> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://herr-klamm.ghost.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Mercersburg, PA - Fairmont, WV - West Union, WV 2.7.26 - URL: https://herr-klamm.ghost.io/mercersburg-pa-fairmont-wv-west-union-wv-2-7-26/ - Published: 2026-08-08T11:37:52.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-08T11:40:26.000Z - Author: Stephen Bender Go bag in hand, I headed out for the Ohio Valley at the beginning of July. I hadn’t taken a break from work in six years, at least not one of over a week’s duration. The destinations were less important than the fact and necessity of doing it. ‘Getting away from it all’ is how commercials tend to euphemize it. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/40/f6/40f67c96-b14d-4bd9-be24-9e5bc4358f0f/content/images/2026/08/IMG_2576.JPG) First stop was the stately Altland House in Abbotstown, PA – a fine venue for a couple civilised tighteners. Nowadays a mere two cocktails can suffice to make me feel almost human again, which is a testament to personal growth, or the gathering dissolution of creeping middle age. It’s nice to remember again what a beautiful state Pennsylvania is, filled with little gems like Mercersburg. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/40/f6/40f67c96-b14d-4bd9-be24-9e5bc4358f0f/content/images/2026/08/IMG_2585.JPG) Set at the foot of the southern reaches of the Tuscarora Mountain, this delightful hamlet features Mercersburg Academy, a preparatory school where my most persistent and hence best friend lives. He was away, but I’d see him on the return trip. Happily, Stoners Mansion Tavern was open for business, so the edge was again judiciously taken off. Alas, the Cashtown in was closed. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/40/f6/40f67c96-b14d-4bd9-be24-9e5bc4358f0f/content/images/2026/08/IMG_2578.JPG) It was time to make time and so over hill and dale it was to I68 for the toll free route through the mountains. In ever increasing altitude this route winds through the Sideling Hill cut and over the Alleghenies and then the Laurel Highlands. I was enjoying driving a Nissan Altima which took the undulating topography with aplomb. Once the calories of Taco Bell and the caffeine wore off it was time to park at the West Virginia border welcome center. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/40/f6/40f67c96-b14d-4bd9-be24-9e5bc4358f0f/content/images/2026/08/IMG_2592.JPG) Two hours usually does it, so around 2AM I headed for Fairmont, WV, not knowing a thing about it. A small city in the middle of nowhere was apt to offer something of interest – another location I’d return to on a whim with great joy a week or so later. I’d never set out to photograph any place at night and it turned out to be worth it. Old manses, a majestic bridge lit against the placid Monongahela, and the obligatory midnight opioid addicts scurrying about greeted me there. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/40/f6/40f67c96-b14d-4bd9-be24-9e5bc4358f0f/content/images/2026/08/IMG_2609.JPG) Another nap break ended with dawn by Bridgeport. There I picked up Route 50, popularly known in Nevada as the Loneliest Road in America. An hour west it came time to halt again. I’m not even sure why I stopped in West Union, perhaps because the sun was rising. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/40/f6/40f67c96-b14d-4bd9-be24-9e5bc4358f0f/content/images/2026/08/IMG_2613.JPG) More likely, it was time for my traditional 2 egg breakfast. The tell tale sign is nodding off behind the wheel for an instant, repeatedly. It was a fortuitous decision. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/40/f6/40f67c96-b14d-4bd9-be24-9e5bc4358f0f/content/images/2026/08/IMG_2653.JPG) Rather than blather on too much about it, the ambiance of this quasi-ghost town speaks for itself. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/40/f6/40f67c96-b14d-4bd9-be24-9e5bc4358f0f/content/images/2026/08/IMG_2630.JPG) I must say it’s one of the finest half ruined small towns I’ve ever had the privilege to visit. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/40/f6/40f67c96-b14d-4bd9-be24-9e5bc4358f0f/content/images/2026/08/IMG_2633.JPG) A rail trail runs through town, now nearly completing the passage from Clarksburg to Parkersburg. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/40/f6/40f67c96-b14d-4bd9-be24-9e5bc4358f0f/content/images/2026/08/IMG_2661.JPG) As is my wont, I'll typically chat up the local librarians, who invariably provide good company and valuable insight into local nuances. They're also quite charming in this part of the country, particularly when a bedraggled yet charming stranger turns up. We chatted a bit and agreed that a synonym for sin was human frailty, which is my preferred parlance. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/40/f6/40f67c96-b14d-4bd9-be24-9e5bc4358f0f/content/images/2026/08/IMG_2684-1.JPG) A few more snaps then... ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/40/f6/40f67c96-b14d-4bd9-be24-9e5bc4358f0f/content/images/2026/08/IMG_2685.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/40/f6/40f67c96-b14d-4bd9-be24-9e5bc4358f0f/content/images/2026/08/IMG_2686.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/40/f6/40f67c96-b14d-4bd9-be24-9e5bc4358f0f/content/images/2026/08/IMG_2689.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/40/f6/40f67c96-b14d-4bd9-be24-9e5bc4358f0f/content/images/2026/08/IMG_2642.JPG) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/40/f6/40f67c96-b14d-4bd9-be24-9e5bc4358f0f/content/images/2026/08/IMG_2618.JPG)