Experiencing Peterkin
Nestled within the arms of a long and narrow valley alongside Mill Creek lies a hidden retreat that beckons one to stop and rest their body and soul for a while. At the entrance a narrow, gravel road meandering alongside a lush meadow surrounded by green forests leads expectant travelers to the magical portal of Peterkin and a calming presence settles over you as though you are being embraced by the arms of the Creator.
As the sunlit meadow on the left broadens and the path stretches between the mountains, one is greeted by a two-story lodge with a long porch surrounds the structure. Fellow travelers lovingly invite you in for a week’s retreat and show you to your lodgings.
After unpacking you are then invited to join these fellow sojourners to sit a spell on the porch, rest your bones, and enjoy a delightful breeze as you enjoy groups of children riding bikes, swinging, and sharing their laughter and shrieks of joy as they plunge into a distant pool. Gently rocking back and forth you are further greeted by those who are eager to get to know you and to share information about camp life. Thus began my first afternoon at Peterkin Camp and Conference Center, tucked within over 900 acres of natural beauty in the the Potomac Highlands of West Virginia.
There were plenty of daily activities to enjoy during my stay such as quiet early morning walks watching morning mists rise from the meadow and the sun rise over the mountains and listening to the birds singing to their hearts delight. Afterwards there was Morning Blast Off, Adult Formation meetings, Eucharist before lunch, swimming and relaxation, time for hiking and reflection, and campfires with music and acting out stories such as Born in Bethlehem, Little Bunny Foo Foo, Going on a Bear Hunt, etc.
The music, played on guitars and a hand drum during different activities, consisted of a variety of contemporary praise songs such as The Garden Song, Blind Man, Pharoah, The Butterfly Song, I Just Want to be a Sheep, I Am the Resurrection, Here I Am Lord, Sanctus, etc. was wonderfully led by mostly teen musicians and was uplifting to the heart and soul.
The meals served in the dining hall were excellent, freshly prepared by a chef and his wife, and always included a make your own salad, watermelon slices, and fresh peaches from Romney (morning and evening), and a variety of comfort foods.
The highlights of each day for me were hiking along Mill Run and resting on a large rock in the afternoons, watching and listening to the waterfalls flowing and splashing over the rocks, being excited to find a Ghost Pipe growing along the path leading up to Prayer Hill, and attending Holy Eucharist with Godly Play lessons and children and teens participating in the service throughout the week, and ending the day with Compline before retiring for the night.
So, if you want to have a great time meeting people of all ages from West Virginia parishes and surrounding states – folks like Nathan, Josh, Frankie, Grant, Elias, Nina, Bree, Abbie, Bridgette, Ann, Preston, spending quality time with Eric and Rosemary, providing your children with a great experience, and spending a week with the bishop and other priests and church leaders, plan your stay at Peterkin next summer (July 19th-25th) now!
A Brief History of Peterkin
In 1902 a group of Millionaire’s from Wheeling purchased 1,200 acres of land from the Pancake family in Hampshire County for use as a personal retreat called the Hampshire Club. They built an elegant clubhouse and lodge that held 30 guests and enjoyed fishing for brown trout, stalking quail and partridges, boating, swimming, bowling, and dining in a separate hall until the Stock Market Crash in1929 during which time the property was deeded to a Mrs. Turley, widow of the former caretaker. In 1945, 40 acres of the property was purchased by, and another 1,000 acres was leased to the WV Diocese of the Episcopal Church 80 years ago. The conference center was named in honor of Bishop George William Peterkin and the central lodge was named Gravatt Hall after William Loyall Gravatt, second bishop of West Virginia. Prayer Hill was created by the suggestion of summer campers who dug out a path and erected a temporary Altar on the site. During the winter afterwards campers agreed to each bring a stone from their parishes to summer camp and subsequently formed a “stone brigade,” passing the stones one by one and mixing mortar to build a more substantial Altar. A slate pool tabletop was donated by the owner of a poolroom in Romney to serve as suitable weatherproof Altar top. Bishop Wilburn C. Campbell said that he often used the pool table slates to illustrate “living under grace” and that by the grace of God, a pool table can be used for the glory of God.
Source: Goldenseal Magazine, Summer 1995
