Creating the Cornerstone: Building a Brighter Future in Wayne County

By Cheryl King

Devastation from the loss of jobs in the coal mining industry still hovers like a black cloud over the southern counties in West Virginia. Many are working hard to make a difference with new job opportunities. Park Ferguson is working tirelessly in Wayne County.

Ferguson grew up on a farm in Wayne County with his parents and two younger siblings. The children helped herd cattle and grow a garden each year. Ferguson went away to college at West Virginia University to study history and sociology before beginning a career in Charleston. It was only then that he realized he had a passion for agriculture.

“I have always felt very connected to Wayne County and appreciated our history and traditions. However, growing up, I took a lot of it for granted,” he says. “It was after college that I came to appreciate our rich heritage and became interested in healthy food and food systems.”

For the last four years, Ferguson has been involved with students at the middle schools and high schools in Wayne County, and he currently serves as the STEM agriculture coach. He wants to pass on to the next generation the importance of remaining and thriving in their West Virginia hometowns. One way in which he hopes to accomplish this is through The Cornerstone Project.

Photos courtesy of Park Ferguson

The Cornerstone Project, an initiative of the Wayne County Economic Development Authority, is working on converting the former Fort Gay Elementary School facility into a center for agriculture, wellness and rural enterprise. The organization has already acquired the property, and a feasibility study is currently underway with Edward Tucker Architects of Huntington to create a master site plan for the finished facility. The completed vision includes a working farm and aggregation point for farmers of the surrounding region; office space; a training center for entrepreneurs, citizens and students; a larger processing or aggregation room; a commercial kitchen; a marketplace; and offices for health care professionals focused on holistic wellness and functional medicine.

Agriculture is seeing a lot of momentum in Wayne County right now, thanks to the efforts of Coalfield Development Corporation’s Refresh Appalachia and the Wayne County Farmers Cooperative. Refresh Appalachia is a regional economic and workforce development initiative located in Southern West Virginia whose mission is to grow the agriculture industry by increasing the success of new farmers in the region. The Wayne County Farmers Cooperative, one of the largest in the state, works to promote agriculture sales and agriculture as a sustaining renewable resource. Both organizations are proud partners of the Wayne County project.

Photos courtesy of Park Ferguson

“The Cornerstone Project is a transformative opportunity,” says Refresh Appalachia’s Brandon Dennison. “So often, major economic development is centered more in the northern part of the county. This brings a big idea—and the investment that goes with that idea—to southern Wayne County.”

According to Ferguson, The Cornerstone Project is a solution to a lot of the problems Southern West Virginia is facing. “It will create jobs and opportunities to diversify our economy by helping farmers and small businesses. It will also work to improve the quality of life in our region by creating a healthy, educated and well-equipped workforce,” he says.

More than that, the project presents the opportunity for a wider reach and more partnerships that will be mutually beneficial for those in Wayne County and beyond.

“Thinking regionally is so important here in Appalachia,” says Dennison. “Our economies of scale are just too small if we don’t work together. We’ve got to overcome petty rivalries and old boundaries. This project begins to do just that.”

About the Author

Cheryl King is an instructor at West Virginia State University (WVSU) where she teaches marketing for the department of business administration and economics. She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications from WVSU and a master’s degree in corporate communications from West Virginia University and has more than 25 years of professional experience in communications, public relations, marketing, journalism and telecommunications. She is happiest when she is exercising or reading. King is a lifelong resident of Charleston and has two children in high school.