A driving tour of Wyoming County will take a tank of gas and a few hours, depending on how much time one wants to linger at the sites.

Beginning in Mullens, the historic district — roughly bounded by Lusk and Highland Avenues, the railroad tracks and Water Street — was added to the National Register of Historic Places in November 1993.

Andrew Jackson Mullins, who first settled the area in 1894 when he purchased 69 acres, built his farm at the junction of the Guyandotte River and Slab Fork and built his family’s cabin at the intersection of First Street and Moran Avenue.

Mullins also established a saw mill, half-a-mile up Slab Fork. Two years later, he and his neighbors built a one-room school, post office, store and boarding house, creating a small town.

On March 4, 1904, A. J. Mullins filled out the application for a new post office to be at Mullins, Wyoming County, West Virginia. The spelling was changed from Mullins to Mullens, with a capital E marked over the small “i” on the original post office application filed by A. J. Mullins, according to historian Jack Feller.

Twin Falls Resort State Park, off W. Va. 97 between Mullens and Pineville, offers visitors plush surroundings in the newly renovated lodge, a more rustic adventure in the cabins, or, for outdoor purists, there are 50 camp sites.

The park features an 18-hole golf course, a driving range, an 1830s pioneer homestead which is still a working farm, a swimming pool, nature programs, along with hiking and mountain biking trails that range from a gentle quarter-mile stroll to a three-mile wilderness challenge.

In Pineville, the county courthouse and adjoining jail building were placed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1979. Built with native stone by Italian stonemasons, the surrounding property also has a statue of Rev. W. H. Cook — local soldier, statesman, minister — as well as monuments honoring area veterans and Kenny Shadrick, a native son who was the first casualty of the Korean War.

The courthouse lobby has been renovated to restore the stone structure to its original historic elegance. Chandeliers replaced the institutional look of the florescent lighting. The original trim was restored on the ceiling, emphasizing the workmanship and architectural details of the original structure.

In Oceana, on Rt. 10, the Wyoming County Historical Museum is home to myriad items of historical significance. Hundreds of items have been contributed, or loaned, to the museum, showcasing the area’s unrivaled culture and diverse past, encompassing the county’s heritage involving coal mining, railroads, timbering, Native Americans, early settlers, among numerous other legacies.

The centerpiece, however, is John Cooke’s rifle, the county’s first known permanent settler. The rifle has been loaned to the museum by Mildred Shannon, widow of U.J. Shannon, a direct descendent of Cooke.

John Cooke built his cabin at the mouth of Laurel Fork, in what is today Oceana, in the late 1790s, according to historians. His gun is believed to have been constructed in the 1700s as well. Cooke fought in the Revolutionary War and fought against the Indians as a soldier, according to historians.

Wyoming County boasts two Civil War Trails markers near Oceana.

Between Pineville and Oceana, one marker designates the Civil War romance between Thompson L. Walker, a Confederate soldier, and Martilia F. Walker, the 15-year-old daughter of a loyal Unionist. The marker is located adjacent to Turkey Ridge Baptist Church.

In 1865, Thompson Walker was making his way back to Mercer County after having been incarcerated in a federal prison at Pt. Lookout, Md. A month into his trek home, the soldier sought shelter on the young girl’s family farm, which sat across the road from the marker location. She fed him and kept his hiding place secret. Not related to each other, the two married in 1866 and had 16 children.

Near Oceana, on Rt. 971, is Clearfork Valley Golf Club, which stretches across historic land that was once roamed by Native Americans and early white settlers and was first known as the McDonald Plantation.

The plantation was burned to the ground by Union forces during the Civil War. This tragedy is also memorialized with a West Virginia Civil War Trails marker. The marker stands under the flag pole near the restaurant, noted for the best cheeseburgers in the eastern United States.

In the first half of the 20th century, a large portion of the McDonald land was purchased by businessman Edgar H. Crouch, and the area today is still known as Crouch’s Farm. Bob Crouch, the deceased grandson of Edgar H. Crouch, leased about 60 acres of the farm to the golf course board of directors in 1957 to construct the first nine holes. Bob Crouch’s family continues that tradition today.

The 18-hole course is open to the public and draws players from throughout West Virginia as well as Ohio, Kentucky, and other states.

Returning to Rt. 97, toward Hanover, R. D. Bailey Lake was built by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers as part of a flood-control project. The dam has 17 miles of shoreline with 630 acres of surface.

The dam’s random rockfill design is unusual and was the first concrete-faced dam built by the Corps.

Constructed in 1974, the dam includes 5.7 million cubic yards of rock, 6.4 million pounds of steel, and 240,000 bags of cement.

It was also one of the first dams on which new laser technology was used. The lasers were used to guide the blade along the concrete face.

Visitors can get a bird’s eye view of the dam from the Visitor’s  Center, which sits 365 feet above the lake, on Rt. 52. The center also exhibits information and photos concerning the dam project and it’s flood control.

Open to boaters year-round, the lake is home to largemouth bass, striped bass, walleye, tiger muskie, catfish, crappie, bluegill, stripers, and panfish.

While two state record-breaking-size bass have been caught in the lake, the project is fast becoming known throughout the country for the trophy bucks which sprint through the lush forests.

The county is part of a region with no rifle season, so the hunters can get trophy-size bucks, according to officials.

Seasonal features include picnic facilities, boat rentals at the local marina and a 168-site campground stretched over six miles along the Guyandotte River.