 Originally established in 1955 as a leadership training facility for West Virginia students, the center is owned and operated by the West Virginia Department of Agriculture, and features year-round accommodations for large and small groups, together with a variety of meeting and recreational facilities.The center's grounds include the Staats Mill Covered Bridge, a historic covered bridge originally built over the Tug Fork of Mill Creek at Staats Mills in 1887.The bridge was dismantled and brought to Cedar Lakes, where it was reconstructed in 1983.