Old Pocahontas High School sold at auction

Aug. 16—POCAHONTAS, Va. — A high school which closed in 2008 is on its way to finding new life as a place serving the area's growing ATV tourism industry.

The former Pocahontas High School off Boissevian Road in the town of Pocahontas was purchased Monday by Buffalo Trail Resort in neighboring Mercer County.

Gordon Lusk, owner of Buffalo Trail Resort, said his company was looking at the future development of the ATV trail system.

Parts of the school's property could become locations for campers and RVs, Lusk said. The company also plans to look at the school building itself and the possibilities it offers.

"I can't speak for that yet because I haven't been inside," he said when asked about the old high school's condition. The building was foreclosed and nobody was allowed inside it. Current plans call for using the school for lodging.

ATV tourists visiting Tazewell County can travel the Spearhead Trail, which has a trail system reaching into Buchanan County as well as Dickenson, Lee, Russel and Wise counties as well as the City of Norton. Just across the state line is the Hatfield-McCoy Trail in southern West Virginia, which reaches into Mercer County and McDowell County.

Lusk said Buffalo Trail Resort purchased Pocahontas High School because of the trails' potential for bringing more ATV tourism to the region. Buffalo Trail offers about 30 cabins off Lorton Lick Road in Bluewell for tourists as well as a full restaurant.

— Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com

Contact Greg Jordan at gjordan@bdtonline.com