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The West Virginia Encyclopedia
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The West Virginia Encyclopedia
Peters Mountain, on the Virginia-West Virginia border south of Lewisburg, was probably named after Peter Wright, an early settler. About 50 miles long, it is a continuation of the same geological formation as East River Mountain; the two mountains are separated by the water gap cut by the New River at the Narrows. Throughout most of its length, the crest of Peters Mountain is formed by the same hard white Medina Sandstone that forms the crest of East River Mountain. The crest of Peters Mountain is the boundary between Monroe County and Giles and Craig counties in Virginia, except for 12 miles where the state line veers southeastward to include the Waiteville area, bringing that section within West Virginia. The last ten miles of Peters Mountain is wholly within Alleghany County, Virginia. The elevation varies from 3,000 to 4,000 feet, with the highest point, near Zenith, reaching 4,050 feet. Peters Mountain, long a barrier to transportation, is crossed only by State Route 311 and the old Salt Sulphur Turnpike. A few miles of the Appalachian Trail follows the crest of the mountain, and also a small part of the Allegheny Trail. Peters Mountain is the site of Hanging Rock Observatory, a bird watching station noted for the fall migration of raptors.
Written by Raymond Thomas Hill
Reger, David B. West Virginia Geological & Economic Survey. Mercer, Monroe and Summers Counties. Wheeling News Litho. Co., 1926.