Our first stop was in Paw Paw, West Virginia to visit John’s high school friend Reed, and his wife Deborah. They live in a beautiful and remote area outside the tiny town of Paw Paw (population 410 in 2020), with a commercial area consisting of small restaurant, gas station, Dollar Store, like our town of Enfield in upstate New York, although we don’t have a restaurant. Paw Paw is named after the fruit tree that is native to the area. This entire area of the West Virginia is quite rural, although is only a 2 hour drive to Washington DC, which attracts people with money wanting to purchase or build a second home. They have to drive 40 minutes to buy groceries or get medical care.

Paw Paw is known for the Paw Paw tunnel through the mountain, The C&O Canal Company started work on the tunnel in 1836 estimating that it would take 2 years to build; it was built to save them from digging 6 miles of canal on the Potomac River. The canal’s main cargo was coal, brought from Cumberland Maryland and stops along the way to Washington DC. Due to riots, labor strikes by the Irish, English and German workers, fund shortages and difficulty digging through loose shale, the 3,118 ft tunnel through the mountain was not finished until 14 years later.  It sounds like it might not have been such a great investment. When the tunnel finally did open, there were often bottlenecks because it was impossible for boats to turn around or pass. Today the hiking trail through the tunnel is maintained by the National Park Service.

Another interesting fact about Paw Paw is that that grammy award winning Texas swing band, Asleep at the Wheel got their start on a farm in Paw Paw. West Virginia.