Endangered Properties Blog

Jefferson County Jail

2/1/2002

Charlestown, Jefferson County

The 1918 Georgian-Revival jailhouse was built by the noted Mullett architectural firm and is connected to the county courthouse. It is on the National Register and Inventory of American Labor Landmarks. The jail was the location of the pre-trial detention of William Blizzard, the "coal miners’ general" at the famed Battle of Blair Mountain, and some of his associates, prior to their treason trials at the Jefferson County Courthouse in 1922. Abolitionist John Brown was tried fifty years before in the same Courthouse in the nation’s other major treason trial. In 2000, the Jefferson County Commission voted to tear down the old Jefferson County jail, but its National Register designation legally mandated a historic review process. When the Commission attempted to ignore those protections, local residents sued to force compliance. In a resounding victory for jail supporters, both the state Circuit Court and Supreme Court ruled that the commission was bound by law to conduct the historic review and placed an injunction against demolition until that review took place. Finally, after three years of legal fighting, the mandated review of this historic jail got underway in June 2004.

Murphy Farm

2/1/2002

Harpers Ferry Area, Jefferson County

State preservationists got some good news last fall with the announcement that the entire 99-acre Murphy Farm at Harpers Ferry would be purchased by the nonprofit Trust for Public Land on behalf of the Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. This critical purchase rescued the Murphy Farm, site of the climactic 1862 Confederate attack and capture of Harpers Ferry, from being developed into a 188-house residential subdivision. In 1895-1910, the farm served as the location of the Harpers Ferry engine house that abolitionist leader John Brown used in his abortive 1859 attempt to spark a slave uprising. The Brown fort was sent to Chicago for the 1893 Columbian Exposition, and, upon its return, Alexander Murphy deeded five acres to rebuild the structure on his farm. In 1906 W.E.B. DuBois and other leaders of the Niagara Movement, a predecessor of the NAACP, "made a barefoot pilgrimage" across the farm to the engine house. The engine house was later returned and placed within park boundaries near the confluence of the Potomac & Shenandoah rivers. More good news was recently released when the National Park Service announced that it is adding the farm property to existing park acreage, thus guaranteeing its preservation for future generations. Murphy Farm is saved!

Clendenin Middle School

2/1/2002

Clendenin, Kanawha County

2011 Update: Clendenin Middle School, built in 1912, housed the high school until 1936 when it then became the middle school until 2000. The Middle School was listed to Preservation Alliance of West Virginia’s 2002 Endangered Property’s List. In 2004, the school board district donated the building to the local economic development group 25045 - A New Clendenin. In September 2010, officials broke ground to begin an extensive renovation lead by Kentucky-based developers AU Associates that would convert the building into 18 one- and two-bedroom apartments for seniors and the second floor into a health clinic for Cabin Creek Health Care System. On October 26, 2011, the renovated Riverview at Clendenin officially opened thanks in part to not only AU Associates and the non-profit group 25045 – A New Clendenin but also to Terrell Ellis and Associates. This project was awarded $1 million in state and federal historic tax credits as well as a slew of state and federal funds.

2002: Completed in 1912, Clendenin Middle School was originally known as the Big Sandy District High School. This building attests to the early twentieth century growth of public education in the state. The town of Clendenin was the first community in West Virginia to take advantage of a new law allowing Boards of Education to sell bonds for school construction. For the sum of $35,000, the Board of Education built a marvelous Neo-Classical Revival building that represented the aspirations of a growing community. In 1996, the school was listed on the National Register as part of the Clendenin Historic District. In 2002, the school closed its doors and remained vacant and for sale until August 2004, when the school board donated it to a local economic development group, A New Clendenin, formed in 2003 to revitalize the historic town. The majestic old school building will be incorporated as an integral part of their effort.

Cass Historic District

2/1/2002

Cass, Pocahontas County

Now owned by the WV Department of Natural Resources, Cass was established in 1900 by the WV Pulp & Paper Company (WESTVACO) and is a rare surviving example of an early 20th century logging industry company town. Listed on the National Register, the town of Cass is running out of time. Long, harsh winters and humid summers take a heavy toll on wooden buildings open to the environment, causing many of the houses, the company hospital, and the huge Cass School to lose structural integrity. Vandalism, looting, and arson have also heavily impacted many of the irreplaceable resources. In 2001, the all-volunteer Mountain State Railroad and Logging Historical Association (MSRLHA) and the Foundation for the Cass Scenic Railroad State Park began preservation efforts on the Company Doctor’s House at Cass. In 2003, the Cass Preservation Committee began reviewing and updating the Cass Master Plan with renewed emphasis on preserving historic cultural resources with recommendations for future work. A subcommittee is working on a more detailed review of status and needs, and an engineer’s overview of Cass School is done. In addition, the architectural report for the Doctor’s House is complete and fundraising efforts are underway.

Jefferson County Jail

Murphy Farm

Clendenin Middle School

Cass Historic District

Endangered Properties List

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