Watters Smith Memorial State Park

About Watters Smith Memorial State Park

The heritage of early West Virginia is preserved by pioneering the restoration of a homestead in the park. The Smith family house, circa 1876, was restored as a museum and the log cabin, similar to the original, is being reconstructed and moved to the park. Watters Smith bequeathed the farm to our state park system to preserve it for posterity.

Guided tours are offered on Memorial Day weekends and Labor Day and in the summer months. In addition, the park offers hiking trails, horse riding and a variety of activities for children and adults.

The 532-hectare historic park pays homage to Watters Smith, who settled here in 1796 and was born in the same city as his great-grandfather William Burr Smith. The park was founded when Burr and Smith's descendants died in 1949 and donated a park to the state in honor of their father and grandfather.

His father owned 112 hectares of land adjacent to his father's property, so it was only natural that Watters Smith chose it when he was looking for a place to start a family home. Smith bought the 112-acre property next to his father's in 1792 for $266, and his wife Elizabeth, his first wife and daughter-in-law, married in 1793. The continued threat from Indians prevented Smith from moving in with his new bride immediately.

In 1796, he and his wife moved to their future Duck Creek Farm and began to clear the land and build a hut. All tools were hand-made and needed for the construction of a forge and carpentry. Since the roads were only wide and dangerous paths through the wilderness, goods that could not be grown could be obtained from far-flung, scattered urban areas.

Watters and Elizabeth Smith had eight children, and Charles Watters, their second son, was the first white child to be born in Duck Creek. Eventually, the property was inherited by his brother-in-law Charles Smith Jr. and his wife Elizabeth.

This in turn gave them a son, John, who died before his son Alexander was born in 1847. In 1876 Alexander, better known as "Uncle Doc," built a house on the property to replace his father's old Duck Creek home.

Today, the house is one of two museums in the park and open to the public, and the equipment displayed in the museum, in barns and sheds, is used to keep the farm running. The farm has been run by the Smith family for four generations, who have run it for over 100 years with the help of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Watters Smith Memorial State Park offers visitors the opportunity to enjoy the park's modern swimming pool. Aqua, gymnastics and swimming are planned, but please ask for more details about this park.

Visitors traveling on US-19 should turn off at West Milford Station and follow the sign to the park or turn left at the intersection of Route 19 and Route 1 in West Milford. Turn left at the US 19 exit on New Haven Road, follow signs for Westmilford and turn right on Route 2, then right on Route 3 past the parking lot.