History
Ice Mountain has played a significant role in the history of the North River Mills community. Among Ice Mountain's earliest descriptions are mentions in Henry Howe's History of Virginia (1845) and in a Silliman's Journal article by Charles Hayden from the same year. Ice Mountain was also detailed in Hu Maxwell and Howard Llewellyn Swisher's History of Hampshire County, West Virginia: From Its Earliest Settlement to the Present (1897), O. F. Morton's History of Hampshire County (1910), and Homer Floyd Fansler's "Ice Mountain: Nature's Deep Freeze" in the July 1959 issue of West Virginia Conservation. The mountain was also featured in the April 1861 edition of Harper's New Monthly Magazine. The Harper's publishing company sent the article to the Winchester Star where it appeared in their October 10, 1962 issue.
| Raven Rocks | |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 1,230 ft (375 m) |
| Location | |
| Location | West Virginia, USA |
| Range | North River Mountain, part of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians |
| Coordinates | 39°20′15″N 78°29′48″W / 39.3375994°N 78.4966763°W / 39.3375994; -78.4966763 |
| Topo map | USGS Capon Bridge |
| Climbing | |
| First ascent | unknown |
| Easiest route | Hike, Climb |
Ice Mountain earned its nicknames "Nature's Ice Box" and "Nature's Refrigerator" because of its use by Native Americans and early settlers for storage of perishable food items during the warmer months of the year. During the American Civil War, Ice Mountain was used as a lookout point while the surrounding area served as the scene of numerous small skirmishes. Thomas McMackin's Confederate militia company camped alongside North River at the base of Raven Rocks, where a sentinel was placed from daybreak to dusk. Around the late 19th and early 20th centuries, North River Mills residents would celebrate Independence Day and other occasions as late as September by digging up ice from the talus for the making of ice cream and lemonade.
The mountain had through generations been owned by the Deaver family, the last of which was Mrs. Virginia Pugh. On September 22, 1962 Hampshire County farmer Otis Baker purchased the 4-acre (1.6 ha) Ice Mountain and an adjacent 106 acres (43 ha) for $23,000 at a public auction at the Hampshire County Courthouse in Romney. Ice Mountain was purchased by The Nature Conservancy in 1991.
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