Thacker donation adds 47 acres to Audra State Park
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BUCKHANNON – A local family has donated more than 40 acres of land to Audra State Park, with plans for trail development in the works.
On Sept. 3, former Elkins residents Dr. Victor and Mary T. Thacker donated 47 acres of land to Audra State Park, expanding the park by around 13%. The new property is adjacent to the park and has already been titled the “Thacker Addition.” The Thackers signed the deed to the property over to the West Virginia State Parks during a ceremony in Charleston.
"West Virginia State Parks is deeply grateful for this extraordinary gift from the Thacker Family," West Virginia State Park Chief Dillard Price said in a press release announcing the donation. "Each acre our state parks protect represents a lasting investment in our state's natural, cultural and historical resources - a gift that directly benefits future generations."
Dr. Victor Thacker, who has held positions and taught at both Davis & Elkins College and Wesleyan College, told The Inter-Mountain that the ceremony on Sept. 3 was “a very pleasant, happy occasion.” He said he was told it’s very rare for people to donate property to the State Parks and that the speeches given by officials were “very appreciative.”
The Thacker family has had a 175-year history of living, and being buried, within a 10-mile radius of Audra, Victor Thacker said in his remarks during the ceremony. In 1847, Victor Thacker’s great great grandparents, Jacob Johnson Thacker and Sarah Ann DeMasters Thacker, moved their family from Staunton and, by 1850, they had bought a 112-acre farm on the headwaters of Hanging Run Creek near the Talbot community, about five miles from what would become Audra State Park. Both Jacob and Sarah Thacker are buried on that farm, while other members of the Thacker family, including Victor Thacker’s parents, are buried in Barbour County.
In 1972, Victor and Mary T. Thacker bought 47 acres of property adjacent from Audra. During his remarks on Sept. 3, Thacker explained that he and Mary T. will be buried at the Air Force Academy, about 1,300 miles west of Audra, and that their children and grandchildren do not live in West Virginia.
“So, what to do with the 47 acres we purchased in 1972 for $8,000?” Victor Thacker said during the Sept. 3 ceremony. “Obviously, the solution we arrived at was to give it to you, the state of West Virginia. You now have in your stewardship another 1,000 feet of riverfront and a cascading waterfall which will, someday, bring as much peace and joy to park visitors as it has brought to me and my family over the last 54 years.”
Victor Thacker told The Inter-Mountain that, with the donation, they wanted to recognize the early settlers of Barbour County, including his great great grandparents, to whom he dedicated the donation. Two creeks that intersect on the new 47 acres will be named after Jacob and Sarah, respectively. Thacker said he also wants to put up a sign to explain the heritage of the area and its legacy to his family. There will also be additional hiking trails added to the property, with one named after the Thacker family.
Thacker described the 47 acres as “so beautiful.” He said that with its tall hemlock trees, large boulders and blooming rhododendrons everywhere, the property just looks like Audra.
Thacker also told The Inter-Mountain that there were plans in the works to organize a “Friends of Audra” group to help raise money for the State Park and the development of the new 47-acre addition. Audra State Park Superintendent Jessica Green confirmed this with The Inter-Mountain, explaining the group would be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
“Each park can have its own foundation, which kind of operates underneath the West Virginia State Park Foundation, but it is more helpful to the park,” Green told The Inter-Mountain. “So we’re trying to find people who may be interested in (it), and I’m going to be having an informational meeting… for people who may be interested in being apart of the Audra State Park Foundation, or they can name it ‘Friends of Audra,’ whatever they want to name it. It’ll be their 501(c)(3).”
Green stated that they have not yet set a date for the informational meeting. She also said they are “absolutely thrilled” with the donation the Thackers made and that she’s very excited for the property’s potential.
When asked what he wanted the public to take away from addition to the park, Thacker said he hoped “that this land will make people happy for generations to come.”