General Information Concerning the King/Stone Area of Mason/Jackson Counties
Updated and corrected on October 21, 1999
by Okey L. King

I. Theses are the instructions for the access to locations in the area.

.....A. The easiest access of the area is from State Route 87.

......1. From the East, Route 87 can be reached by exiting I-77 at Ripley and traveling West on US Route 33 to it’s intersection with its intersection with Route 87. On Route 87, you will travel West though the town of Evans toward the Mason County Line.

.....2. From the West, Route 87 can be reached by traveling North on State Route 2 from Pt. Pleasant to the intersection of Route 87. From the Columbus, Ohio Area, Pt. Pleasant may be reached by traveling US Route 35 which is almost entirely a four lane highway now.

......B. The access to King Cemetery from Route 87.

......1. Finding the King Cemetery can be tricky. From Route 87, you will turn South right at the Mason/Jackson Line upon a gravel road which climbs a hill. However, when I was traveling West this fall, I found that the Mason County sign was missing which caused me to miss the road. But, if you are traveling East, you will find that the Jackson County sign is intact.

......2. After reaching the top of the fairly steep hill, the road drops just a short distance over the other side and follows a open field which is on the right. After a fairly short distance, the road veers to the right, and you access the cemetery through an opening into a field. The cemetery is on a know and there is a small sing which reads, “King Family Cemetery.” The road continues down to Big Spruce Run and to the Spruce cemetery, but, after a short distance, it is impassable.

......C. The Access to the Creston Cemetery from 87.

......1. The Creston Methodist Church is easy to find. When you are traveling West, it just off of Route 87 on the right. There are good signs to show the way and the church is visible from 87.

......2. Francis Marion King, son of Alexander King, and some of his family are buried at this cemetery. Also, there are a number of my mother’s family buried there. This cemetery has been greatly expanded since I was a child.

......D.These are the instructions for finding the Smith Church Cemetery.

......Gunville Store was on Gunville ridge between Route 87 and Deerlick which is on Thirteenmile Creek. On visits to the "country," my wife and I would stop at the store and get a soda pop. You will find that the building is still standing, but, a number of years ago it was severly damaged when it was struck by lightening. Although it is no longer in use as a store, it is still a familiar landmark.

.....1. From Route 87, you will turn south on “Gunville Ridge Road.” After traveling for a number of miles on this winding road. perhaps three or so, you will descend from the ridge to the banks of Thirteenmile Creek. When the main road turns to the left to cross the creek at what used to be the community of Deerlick, , you will continue down Thirteenmile. At sometime or other, they attempted to blacktop this road ( a real surprise because I had always know it as a dirt road), but the blacktop is all broken. After several miles, you will cross a small stream and climb a low hill. The stream is Yeager Branch and at the top of the hill you will find Smith Church and the cemetery.

......2.As you face the church, the old cemetery is on the left as it ground slopes down-hill. The John King, Christina Yeager, Alexander king, and Elizabeth Jacobs graves are in the middle of the cemetery. You will also find the Geho graves , Cain Graves, and other graves as well. In the new section of the cemetery, you will find other familiar sounding names. The Church and the cemetery are in good condition.

......E.Here are the instructs to Wolfe Valley Cemetery.

......1.Instead of continuing downstream at Deerlick, you will cross the stream on the main road climb the hill, and follow the ridge to where a dirt or gravel road enters from the right at a sharp angle. The is a cemetery near this intersection. You will turn right on this road follow it for several miles to where it starts down hill. about halfway down hill, you will find this large cemetery on the left. Although I have passed this cemetery many times, I have never visited it. I didn’t have time last fall, and before that, I didn’t know that we had family buried there..

.....2. If you continue down the hill, you will reach “Tribble Road” and what used to be the town of Capehart. If you turn right on this road, you will reach the main highway and the Kanawha River. At left turn on the main highway will eventually bring you to I-64 and to Charleston. A right turn will take you though Leon and back to Pt. Pleasant. Tribble Road is the other access to the Area. There is one more road just south of Leon, the Leon/Baden Road, that will bring you back to Route 87. Shiloh Church and Cemetery is on this road and I have family members there.

......F.These are instructions Spruce Cemeteries. These directions have been upgraded.P> .....You can no longer reach the Spruce Cemetrery by driving upstream from Thirteenmile Creek. To reach the cemtery, you must take the Spruce Road. Heading north toward Evans on Rt. 87, Spruce Road is the next road past Kapp Ridge Road. Driving from Evans toward Point Pleasant, the road is just a short distance past the Jackson/Mason County line. The road leaves 87 in a dip near a "beer joint." Take Spruce Road to the bottome of the hill where you will past the old Spruce School. Below the school the road forks. At the folks, take a sharp left hand turn and drive up a steep hill past an old house. At the top of the hill, the cemetery is on the left.

.....These are some interesting, to me, facts about Big Spruce.

.....My father, Okey L. King Senior was born on a farm just up stream from the cemetery. On the right-hand side of the road as you travel upstream, there is a spring which was famous all over the county for having excellent water. A tin cup always hung there for passers by to used. It was still there when I visited the spring as a teenager. The Mason/Jackson County Line passed though the farm where my father was born. Dad attended Spruce School and Horsecave School which was on a branch of Big Spruce. This is very remote country.

.....The Stone Cemetery To reach the Stone Cemetery, continue across the bridge and take the first drive to the left. At the top of the hill, you will find the Stone home place and the Cemetery is across the flat to the right. It is in good condition and has interesting graves.

II. Here is some miscellaneous information just from the top of my head.

......B. These are some facts about the Stone Place.

......1. The Stone Farm has been home to the Stones for nearly 150 years if not more than that. There are some very old graves in the cemetery which, some have said, had been deeded to the Rockcastle United Brethren Church. The land, materials, and labor was provided by both sides of my mothers family and by some of their neighbors. It is an old building with two doors. There was a door for the women and a door for the men as well as a partition down the middle of the church to keep the sexes separate inside the church. Sadly the church building is in bad need of repair

.....2. Because many of the persons buried who are buried in the Stone Cemetery laid “in state” in the farmhouse living room, there are many “true” ghost stories connected with the house. These are told by people who are and were very serious and not given to the “nonsense” of telling tales. Although they were not interested in “stories,” I have heard several tell, swearing to the truth of the tellings, of seeing departed members of the family moving about the place. There is one particular story, which I told in high school in public speaking class, that nearly “scared” one black girl to death. I am not totally an unbeliever and I still get chills sometimes when I recall it. The latest sighting was as recent as the 1980s. Ghosts and all, I spent many happy days at the Stone Home Place and, if I had my way, I would be buried in the Stone cemetery.

.....Instructions on how to reach the Rock Castle Church Cemetery.

.....Passing the road to the Stone farm, drive up stream. The first road to the left is Bee Run Road. Turn left at the next road to your left which is the Long hollow Road. At the top of a steep hill, you will see the cemetery on your left. This cemetery is easy to find. There are many Morrisons, some Sayres, and my Aunt and Uncle Joel and Molly Dunham Hill.