When we consider long-running legends in West Virginia, we think of events of mythical origins, like the Mothman, but the Mountain State is filled with folktales from all walks of life. And the following urban trail up a forested path in Charleston’s pristine South Hills is home to the site of two Civil War murders that will never be forgotten, thanks to the old headstone alongside the trail.

The trail, located just over the South Side Bridge, meanders .65 miles up a hill on a zig-zagging path that used to be a road for horse-drawn carriages.
Google Maps/Emily Rabe
The carriage road dates back to 1905, when the MacCorkle Mansion was built high atop the hill. Construction crews needed a more direct route for getting their materials up to the build site. So they set out to building a road along an old path already zig-zagging to the top.
The trail is a lovely walk up the hill and doles out breathtaking views of downtown Charleston along the way.
alltrails.com/Paula Richards
As the construction crews were building the carriage road, they uncovered the graves of two women who were buried along the path they were converting into a road.
When they consulted the property owner, he did some research and discovered the women were captured by Confederate soldiers who were camped out along the Kanawha River in 1862.
alltrails/Jeff Kennedy
The women were believed to be spies for the Union. They were given a quick, probably unlawful trial, and then shot and buried in the very spot they were found nearly 40 years later.

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Their bodies were moved to the side of the road and reinterred with a stone that reads: In the second year of the Civil War two women convicted as spies by drumhead court martial were brought to this spot, shot, and here buried. In 1905, when building this road to Sunrise, their bodies were disinterred and reburied opposite this stone.
alltrails/Paula Richards
In the days of the Civil War, a drumhead court martial was simply a trial held in the field to hear matters of urgency. The name was likely derived from using the head of a drum as a writing platform.
Little else is known for sure about the two women shot along the Sunrise Carriage Trail.
alltrails/Jeff Kennedy
But one thing they probably never expected as they were staring down the barrels of the guns used to murder them... was that they would end up receiving so many daily visitors!
The trail is a popular hike or uphill stroll along the Kanawha River with showstopping views along the way. It's overseen by the City of Charleston and is often filled with locals admiring a brief reconnection with nature in the middle of the city.
alltrails/Liz Wehner
If you'd like to check it out for yourself, it's very easy to locate; as are the few parking places at the bottom of the trail.
Google Maps
The bottom entrance is just over the South Side Bridge before you get to Bridge Road. And the top entrance is on Myrtle Road just before the entrance to the MacCorkle Mansion, also known as Sunrise Mansion. Please note... the MacCorkle Mansion is a private home and is no longer a public facility.

The Sunrise Carriage Trail is open daily from dawn to dusk. You can learn more about the Sunrise Mansion (a.k.a. MacCorkle Mansion) and the Sunrise Carriage Trail at this link.

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