Summersville, West Virginia (WV), the county seat of Nicholas County, was established in 1824, incorporated in 1850, and named in honor of Judge Lewis Summers, who introduced the bill that created Nicholas County. In the mid-1800s, Summersville was an important lodging and commerce point on the Weston & Gauley Bridge Turnpike, an overland route between the valleys of the Kanawha and Monongahela rivers. The community today is a focus for outdoor recreation. It frequently hosts boaters visiting Summersville Lake and rafters and kayakers paddling the nearby Gauley River, a world-renowned whitewater stream. It often hosts hunters and anglers visiting the nearby Monongahela National Forest. Summersville is also home to the annual West Virginia Potato Festival.
Lodging near Summersville, West Virginia
Parks & Public Recreation
Summersville Lake, the largest lake in West Virginia, is located south and west of the town in the Summersville Lake Wildlife Management Area. Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park and the near reaches of the Gauley River National Recreation Area are located approximately 10 miles southwest of Summersville.
Location
Summersville is located on the US-19 expressway at highways WV-39 and WV-41 approximately 24 miles northeast of Fayetteville, West Virginia, 25 miles west of Richwood, West Virginia, 30 miles east of Gauley Bridge, West Virginia, 40 miles southwest of Webster Springs, West Virginia, and 25 miles south of the I-79 expressway near Sutton, West Virginia.
Map of Summersville, West Virginia
Regional Information
Summersville is located in the New River Gorge Region in south-central West Virginia.
