First settled in 1796, when Watters Smith built a log cabin, the farmstead remained in the family until 1949, when it was deeded to the state for a park. A large horse and cattle barn (c. 1835), corn crib and hog pen (c. 1840), smokehouse, and frame farmhouse (1876) containing a number of original furnishings are among the exhibits. An early log cabin formerly located in another state park has been rebuilt on the site of the original Smith cabin.

Watters Smith State Park provides an informative glimpse into the lifestyles of a later generation of West Virginians than the Fort New Salem reconstruction.