Endangered List Update:

Cass Still Needs Help!

Preserving The Doctor’s House at the Cass Scenic Railroad State Park

By George Collins Director of Museum Program and Studies at Tusculum College Executive Director of the Mountain State Railroad and Logging Historical Association

"Cass is more than a State Park, it is a national treasure."

The town of Cass, an integral part of the Cass Historic Railroad State Park, is of significant national importance as one of few surviving examples of a wholly company–owned town. Similar towns were common throughout parts of the country in the late 19th and early 20th century. The preservation and restoration of the Cass historic district must include important community structures, logging railroad and engines, and related industrial sites. In 2001, the Mountain State Railroad and Logging Historical Association (an all-volunteer non-profit organization) and the Foundation for the Cass Scenic Railroad State Park began the long-term process of restoring the company Doctor’s House at Cass. Built about 1903, this house served as home to the company doctors of the West Virginia Pulp & Paper Company. WVPP built and owned the town of Cass and the related timber operations. The house is noted in the National Register of Historic Places as “the best architecturally” of the official’s homes in Cass. Given its physical location in the townscape and the important story it has to tell regarding medical services, the families who lived in Cass, and the town’s social structure, it is a significant building. At present, portions of the home are generally sound. However, it is suffering major structural problems, including a leaking roof, sagging north wall, and a collapsed foundation. Given the significant deterioration of the home in the last three years and the problems noted, it is estimated that this building will be “on the ground” in three to five years. This is the same fate which faces several other buildings in the National Historic District as shown by the recent collapse of a wall at the Cass School. The Mountain State Railroad and Logging Historical Association received a matching grant from the West Virginia State Historic Preservation Office in 2002 to develop a plan of stabilization and restoration. Upon completion of the restoration plan by the newly selected architect, cost estimates for the restoration work will be obtained and fundraising started for the project. It is anticipated that some construction work will be undertaken on the house beginning in 2003 - the 100th anniversary of its construction. At present, Mountain State has obtained $6,175 through a grant and private donations toward a goal of $10,000. This will enable a plan and required specifications to be completed for the stabilization and exterior restoration of the home. The goals of this ambitious effort are: To preserve the home and its significant location in the townscape of Cass, To restore the home to its ca. 1930’s -‘40’s period appearance for use as an educational and interpretive site for visitors to the Park, and To establish a model of private and volunteer restoration in order to stimulate other restoration efforts within the Park. Beyond the Doctor’s House, the whole community needs dedicated preservation attention — neither an inexpensive nor a short-term commitment. The alternative of continued deterioration and eventual loss of these community structures is totally unacceptable, however. As owner and custodian of this community, the state has been woefully inadequate in their stewardship to date. Since the state seems unable or unwilling to preserve this and other elements of the Historic District, the MSRLH Association is committed to this massive undertaking. The heart of Cass is the railroad, but this may be the last real opportunity to save the rest of the community that supports it. Cass is more than a State Park, it is a national treasure. The full potential of Cass Scenic Railroad State Park as a nationally significant Heritage Tourism site will only be realized when the whole park is a place of preservation, programming, and education for present and future generations. The Mountain State Railroad and Logging Historical Association has been in existence for 20 years and has completed many significant projects at Cass, including construction of Whittaker Camp #1 with its restored logging equipment, installation of a visitor orientation exhibit in the Cass Depot, construction of a Restoration Shop, and hiring and training of seasonal interpreters. Currently the Association is working on the re-opening of the Cass Historical Museum and the restoration of a rare three-truck Climax geared steam engine. Overall, the Association has contributed untold volunteer hours and more than $500,000 worth of projects to the park. CASS: What You Can Do