail.
The Bank of Renick was established in 1909 in the upper town, along present-day US-219, with the Rev. J.S. Wickline as its first and only president. At one time, the bank numbered among the most secure and affluent banks in the Greenbrier Valley.
The post office of Falling Spring, ZIP Code 24966, was established in the early 1800s. The post office's name was changed to "Renick" in 1913 by the postal service, due to confusion with the mail service in the community of Falling Spring, Virginia.
In 1864, John Campbell Gillilan, a Union-loyal delegate to the first West Virginia Legislature, was killed by Confederate sympathisers and was buried in the Presbyterian cemetery in the upper town. A newspaper article from the period reads:
"John C. Gillilan of Greenbriar county, was arrested and confined in a southern prison in the early part of the war for eight months, for his adherance to the laws of the United States; and was subsequently released and became a delegate to the first Legislature of West Virginia. He recently went to visit his family in Greenbriar, and I learn he was shot and almost instantly killed by some of the employees of Jeff. Davis & Co., near his own residence. I hardly know what comment to make. I think the property of every rebel sympathiser in the neighborhood should be seized and given to the wife and children of Mr. Gilliland.
The Bone Normal Cave System
The area around Renick is home to a 14-mile cave system that descends as much as 200 feet beneath the area. Comprised of the Bone and Norman caves, the system is listed on the West Virginia Speleological Survey’s Significant Cave List. It includes a waterfall and a famous "Great White Way" passage, home to abundant white calcite, gypsum, and aragonite formations. Though a recreational cave, only experienced cavers are allowed to venture into it. The caves are part of a system of caves and caverns that underlay more than 80s miles of the "levels" region of the upper Greenbrier Valley.
Location
The town is located on highway US-219, approximately 15 miles north of Lewisburg, West Virginia, and 15 miles southwest of Hillsboro, West Virginia.
Climate
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Renick has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps. The area is known for its farms.
Map of Falling Spring, West Virginia
Regional Information
Falling Spring is located in the Greenbrier Valley Region in southeastern West Virginia.
