Hanging Rocks

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hanging Rocks viewed from WV 28
Hanging Rocks viewed from WV 28
Hanging Rocks from across the river, 1890s
Hanging Rocks from across the river, 1890s
This article is about Hanging Rocks, for Hanging Rock see Hanging Rock.

The Hanging Rocks are perpendicular cliffs rising nearly 300 feet above the South Branch Potomac River in Hampshire County, West Virginia, four miles north of Romney at Wappocomo on West Virginia Route 28. Hanging Rocks should not be confused with the singular "Hanging Rock" on the Northwestern Turnpike (U.S. Highway 50) west of Capon Bridge. The sandstone layers of the Hanging Rocks are anticlinal. The rock formation lies within a gap in Mill Creek Mountain formed by the South Branch Potomac River.

[edit] History

Hanging Rocks served as the scene of a fierce battle between Delaware and Catawba Native Americans around 1736. The rocks were also the scene of skirmishes between Union and Confederate troops in 1861. This American Civil War engagement is often referred to as "The Battle of Hanging Rocks" or the "Battle of Hanging Rocks Pass."

[edit] See also