The city of Weirton was incorporated in 1947, combining the areas known as Holliday’s Cove – home to the area’s earliest settlers, Marland Heights and Weirton Heights – both located on bluffs above the downtown area, and Weirton – the area immediately surrounding Weirton Steel. Some forty years prior, the area was mostly apple orchards and farms. In 1909, Ernest T. Weir, president of Phillips Sheet and Tin Plate Company of Clarksburg, WV, purchased 105 acres of land from Cyrus Ferguson to expand his business. By the end of 1909, Weir’s company was operating ten mills and by 1918, the Phillips Sheet and Tin Company changed its name to Weirton Steel Company. Weirton Steel and the surrounding areas continued to prosper for the better part of 60 years. At one time, the company employed over 12,000 people, becoming the largest private employer in West Virginia, and was the 5th largest steel producer in the country. The areas surrounding downtown Weirton, such as Marland Heights, were home to the employees of Weirton Steel. And by providing for the city, Weirton Steel was providing for their employees. During the 1930’s, many community oriented projects were undertaken by Weirton Steel, one such project was the Marland Heights Park and Margaret Manson Weir Memorial Pool. The park and pool were developed using funds left by David Mason Weir, brother of Ernest Weir and vice-president of Weirton Steel Company. In his will, he stipulated that funds from his estate be used to develop a public space honoring his mother, Margaret M. Weir. The Art Deco swimming pool was constructed by Weirton Steel Employees including laid-off workers and was under the ownership of Weirton Steel until 1984 when ownership was transferred to the Board of Parks and Recreational Commissioners. Both the park and pool served as the center of Weirton’s recreational activities until the pool closed in 2005. As stated in its National Register Nomination, most of the original elements still exist to this day. The original wire baskets used for storing belongings, wooden dressing benches and a wooden check-in counter. The impact of the Margaret Mason Memorial Pool and Marland Heights Park is evident within the community; both are mainstays of shared memory. One long-time resident of Marland Heights, Dolores Ginier, was recently interviewed regarding the community pool. Mrs. Ginier was born shortly after the park and pool were dedicated and grew up within walking distance. She has a unique perspective on the situation, having seen the growth of Weirton and the Marland Heights area. She began going to the pool at a young age and took her children there as well. When asked what she remembers most about the pool, Mrs. Ginier answered, “We lived there in the summer. From 4th grade on, we spent every day there. We would ride our bikes two times a day to the pool.” She also remembers her favorite aspects of the pool, how cold the water was as well as the diving boards. [Originally, the pool had three diving boards, including a high dive. In 1990, the high dive was deemed unsafe and removed due to the depth of the deep end.] Mrs. Ginier says her and her friends would lay out a lot as they got older, their goal being to “get tan, as dark as we could get. We didn’t know any better in those days, how bad that was for you.” Some activities that were popular in the 1940’s and 1950’s were ping pong, which was played in a shelter on park grounds, as well as shuffle board. She also remembers playing tennis and watching others play basketball. Mrs. Ginier talked about some of her earliest memories involving the playground. “The playground used to be in back of the pool, there were children’s swings with wooden seats and possibly a slide. There wasn’t any climbing equipment like now” [today the playground is to the right of the pool and does consist mainly of climbing equipment]. “The maintenance and care [of the park] also stand out. There was a spit-polished shine. No gravel was out of place and the shrubbery was perfectly manicured. I believe Weirton Steel took care of the maintenance.” When asked how she feels about efforts to reopen the pool, Mrs. Ginier replied, “I fully support the efforts currently being made. I wish them well.” Currently, efforts are being made by the Marland Heights Community Association and the Weirton Board of Parks and Recreation to begin the necessary steps required to open the landmark to the public. The Margaret Manson Weir Memorial Pool is a major part of the history of Weirton and Weirton Steel. It is a unique building, retaining most of its original elements, and will be a cornerstone of the community. Here is a historic video of the pool dedication:
Rodney Bohner, PAWV’s Preserve WV AmeriCorps, organized a few AmeriCorps members. With oversight provided by Lynn Stasick and Pete and Carolyn Stephens, the volunteers covered the logs with a large tarp. It was a sunny day with strong winds, which made it difficult to secure the 30′ x 40′ tarp. However, it was a successful day, and the members were able to ensure this precious resource is protected from the elements until the fort can be reassembled.
The original mill on the Feagans’ site was built by the Abram Haines family between 1757 and 1760. That mill was burnt to the ground by Union forces during he Civil War by order of General David Hunter and General Phillip Sheridan in 1864. It was rebuilt around 1870 by Isaac Feagans, who had purchased one half interest in the property from the Haines family and began operating as the Haines’-Feagans’ Mill. In about 1900, Wilder Feagans purchased the remaining share from the Haines, and the mill operated as Feagans Mill until 1943, when it was shut down. During 1937, it did suffer some damage from another fire, and from 1943 to 2010, little upkeep was done to the mill and it fell into a state of disrepair, with pests infiltrating much of the building.
Acquired by the present owner in 2010, the mill is in need of minor structural restoration and routine maintenance. The plan is to conduct a full restoration of the site, ultimately resulting in a fully operational historic mill and creamery, as well as ancillary businesses, which could serve the needs of local farmers AND become a historic tourism destination. Rehabilitation of the property began in 2011 by removal of most of the accumulated refuse inside the mill and clearing of the overgrowth from the exterior. The mill is powered by a 16-by-4-foot iron water wheel, made by the Fritz Iron Foundry of Martinsburg and located on the north side of the mill. There has been some difficulty in moving forward with the project primarily related to zoning and engineering regulation concerns. It is hoped that PAWV can reduce the threat to the property by providing technical guidance to the owner as to proper historic restoration and preservation techniques and can help the owner mitigate some of the concerns of the county planning and engineering departments. By Tricia The Golden Rule building is one of the last remnants of Belington’s economic boom. Completed in 1902, this local ‘landmark’ housed the Shinn family’s Valley Grocery Company wholesale operation and later the Golden Rule Company retail store. Though this is not the only family business associated with The Golden Rule, this turn-of-the-century building includes a hydraulic elevator from the Warner Elevator Company, a family company out of Cincinnati, Ohio. Warren Warner was considered a pioneer in elevator manufacturing. In the mid-nineteenth century, his company built the first hydraulic elevator in the United States. After Warren passed away in 1891, the company remained in the family. His grandson, C.H.M. Atkins took over the Warner Elevator Company. By 1912, the Warner Elevator Company was the third largest producer of electric elevators in the country.
Mechanics of the elevator The elevator in The Golden Rule is little more than a palette-sized plate in a narrow three-story shaft. The whole system comprises of a large metal cylinder, iron pipes, cables, and pulleys. The iron pipe, connected to the city’s water source, fed into the cylinder causing the pulleys to turn and the platform to rise and fall. The major mechanical parts are still in the basement, however, it appears that several pipes are missing. The Belington Revitalization Committee hopes to get the elevator working again as part of the preservation and rehabilitation of the building. By Lynn
Long before the town of Glen Jean became the New River Gorge National River (NERI) headquarters in 1978 and prior to its post World War II economic boom and bust, the area was a thriving industrial region rich in coal and timber. The workforce necessary to run the engines of such industry was sizeable, and soon workers and families dotted the countryside. As other mines opened and the population grew, so did the need for a more sophisticated school system. This eventually led to the construction of the Old Glen Jean High School. In 1880, Thomas McKell and his bride, Jean Dun, both of wealthy Ohio parentage, visited the New River to survey property they received as a wedding gift. Realizing its potential wealth, McKell purchased additional land bringing their holdings to 25,000 acres. He then leased the coal to the Collins Colliery Company, and established the towns of Glen Jean, Dun Glen, and the Glen Jean Bank. To transport the timber and coal, McKell constructed a seven mile railroad connecting Glen Jean to the C&O mainline at Thurmond. In addition to hauling freight, a half-million passengers rode the mainline yearly. To capitalize on this, McKell built the one-hundred-five room Dun Glen Hotel and gambling hall as well as a bridge across the river from the train depot. To manage such a large workforce, McKell’s needs required the creation of whole communities to house workers and their families as well as facilities to educate the children. For years, small schools populated the region, but in 1921, Fayette County purchased a tract of McKell land and constructed a school building, which burned in 1924. In 1925, a one story structure was built adjacent to the first building, and in 1926, the two-story building now listed as a 2014 PAWV Endangered Property was constructed on the original site. Located about a quarter mile from NERI headquarters on State Route 25 and the Dunloop Creek, the building is constructed using polychromatic (multi-colored) brick. The front façade sports a Moorish style bell tower, an arched entrance, and a Palladian style opening above the arch. Along with the McKell Bank, it one of the few remaining structures dating to the early New River mining era. The school remained in continuous operation until 1997. The building was purchased in 1999 to serve as business offices and visitor center for the Thurmond, Glen Jean, and Great New River Railroad, and was closed in 2006. Since that time, the school has suffered large-scale vandalism. The owner’s plan is to temporarily mothball the building in an effort to better secure it, with the future goal of adaptively re-using it as a higher-end living facility for the elderly, or for other mixed use purposes. By Danielle, Executive Director Six historic structures, including an above-ground pool and one of West Virginia’s oldest mills, were announced as the 2014 West Virginia Endangered Properties List during a press conference at the State Capitol on February 12, 2014. This year marks the fifth anniversary of the revival of Preservation Alliance of West Virginia’s (PAWV) Endangered List, which is a collection of historic resources at risk of being lost from neglect, demolition, and other factors. All of the sites added to this year’s list represent a shared heritage. They are special places that helped to define us as children and unique shops that were staples of the community for years, but as times have changed, they have fallen into disrepair. However, 2014 is a turn-around year for these endangered sites, and with PAWV’s support, their owners have plans to update them while preserving our heritage. Two old schools in Fayetteville and Glen Jean, a Weirton pool, two unique commercial buildings in Belington and Wheeling, and Jefferson County’s oldest intact grist mill comprise this year’s list.
PAWV is the statewide, grassroots organization promoting historic preservation and our state’s cultural heritage. Each year, PAWV releases an Endangered List to highlight the plight of at-risk properties that contribute to the understanding of our heritage. PAWV’s field services representative, Lynn Stasick, works directly with local residents rallying to save and re-use endangered properties. Lynn provides preservation assistance, such as preservation expertise, capacity building, and advocacy. For the first time, PAWV has increased this initiative by instituting the new Five Year Plan of Rescue for endangered property stewards. Its goals are to evaluate the project’s present position, formulate a plan of action, and work to see the dream through to its end, in addition to minimizing the inevitable problems that arise in endangered property projects. “We are offering added support by giving the property stewards a plan to follow that has been proven to work for other endangered sites over the last five years. Although some projects take longer than others, this is a tried and true method that is effective,” explains Danielle LaPresta, Executive Director for PAWV. Properties are selected for the West Virginia Endangered Properties List after a competitive nomination process on the basis of preservation emergency, eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places, and local support for a re-use project. To follow the fate of Endangered Properties, look for updates in the Saving Sites section on the PAWV website at www.pawv.org. More information about listed sites and nomination forms for next year’s Endangered Properties List are available at here.
Purchase one for yourself, and send one as a gift! The cost of the booklet is $10 plus $2.50 for shipping and handling. There are two ways to purchase the booklet:
The National Trust for Historic Preservation featured a lengthy article about the progress at McCoy fort.
There are some great photos, and it’s definitely worth a read. Check it out at http://blog.preservationnation.org/2013/11/15/deconstruction-discovery-west-virginia-community-digs-fort-mccoy-colonial-past/#.Uoppi-K-fTp
The 1834 library building, located in Lewisburg, was added to the endangered list in 2010 because of deterioration. The interior floors had buckled due to water intrusion, and water pipes had burst from lack of heat. It also needed a new roof and rehabilitation of windows and bathrooms. Since being listed, the city and college have partnered on this re-use project for the library, which housed the “Library and Study for the Supreme Court of Appeals of Virginia” prior to West Virginia statehood in 1863. Additionally, the building served as a Union hospital and barracks and still has soldier’s inscriptions on the interior walls.
The award ceremony will begin at 4:30 on November 22, and it will be held in the Student Lounge of the New River Community and Technical College’s Greenbrier Valley Campus in Lewisburg. It will be followed by a reception and preservation tours of the library building. The event is free and open to the public. By Danielle, Executive Director The Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit is a valuable tool for large-scale historic preservation projects. Preservationists all over the country recognize the need for this tax incentive because without it, many of the larger projects could not come to fruition. It just wouldn’t be economically feasible. The federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit is under fire currently as Congress undertakes tax reform, and we’ve been advocating all year for the importance of renewing this tax credit. Rather than discussing politics though, we want to recognize a grand project in Elkins that brought several organizations together in a fantastic partnership to save First Ward School and bring it back to life by adapting it into senior housing. In 2009, Preservation Alliance of West Virginia added the First Ward School to its WV Endangered Properties List because of its deterioration. That same year, Citizens for Historical Opportunity, Preservation, and Education, or C-HOPE, purchased the historical building for $1 from the Randolph County Board of Education. C-HOPE’s ultimate goal was to re-use the prominent structure for contemporary needs. After listing it to the National Register of Historic Places and fixing the roof, C-HOPE sold the school to AU Associates and Highland Community Builders. Under this partnership, the two transformed the building into sixteen affordable senior housing apartments for those fifty-five and older. AU Associates is a development firm based in Lexington, Kentucky, and it develops properties based on the principals of adaptive use, and has focused on opportunities for urban infill, as well as the revitalization of existing structures. Highland Community Builders is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life of residents of north-central West Virginia by developing quality housing that is affordable, and by collaborating with other agencies to provide opportunities for self-sufficiency, job training and asset building. It is affiliated with the Randolph County Housing Authority, a non-traditional housing authority whose mission is to “promote strong communities and a healthy quality of life.” Highland Community Builders worked with C-Hope to attract AU Associates to the project, and facilitated community meetings about the project as the feasibility work was being carried out.
The Total Project Cost was $3,737,000 with Sources of Funds including, Low Income Housing Tax credits of $3.3 million resulting in $2.8 million in equity; Federal Historic Tax Credits of $675,294 resulting in $594,200 in equity; State Historic Tax Credits of $337,647 resulting in $209,400 in equity; and a Development Grant from the WV State Historic Preservation Office of $59,700. The combination of the Low Income, Federal and State Historic Credits is what made this possible; it could not have been done without all three! The recipients for this year’s Best Use of Historic Preservation Tax Credits Awards: AU Associates, C-HOPE, Highland Community Builders, and the Randolph County Board of Education. |
News and NotesCategories
All
Archives
January 2024
Subscribe to our mailing list to receive e-news updates on historic preservation news and events in West Virginia.
|