Calendar

Tour the Historic Home of George Bird Evans

The Old Hemlock Foundation will open the historic home of George Bird Evans and his wife, Kay Evans, to public tours. The 1782 deeded property is on the National Register of Historic Places. The log home was built in circa 1815. The tours will tell about lives of George and Kay. This tale of love of mountains, art, music, fine writing and English Setters will share about George as an artist, author of mysteries and upland hunting, and breeder the Old Hemlock Line of English Setters.

We have two public tours per year

  • July 20:  Public Tours of the Evans Home at Old Hemlock at first at 1:00 pm and the next at 3:00 pm.
  • September 15:  Public Tours of the Evans Home at Old Hemlock at first at 1:00 pm and the next at 3:00 pm

All other visits are by appointment.

 

There are approximately five miles of trails Old Hemlock. Visitors are welcome to use with permission.

The following events are free and open to the public.

Please call (304) 379-7505 or email oldhemlockfoundation@gmail.com for more information.

 Other tours for educational and civic groups are available per the schedule and are pre-arranged.

 

2024 Calendar of Events

    • JANUARY 18 Community Engagement Fair at WVU Mountain Lair:   10:00 to 2:00
    • Volunteer Opportunities:  Spring Clean Dates -Friends of Old Hemlock and WVU Students will assist with spring cleanup.   Chores will include removing limbs and branches for winter storms and tops of trees removed to create habitat and safety around buildings, trail maintenance, leaf round up,…(If inclement weather the activity will be cancelled.)
      • February 24 -10:00 to 2:00
      • March 2 – 10:00 to 2:00
      • March 23– 10:00 to 2:00   Canceled
      • April 20– 10:00 to 2:00  This workday will include roadside litter cleanup on the Brandonville Pike.    Backup date in April 21 from 1:00 to 4:00
      • Other Volunteer Experiences are available and are schedule through LeJay Graffious at lejay@oldhemlock.org or 304-370-7505.
    • March 6 to 9: 23rd Old Hemlock Family Reunion is open to any current or past owners of Old Hemlock Setters. For more information contact: Robert Rose brose@stowevt.net
    • March 22 Woodcock Walk – 6:30 to 7:45 at Snake Hill WMA: Witness the Woodcock’s sky dance with Old Hemlock Foundation director, LeJay Graffious, in a must-see marvel of nature. Bring a flashlight or spotlight.  There will be a sign at the parking area.    Contact LeJay for directions contact lejay@oldhemlock.org.
    • March 23 7:00 pm Woodcock Walk – Witness the Woodcock’s sky dance with Mountaineer Audubon leader, LeJay Graffious, in a must-see marvel of nature. Bring a flashlight or spotlight.  Must register with the WV Botanic Garden
    • March 30 Woodcock Walk – 6:30 to 7:45 at Snake Hill WMA: Witness the Woodcock’s sky dance with Old Hemlock Foundation director, LeJay Graffious, in a must-see marvel of nature. Bring a flashlight or spotlight.  There will be a sign at the parking area.    Contact LeJay for directions contact lejay@oldhemlock.org.
    • May 4 “Troubles with Bird Dogs” Workshop:  Local veterinarians will provide training on dealing with first aide for your bird dog in the field: Traumatic injuries in the field; Field first aid and first aid kits; Aversion training and dealing with porcupines, skunks, and snakes: and trapping identification, operation, and dog removal.   For more information and registration, contact Jim Burris, (jim@birddogsociety.org) Founder & Chairman, The Bird Dog Society, birddogsociety.org
    • Old Hemlock Bird Walks 7:30 am -11:30 (may leave earlier) in Bruceton Mills. Join LeJay Graffious for a monthly bird walk at Old Hemlock to watch the arrival of spring migrants and experience the breeding season develop. We will walk approximately three miles and stop at ten predetermined locations to census birds for three minutes. Contact LeJay for directions: lejay@oldhemlock.org
      • April 24
      • May 22
      • June 19
    • June 1    8am: Preston County Backroads Birding. Meet at Bruceton Mills Park & Ride, just off I68 Exit 23. LeJay Graffious will lead a day of four-wheeling and birding in Preston County. We will meet at the Park & Ride and caravan to Cranesville Swamp. From Cranesville we will use the Orr-Tannery Road (high clearance vehicles recommended) to the Screech Owl Brewery for lunch (if open). Email Katie Fallon to pre-register: katie@accawv.org. Leader: LeJay Graffious.
    • Old Hemlock Bird Banding: 8:00 am– 12:00 Visitors (5:30 am Banding Team) MAPS Banding.   Monitoring Avian Production and Survivorship banding project continues in its seventh year.  This scientific research is available for visitors to view beginning at 8 am on the dates below.   Contact LeJay for directions: lejay@oldhemlock.org.
      • May 21 MAPS Set Up Only (no banding) 5:00
      • May 25
      • June 2
      • June 15
      • June 22
      • June 30
      • July 13
      • July 21
      • July 30
    • July 20:  Public Tours of the Evans Home at Old Hemlock at first at 1:00 pm and the next at 3:00 pm.
    • September 15:  Public Tours of the Evans Home at Old Hemlock at first at 1:00 pm and the next at 3:00 pm

 

 

2023 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

    • Volunteer Opportunities:  Spring Clean Dates -Friends of Old Hemlock and WVU Students will assist with spring cleanup.   Chores will include removing limbs and branches for winter storms and tops of trees removed to create habitat and safety around buildings, trail maintenance, leaf round up,…(If inclement weather the activity will be cancelled.)
      • February 25 -10:00to 2:00
      • March 4  – 10:00 to 2:00
      • March 25 – 10:00 to 2:00    This workday will include roadside litter cleanup on the Brandonville Pike    .
      • April 1 – 10:00 to 2:00
    • Community Engagement Fair at WVU Mountainlair:   10:00 to 2:00
    • February 11:  Private Tour for Craig and Theresa of Georgia
    • February 13 and 14:  WVU Advanced Fisheries and Wildlife Management class field trip to Old Hemlock to learn of our scientific management of our 320 acres for multi-aged forest habitat types.
    • March 17 Woodcock Walk – 6:30 to 7:45 at Snake Hill WMA : Witness the Woodcock’s sky dance with Old Hemlock Foundation director, LeJay Graffious,  in a must-see marvel of nature. Bring a flashlight or spotlight.    Contact LeJay for directions: lejay@oldhemlock.org.
    • March 18 (Alternate Date March 25) – 6:30 pm Woodcock Walk – Witness the Woodcock’s sky dance with Mountaineer Audubon leader, LeJay Graffious,  in a must-see marvel of nature. Bring a flashlight or spotlight.  Must register with the WV Botanic Garden
    • Old Hemlock Bird Walks 7:30 am -11:30 (may leave earlier) in Bruceton Mills. Join LeJay Graffious for a monthly bird walk at Old Hemlock to watch the arrival of spring migrants and experience the breeding season develop. We will walk approximately three miles and stop at ten predetermined locations to census birds for three minutes. Contact LeJay for directions: lejay@oldhemlock.org
      • March 29
      • April 26
      • May 17
      • June 21- Guest Leader Jane Clark
    • April 18-29:  LeJay Graffious, Administrator of Old Hemlock Foundation, will be working with WV DNR, Eastern American Woodcock Cooperative at University of Maine and Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge biologists of a three-year American Woodcock study.
    • May 20: 8 am to 2 pm-  Maryland Ornithological Society (MOS) tour and bird watching event at Old Hemlock.
    • June 17- 8am: Preston County Backroads Birding. Meet at Bruceton Mills Park & Ride, just off I68 Exit 23. LeJay Graffious will lead a day of four-wheeling and birding in Preston County. We will meet at the Park & Ride and caravan to Cranesville Swamp. From Cranesville we will use the Orr-Tannery Road (high clearance vehicles recommended) to the Screech Owl Brewery for lunch (if open). Email Katie Fallon to pre-register: katie@accawv.org. Leader: LeJay Graffious.
    • Old Hemlock Bird Banding: 8:00 am– 12:00 Visitors (5:30 am Banding Team) MAPS Banding.   Monitoring Avian Production and Survivorship banding project continues in its sixth year.  This scientific research is available for visitors to view beginning at 8 am on the dates below.   Contact LeJay for directions: lejay@oldhemlock.org.
      • May 3 Clean Net Lanes 5:00 pm
      • May 8 MAPS Set Up Only (no banding)  10:00
      • May 25
      • June 4
      • June 11
      • June 21
      • July 1
      • July 16
      • July 23
      • July 30
    • July 15:  Public Tours of the Evans Home at Old Hemlock at first at 1:00 pm and the next at 3:00 pm.
    • September 17:  Public Tours of the Evans Home at Old Hemlock at first at 1:00 pm and the next at 3:00 pm

2022 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

All indoor activities and tours of the Evans House will be by appointment for small groups in July.  Masks required and current state Covid guidelines apply. 

The grounds remain open for hiking with notice to lejay@oldhemlock.org or 304 379 7505. 

  • March 5: Woodcock Walk: 6:00 to 7:00 at Snake Hill WMA : Witness the Woodcock’s sky dance with Old Hemlock Foundation director, LeJay Graffious,  in a must-see marvel of nature. Bring a flashlight or spotlight.    Contact LeJay for directions: lejay@oldhemlock.org.
  • April 16: Volunteer Work Day– Friends of Old Hemlock will have a spring litter pick up along Brandonville Pike, Galloway Road and Seese Road.   Volunteer projects that day will include trail maintenance and winter outdoor cleanup.
  • Old Hemlock Bird Walks 7:30 am -11:30 (may leave earlier) in Bruceton Mills. Join LeJay Graffious for a monthly bird walk at Old Hemlock to watch the arrival of spring migrants and experience the breeding season develop. We will walk approximately three miles and stop at ten predetermined locations to census birds for three minutes. Contact LeJay for directions: lejay@oldhemlock.org
    • March 30
    • April 27
    • May 17
    • June 22
  • Old Hemlock Bird Banding: 8:00 am– 12:00 Visitors (5:30 am Banding Team) MAPS Banding.   Monitoring Avian Production and Survivorship banding project continues in its sixth year.  This scientific research is available for visitors to view beginning at 8 am on the dates below.   Contact LeJay for directions: lejay@oldhemlock.org.
    • May 18 MAPS Set Up Only (no banding)  5:00 PM
    • May 22
    • June 1 *
    • June 12 Bob Dean, guest bander
    • June 26
    • July 7
    • July 17
    • July 24
    • July 31
  • July 16:  Public Tours of the Evans Home at Old Hemlock at first at 1:00 pm and the next at 3:00 pm.
  • September 10 will be a workday to install deer exclosure fence around the shrubbery.  
  • September 18:  Public Tours of the Evans Home at Old Hemlock at first at 1:00 pm and the next at 3:00 pm.

 

 

2021 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Trails at Old Hemlock are open.   Register to be on grounds by calling 304 379 7505 or email to lejay@oldhemlock.org.    Link to Trail Map

Mar. 26, 7pm: Woodcock Walk at the West Virginia Botanic Garden. LeJay Graffious will lead a search for American Woodcocks displaying over the old reservoir from sunset to dusk. Come join us to witness this amazing spectacle. Dress warmly and bring a flashlight. All ages. Sponsored by the West Virginia Botanic Garden, Old Hemlock Foundation and Mountaineer Audubon. Preregistration is required; register online at www.wvbg.org.

April 15, 7:30am: Old Hemlock in Bruceton Mills. Join LeJay Graffious for a monthly bird walk at Old Hemlock to watch the arrival of spring migrants and experience the breeding season develop. We will walk approximately two miles and stop at ten predetermined locations to census birds for three minutes. Contact LeJay for directions: lejay@oldhemlock.org.

May 17,  1:00 pm  Set up banding station for 2021.

May 20, 7:30am: Old Hemlock in Bruceton Mills. Join LeJay Graffious for a monthly bird walk at Old Hemlock to watch the arrival of spring migrants and experience the breeding season develop. We will walk approximately two miles and stop at ten predetermined locations to census birds for three minutes. Contact LeJay for directions: lejay@oldhemlock.org.

May 21 8:00 am- 12:00 Visitors (5:30 am Banding Team) MAPS Banding.   Monitoring Avian Production and Survivorship banding project continues in its fifth year.  This scientific research is available for visitors to view.

June 6 8:00 am– 12:00 Visitors (5:30 am Banding Team) MAPS Banding.   Monitoring Avian Production and Survivorship banding project continues in its fifth year.  This scientific research is available for visitors to view.

June 12, 8am: Preston County Backroads Birding. Meet at Bruceton Mills Park & Ride, just off I-68 Exit 23. LeJay Graffious will lead a day of four-wheeling and birding in Preston County. We will meet at the Park & Ride and caravan to Cranesville Swamp. From Cranesville we will use the Orr-Tannery Road (high clearance vehicles recommended) to the Screech Owl Brewery for lunch (if open). Email Katie Fallon to pre-register: katie@accawv.org. Leader: LeJay Graffious.

June 13, 8:00 am- 12:00 Visitors (5:30 am Banding Team) MAPS Banding.   Monitoring Avian Production and Survivorship banding project continues in its fifth year.  This scientific research is available for visitors to view.

June 17, 7:30am: Old Hemlock in Bruceton Mills. Join LeJay Graffious for a monthly bird walk at Old Hemlock to watch the arrival of spring migrants and experience the breeding season develop. We will walk approximately two miles and stop at ten predetermined locations to census birds for three minutes. Contact LeJay for directions: lejay@oldhemlock.org.

June 27, 8:00 am- 12:00 Visitors (5:30 am Banding Team) MAPS Banding.   Monitoring Avian Production and Survivorship banding project continues in its fifth year.  This scientific research is available for visitors to view.

July 5, 8:00 am- 12:00 Visitors (5:30 am Banding Team) MAPS Banding.   Monitoring Avian Production and Survivorship banding project continues in its fifth year.  This scientific research is available for visitors to view.

Sunday, July 11 – 12:00 Visitors (5:30 am Banding Team) MAPS Banding.   Monitoring Avian Production and Survivorship banding project continues in its fifth year.  This scientific research is available for visitors to view.

July 15. 7:30am: Old Hemlock in Bruceton Mills. Join LeJay Graffious for the last monthly bird walk at Old Hemlock.  This walk will be the ending of breeding season at Old Hemlock.  The young are leaving the nests and moving more.  We will walk approximately two miles and stop at ten predetermined locations to census birds for three minutes. Contact LeJay for directions: lejay@oldhemlock.org.

July 17  12:00 pm-2:00 pm and 2:00 pm-4:00 pm Old Hemlock Foundation will have tours of the Evans House.  The home of George Bird Evans and Kay Evans is on the National Historic Register.   Preregistration is required as only five visitors will enter the house during the 12:00 pm tour and during the 2:00 pm tour.   To register, go to Sign Up Genius to register your party.  O r call 304 379 7505 or email info@oldhemlock.org.     When the tours are full, a note about closed registration will be posted here.

Saturday, July 24, 8:00 am– 12:00 Visitors (5:30 am Banding Team) MAPS Banding.   Monitoring Avian Production and Survivorship banding project continues in its fifth year.  This scientific research is available for visitors to view.

Saturday, July 31, 8:00 am– 12:00 Visitors (5:30 am Banding Team) MAPS Banding.   Monitoring Avian Production and Survivorship banding project continues in its fifth year.  This scientific research is available for visitors to view.

September 11, 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm  CANCELED DUE TO AN INCREASE IN COVID CASES IN WV. Old Hemlock Foundation will have tours of the Evans House.  The home of George Bird Evans and Kay Evans is on the National Historic Register.   Preregistration is required as only five visitors will enter the house during the 1:00 pm tour and during the 3:00 pm.     When the tours are full, a note about closed registration will be noted here.   Use the link to register for the Evans House Tour.     For more information,  call 304 379 7505 or email info@oldhemlock.org.

September 11,  9:00 am to approximately noon depending on number of volunteers.

 

2020 Event Calendar (Closed due to COVID)

 

 

2019 Event Calendar

Kid Friendly Activities- (KF)

March 20: Join LeJay Graffious for this first in a series of monthly bird walks at Old Hemlock to watch the arrival of spring migrants and experience the breeding season develop.  We will walk approximately two miles and stop at 10 predetermined locations to census birds for three minutes. Contact LeJay for directions: lejay@oldhemlock.org.

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