Property Was Donated with the Stipulation That it Not Be Logged.

(Excerpted from a statement by Leah Roberts)

My name is Leah Roberts. I am the great granddaughter of Herman Guy Kump, who was the KUM in Kumbrabow. My great grandfather was the governor of West Virginia from 1932-1936. During that time, he and two of his cabinet members, Mr. Brady and Mr. Bowers decided to donate approximately 1,500 acres of land apiece to form a state park. They each took portions of their names and combined them to name Kumbrabow state forest. During this time period Yellowstone was being made into a national park. They took the cue for conservation men such as Theodore Roosevelt, and other who were truly ahead of their time.

My great grandfather and his cabinet members strongly believed in preserving the natural beauty of West Virginia, one of the reasons that they donated the land in the first place. In speaking to some family regarding the timbering of Kumbrabow I have been told that the three men stipulated that the land not be exploited in any fashion other than for recreation, otherwise ownership of the land should revert back to the heirs of Kump, Brady and Bowers. This exploitation was specified as timbering, mining or anything other than natural disturbance.

I am not sure if the deed is still on file in the Randolph County courthouse in Elkins but that could be a tactic we could use to stop the rape of this beautiful state park. The West Virginia Division of forestry may have conveniently forgotten about the reason these men donated the land to begin with. I think it is time to remind them.