PAWV
  • AmeriCorps
    • About Preserve WV
    • Current Preserve WV Members
    • Join Preserve WV AmeriCorps
    • Preserve WV Stories
    • Sponsor a Member
  • Programs
    • Advocacy >
      • Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits
    • Annual Awards
    • Blair Footsteps Interpretive Trail
    • Historic Masonry Workshop
    • Historic Wood Window Preservation Workshop
    • West Virginia Endangered Properties >
      • West Virginia Endangered Properties List >
        • Endangered Properties Blog
        • Saved Sites
        • Lost or Archived Sites
    • West Virginia Historic Preservation Conference
    • Webinars >
      • Webinar Archive
    • West Virginia Historic Theatre Trail >
      • Movie Theatres of West Virginia
    • WV New Deal Trail
  • Resources
    • Fund Your Preservation Project >
      • Historic Preservation Loan Fund
      • Saving Historic Places Grant
    • Consultants and Contractors
    • Preservation Techniques >
      • Historic Building Assessment
      • How to Recycle Asbestos
      • Mothballing Property
      • Window Rehabilitation
    • Frances Benjamin Johnston: A West Virginia Icon >
      • Selected Photos
      • Behind the Lens Activity
    • Historic Preservation Degrees
  • News
    • Preservation Spotlights
    • Monthly E-newsletter
  • Contact
    • About Us >
      • Our Team
      • Our Story
  • Give
    • Become a Member of PAWV
    • Give Online
    • Ways to Give to PAWV
    • #GivingTuesday
    • Volunteer

GLEN JEAN SCHOOL, 2014 WV ENDANGERED PROPERTY

2/27/2014

 
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.

THE CONVERGING ROADS TO ENERGY INDEPENDENCE AND HERITAGE PRESERVATION – THE BLOG FOR PRESERVATION LEADERSHIP FORUM

2/26/2014

 
Read about the newest initiative to balance hydraulic fracturing (aka fracking) and cultural resource management.  The Gas and Preservation Partnership (GAPP) formed last year and is an innovative not-for-profit organization whose mission is to work collaboratively and pragmatically with both the energy industry and the preservation community to identify and properly manage historic and cultural resources while encouraging efficient exploration and development of energy reserves.

The Converging Roads to Energy Independence and Heritage Preservation – The Blog for Preservation Leadership Forum.

PAWV is heading to Pittsburgh next month to take part in a first-ever summit about promoting this balance.

We’ll be reporting on the event and what we learned.  We encourage others to attend too!

VISTA SOUGHT FOR HISTORIC BEVERLY

2/15/2014

 
Historic Beverly Preservation, Inc. and Beverly ON TRAC are seeking an AmeriCorps VISTA member to focus on Beverly revitalization development, organizational capacity building and fundraising. VISTA will report to the Beverly Heritage Center director, and will work closely with AmeriCorps member who provides direct service at the site, as well as with board and volunteers.

VISTA oversight is provided through the Pocahontas Communications Cooperative VISTA program. Applicant should be self-directed and have degree or background in public history, public administration, marketing, or related field. For more information about VISTA
http://www.americorps.gov/for_individuals/choose/vista.asp

For information about Beverly Heritage Center and Historic Beverly, http://www.beverlyheritagecenter.org
Beverly is located in Randolph County, 6 miles south of Elkins, West Virginia. Start date will be in May 2014 for a one year term, renewable for one additional term. For the right person, multiple terms as VISTA could possibly transition to a staff position, if development efforts are successful. Responsibilities will include:
  • Provide organizational support and capacity building for Beverly ON TRAC. (ON TRAC is a “Main Street” type program that supports beginning community revitalization efforts.) This includes assisting committee chairs to arrange and remind people of committee meetings, attending meetings and keeping and circulating notes, and assisting each committee with specific followup tasks as requested.
  • Work with Economic Restructuring committee to strengthen committee, assist with business outreach, technical assistance and support.
  • Work with promotion committee to plan and implement events and provide promotion for events, including writing press releases, calendar listings, social media and e-newsletters.
  • Work with design committee on community beautification and historic preservation projects.
  • Work with organization and fundraising committees particularly to assist with membership and donor fundraising for ON TRAC activities, capital campaign, and operations.
  • Assist with volunteer recruitment, management, tracking and recognition, including efforts to implement improved volunteer management strategies.
  • Help Board and Beverly ON TRAC in considering decision to seek Main Street status, and if a positive decision is reached, help organization work towards Main Street application by the end of the three years.
  • Attend periodic ON TRAC trainings and monthly ON TRAC conference calls
  • Assist with grant writing.
  • Assist with gift shop development, expanding inventory, implementing on-line sales, etc.
  • Assist with organizational support and visitor services.

To Apply:
Application will consist of resume and cover letter expressing why you think you are right for this position. You will also submit an AmeriCorps VISTA application to Pocahontas Communications Cooperative. Applications will be reviewed as received and will be accepted until position is filled. Materials can be delivered in any one of these ways:
  • Emailed to info@beverlyheritagecenter.org, copied to phyllisb@meer.net (preferred)
  • Mailed to Historic Beverly Preservation, PO Box 227, Beverly, WV 26235
  • Hand delivered to the Beverly Heritage Center, #4 Court Street, Beverly WV.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR POSITION AVAILABLE FOR SMALL HOUSE MUSEUM IN CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA

2/15/2014

 
The Craik-Patton House Museum (craik-patton.org) is seeking an individual with exceptional development and fund raising skills for the position of Executive Director. Major responsibilities will include, but not be limited to:
  • Working with and providing support to the Board of Directors and committees of Craik-Patton Inc. and the WV Society of the Colonial Dames (nscdawv.org)
  • Fund raising and managing database of donors
  • Grant writing
  • Management of the house and the collection
  • Supervising and training volunteers to conduct tours
  • Establish history programs for all ages
  • Create partnerships with other civic business and historic organizations
  • Conduct tours for the public and school groups
  • Office management to include daily operations/knowledge of Quickbooks and PastPerfect
  • Supervise special events and rentals

This is the only paid position at this time.

Qualifications:
  • B.A. or higher
  • 3-5 years experience in museum/historic house administration
  • Experience in grant writing
  • Strong oral and writing proficiency
  • Ability to self-direct and be able to work independently

Please mail resumes to Jeanne Grubb, 2809 Kanawha Blvd., E., Charleston, WV 25311 or email to info@craik-patton.org.

WVU TO OFFER HISTORIC PRESERVATION FIELD SCHOOL

2/15/2014

 
The 2014 West Virginia University Historic Preservation Field School will be held at Coopers Rock State Forest (CRSF) this May. Field School participants will examine three scales of development within CRSF: the Landscape, Structure, and Detail. Landscape analysis will reveal cultural traces of past land uses and bring to the surface former patterns and elements. Structure analysis will include issues in preserving significant threatened pavilions within the park. Construction Detail analysis will reveal the qualities of construction that physically represent an important era in American history.   The program is suitable for upper level undergraduate and graduate students; as well as practitioners and other interested parties.

Contact Dr. Kathryn Burton, Division of Design & Merchandising for more information:
704 – P Allen Hall; phone: (304) 293-0814
email: Kathryn.Burton@mail.wvu.edu

2014 WEST VIRGINIA ENDANGERED PROPERTIES HIGHLIGHT COMMON HERITAGE

2/14/2014

 
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.
The Old Fayetteville High School is an impressive sandstone structure built in 1923.  The historic school, which once housed both the middle school and high school, is located in Fayetteville and has been closed since 1999.  It was added to the Endangered List because certain parts of the structure are failing as a result of deferred maintenance.  The town government acquired the building in 2011 and has since been devising an adaptive re-use plan to restore the building and turn it into a multi-tenant civic and arts center.
Picture
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.
The other school added to the list is the Glen Jean School in Fayette County.  It is the last remaining structure from the original development of Glen Jean.  It sits adjacent to the Boy Scouts of America Bechtel Summit and the National Park Service Headquarters for the New River Gorge National River.  The school has been vacant for eight years, and it was identified as endangered after being severely vandalized this summer.  Currently, owners are mobilizing for a preservation re-use project for mixed use.
Picture
The Margaret Mason Weir Memorial Pool is part of the Marland Heights Park complex in Weirton.  Constructed in 1934, the Art Deco swimming pool features a unique, ovoid above-ground pool style.  The pool closed in 2005, and there were plans to demolish it.  However, a display of community support stopped the demolition plans, and the Marland Heights Community Association, Inc. formed to save the pool.  The Association is conducting a feasibility study to determine whether the swimming pool can be successful.  If determined unfeasible, the pool could be demolished.
Picture
The Kirk’s Building is located in the center of downtown Wheeling along a gateway into the downtown district on Market Street.  Adjacent to the West Virginia’s Independence Hall, it is one of few terra cotta and Art Deco buildings in the city. Most recently, the building was home to Kirk’s Art Supply, but for the past five years, it has been vacant.  It was identified as endangered because the building is deteriorating. There is a lot of support from Wheeling residents to preserve this property and rehabilitate it as a rentable commercial space.
Picture
The Golden Rule is located in the heart of downtown Belington in Barbour County.  Built in 1902, it was a wholesale family-owned business, Valley Grocery Company, for nearly 100 years.  Its Italianate architectural style is a rarity for the town.  Currently, it is used for storage and is endangered because of deferred maintenance, vandalism, pests, and invasive vegetation.  Several local nonprofit organizations are working together to purchase and rehabilitate the property with the goal of sparking much-needed economic development in the area.   ​
Picture
Feagans Mill is the oldest structure to be added this year, and it is unique to the Endangered List because it is the last complete, intact, and operable grist mill in Jefferson County. It can be found in a largely agricultural area surrounded by historical houses and farms, all of which predate 1880.  The current owner’s goal is a full restoration of the site with functioning historical mill, creamery, and ancillary businesses.  It was added to the endangered list because of pest infiltration and because the project is having difficulty in moving forward due to zoning and engineering regulation concerns.
Picture

EXCUSE FOR AN EXCURSION TO EXPLORE AFRICAN-AMERICAN HERITAGE IN WEST VIRGINIA

2/5/2014

 
By Tricia

When President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976, he asked the public to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.” Bearing this in mind, PAWV chose this edition of Excuse for an Excursion to bring African-American Heritage in West Virginia to the forefront.

The African-American community has had a presence in West Virginia as early as the eighteenth century. In the twenty-first century, the West Virginia Department of Commerce created the African-American Heritage Trail, demonstrating how a once enslaved population could contribute to a state created during the Civil War. This trail features thirty-one sites spread over West Virginia, but concentrated along the I-64 and I-77 corridors, and around the tip of the Eastern Panhandle. Some of these sites include John Brown’s Fort in Harpers Ferry, Booker T. Washington’s boyhood home in Malden, and the African-American Heritage Family Tree Museum in Ansted. Also, in Hinton, the statue of John Henry, the legendary railroad worker, stands tall near Big Bend Tunnel.  For more information on West Virginia’s African-American Heritage Trail please click here.
Picture
More than just John Henry’s ties to the railroad, West Virginia was home to a line of another kind, the Underground Railroad.  Several routes ran through the state including some along the National Road, the Northwestern Turnpike, the Parkersburg Staunton Turnpike, and many of the rivers. One such site believed to be part of the Underground Railroad is in Doddridge County. Luke Jaco used a cave near his Inn to help transport slaves along the Northwestern Turnpike from Winchester, Virginia to Parkersburg and the Ohio River. There are names and dates in the Jaco Cave carved by the people who took shelter there. For more information on the Underground Railroad trail through Doddridge County, contact doddridgecountyhistory@gmail.com.
Picture
Picture
Noticing the mark the African-American community left on West Virginia, it makes it harder to ignore the history that has been lost forever, like the Colored Children’s Home that once stood outside Huntington. This building was on PAWV’s 2011 Endangered Properties list; it was demolished later that same year. By cherishing the history that remains, we can preserve and protect it for the future. So embrace the African-American heritage of West Virginia and let that be your excuse for an excursion – not just during Black History Month, but any month.

    News and Notes

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    About
    Advocacy
    Awards
    Conferences
    Endangered Properties
    Excuse For An Excursion
    Federal Historic Tax Credit
    For Sale
    Funding
    Heritage Areas
    Heritage Tourism
    Historic Architecture
    Historic Preservation Funding
    Historic Preservation Programs
    Miscellaneous
    Newsletter
    Preservation Legislation
    Preserve WV AmeriCorps
    State Historic Tax Credit
    Trades
    Training
    WV Preservation Spotlight

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    September 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    May 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012


    Subscribe to our mailing list to receive e-news updates on historic preservation news and events in West Virginia.
    Subscribe

Get Involved

  • Give Online
  • ​Volunteer
  • Join AmeriCorps 
  • ​Subscribe 
  • Kroger Community Rewards
  • Shop with Amazon Smile
  • Contact Us

Programs

  • June 2022 E-News
  • Saving Historic Places Grant
  • Preserve WV AmeriCorps
  • Advocacy
  • ​Preservation Awards
  • Endangered Properties List
  • Conferences
  • Historic Preservation Loan Fund
  • WV Historic Theatre Trail
  • WV Historic New Deal Trail


Contact Us

Preservation Alliance of West Virginia
​421 Davis Avenue, #4  |  Elkins, WV 26241
​Email: info@pawv.org
Phone: 304-345-6005
Donate with Crypto

Organizational Partners:
PAWV Logo
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
© COPYRIGHT 2022 - PRESERVATION ALLIANCE OF WEST VIRGINIA. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • AmeriCorps
    • About Preserve WV
    • Current Preserve WV Members
    • Join Preserve WV AmeriCorps
    • Preserve WV Stories
    • Sponsor a Member
  • Programs
    • Advocacy >
      • Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits
    • Annual Awards
    • Blair Footsteps Interpretive Trail
    • Historic Masonry Workshop
    • Historic Wood Window Preservation Workshop
    • West Virginia Endangered Properties >
      • West Virginia Endangered Properties List >
        • Endangered Properties Blog
        • Saved Sites
        • Lost or Archived Sites
    • West Virginia Historic Preservation Conference
    • Webinars >
      • Webinar Archive
    • West Virginia Historic Theatre Trail >
      • Movie Theatres of West Virginia
    • WV New Deal Trail
  • Resources
    • Fund Your Preservation Project >
      • Historic Preservation Loan Fund
      • Saving Historic Places Grant
    • Consultants and Contractors
    • Preservation Techniques >
      • Historic Building Assessment
      • How to Recycle Asbestos
      • Mothballing Property
      • Window Rehabilitation
    • Frances Benjamin Johnston: A West Virginia Icon >
      • Selected Photos
      • Behind the Lens Activity
    • Historic Preservation Degrees
  • News
    • Preservation Spotlights
    • Monthly E-newsletter
  • Contact
    • About Us >
      • Our Team
      • Our Story
  • Give
    • Become a Member of PAWV
    • Give Online
    • Ways to Give to PAWV
    • #GivingTuesday
    • Volunteer