AUDRA, W.Va. — A West Virginia family with roots in the mountains surrounding Audra State Park stretching back 175 years has donated 47 acres to the park, a substantial addition that officials say will provide space for future trail development.
The family of Victor and Mary Thacker formally donated the property during a ceremonial deed signing Sept. 3 at the West Virginia State Capitol. The family also contributed $15,000 to the West Virginia State Parks Foundation for signs and trail development in what will be known as the Thacker Addition.
The gift is significant for a relatively small state park. Audra has historically encompassed 355 acres, meaning the 47-acre addition represents an increase of about 13 percent and would bring the park to approximately 402 acres.
“West Virginia State Parks is deeply grateful for this extraordinary gift from the Thacker family,” said Dillard Price, acting chief of West Virginia State Parks.
“Each acre our state parks protect represents a lasting investment in our state’s natural, cultural and historical resources — a gift that directly benefits future generations.”
Family history stretches back 175 years
The Thackers made the donation in honor of Victor Thacker’s great-great-grandparents, Jacob Johnson Thacker and Sarah Ann DeMasters Thacker.
State park officials say the family’s history in the Barbour County area surrounding Audra extends back 175 years.
Officials did not specify whether the newly donated acreage itself has remained in the family throughout that period. They also did not detail the route or length of trails planned for the property, but the accompanying $15,000 gift was specifically designated for signs and future trail development.
The donation adds another chapter to a park whose boundaries have expanded before.
According to the West Virginia Encyclopedia, the state had acquired 311 acres at Audra by 1944. The state added another 44 acres in 1961, bringing the park to 355 acres.
The new Thacker Addition, at 47 acres, is slightly larger than that documented 1961 acquisition.
New land joins park along Middle Fork River
Audra State Park straddles Barbour and Upshur counties along the Middle Fork River, where forested hills descend toward a rocky river corridor popular for hiking, swimming, and fishing.
The park’s best-known hiking route is the Alum Cave Trail, a 2.7-mile loop following the Middle Fork through forest and beneath a sandstone overhang known as Alum Cave. West Virginia State Parks also lists the shorter Rock Cliff Trail among Audra State Park trails.
Park officials did not identify where the 47-acre Thacker Addition lies in relation to those existing trails or whether the property includes river frontage.
Its planned use for future trails, however, could expand recreational opportunities at a park where the established trail system remains relatively compact.
Audra grew from an earlier river community
The landscape visitors encounter at Audra today also preserves a history that predates the state park.
The community of Audra developed along the Middle Fork around the turn of the 20th century. According to the West Virginia Encyclopedia, five families lived there in 1900, when the community included a gristmill and sawmill. The surrounding area was logged, and Barbour County 4-H clubs later used the site as a camp from 1919 to 1923.
The state eventually acquired the property, and Audra State Park opened to the public in 1950. West Virginia State Parks officials say the park acquired additional land as it developed over the next decade.
Today, the park is best known for the Middle Fork River, its wooded gorge, and the Alum Cave Trail.
The Thacker family’s donation now adds 47 acres to that landscape while setting aside money to make at least part of the new property accessible to future visitors. The trails’ final design has not yet been announced, but the addition increases the land associated with Audra by roughly one-eighth.
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