Community of the Month – Talcott, WV

Talcott, WV, formerly Rolinsburgh or Rollinsburg, was named after Capt. Talcott, a civil engineer with the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway who was in charge of building the Big Bend Tunnel located in the town. Talcott is a small town in Summers County nestled along WV Rt 3 and the Greenbrier River. Talcott is 368 square miles 463 people live in this beautiful small town.

Talcott is home to the legend of John Henry, The Steel Driving Man. “John Henry is a folk hero and grew to represent an African-American hero of quiet, steadfast resistance, a labor hero who fought to protect the dignity of work and the value of humanity over machines, and a Southern hero withstanding slippery Yankee commodities.” (e-WV)

Here is a link from the National Park Service on how the legend of John Henry was born.

https://www.nps.gov/neri/planyourvisit/the-legend-of-john-henry-talcott-wv.htm

The influence of John Henry’s hard work and perseverance can still be seen in the town of Talcott. Active SWV’s partners at Sprouting Farms are proof of that. Sprouting Farms is a four-season non-profit farm and an education and resource center located in Summers County, WV. They believe that long-lasting impact is created by training new farmers in quality and sustainable production techniques, and by providing shared resources and educational opportunities to the whole farm community. While farming is hard work and time intensive in and of itself, the folks at Sprouting Farms want to bring the community together for better heath all around. Sprouting Farms had planned to start offering free physical activity programs with Active SWV before we all had to start practicing.  physical distancing. We plan to get those programs started up and running safely as soon as we can, please check back for details as restrictions are lifted on group activities.