Mountaineer Opry House

The Mountaineer Opry House was opened in July of 1971 by Paul King, and his wife Rebecca.  William "Paul" King was born on September 30th, 1921.  He was a Shriner, a Mason, and a thirty year employee of Union Carbide, where he worked as a chemical truck driver.  He was the son of William and Lessie King.

After Rebecca's death in 1991, Paul decided he didn't want to run the Opry House full time anymore, so he asked two of his regular patrons, Larry and Mary Stephens, if they were willing to take over.  They agreed, and Paul stayed on temporarily to help out.

Paul passed away in July of 2002, and is buried in the Chestnut Grove Baptist Church Cemetery.  Larry and Mary still own and operate the venue, and have upgraded the sound system significantly.  The Mountaineer Opry house offers world-renowned bluegrass acts every Saturday, and has continuously since 1971.

The Mountaineer Opry House is listed on several sites as being haunted.  It is said that when one is on the stage, the sound of a banjo playing in one of the rehearsal rooms can be heard...even though no one else is in the building.  HPIR has contacted the owners, who disputed this claim and have no idea how the tale got started.
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