CHANEYSVILLE

​

Chaneysville was once known as Watertown, probably because of all the mills and water races nearby, and the fact that Big Sweet Root, Elk Creek, and Brushy Fork all joined a short distance from Chaneysville to form Town Creek.  Although Thomas Chaney, Sr. had moved his family of 10 children in to this area in 1786, it was his son Thomas Chaney, Jr. who is credited with builidng the first house in the mid-1830's in what was to be known as Chaneysville.  In addition to his home, he ran a hotel/tavern, which still stands at the intersection in Chaneysville.  Climbing the winding stairway above the tavern, you can still see the room numbers above the doorways of each of the small bedrooms.  It has seen many owners:  Barnard O-Neal, William Bartholow, Fred Tewell, and others.  Today, the Trail family owns it.  In 1907, John H.P. Adams wrote: "Chaneysville is quite a hustling little village....".  Not only did it have two churches and a graveyard, but it also had a furniture maker, a cabinet shop where coffins were made, and an undertaker.  There was a doctor, a shoe shop, tannery, steam sawmill, planing mill, woolen mill, blacksmith shop, and a wagon shop.  There were two stores, one belonging to Fred Tewell and the other to Aaron Hanks.  Although Tewell's store building is no longer there, Hank's building stands across the road from the old hotel.  Later in 1921, the Ratcliffs moved here from West Virginia and built a store that also sold gasoline.  It hasn't been opened since the mid 1980's and the current owner recently had it removed. 

​

 

​Chaneysville was once known as Watertown, probably because of all the mills and water races nearby, and the fact that Big Sweet Root, Elk Creek, and Brushy Fork all joined a short distance from Chaneysville to form Town Creek.  Although Thomas Chaney, Sr. had moved his family of 10 children in to this area in 1786, it was his son Thomas Chaney, Jr. who is credited with building the first house in the mid-1830's in what was to be known as Chaneysville.  In addition to his home, he ran a hotel/tavern, which still stands at the intersection in Chaneysville.  Climbing the winding stairway above the tavern, you can still see the room numbers above the doorways of each of the small bedrooms.  It has seen many owners:  Barnard O-Neal, William Bartholow, Fred Tewell, and others.  Today, the Trail family owns it.

​

​ In 1907, John H.P. Adams wrote: "Chaneysville is quite a hustling little village....".  Not only did it have two churches and a graveyard, but it also had a furniture maker, a cabinet shop where coffins were made, and an undertaker.  There was a doctor, a shoe shop, tannery, steam sawmill, planing mill, woolen mill, blacksmith shop, and a wagon shop.  There were two stores, one belonging to Fred Tewell and the other to Aaron Hanks.  Although Tewell's store building is no longer there, Hank's building stands across the road from the old hotel.  Later in 1921, the Ratcliffs moved here from West Virginia and built a store that also sold gasoline.  It hasn't been opened since the mid 1980's and the current owner recently had it removed. 

​