Institution

The pictures in this entry shows samples of decorative fabric art on display at the museum, including:<ul><li>Lace making using a very small,thin, scaffold to keep the threads separated and help with the design.</li><li>Knitted lace made by Armita Bell in 1910. She grew the flax, harvested, broke, carded, spun and knitted the lace.</li><li>A pulled-thread linen table scarf from the Johnson estate.</li><li>The Sampler of six lace squares showing a mix of pulled-thread, drawn-work and cutwork needlework was made during the winter of 1896-1897 by "Cousin Dora".</li><li class="ql-indent-1">In pulled-thread work warp and weft threads of the base material are pulled together to make small holes by tightening stitches. The decorative effect is created by applying tension to the stitching thread and pulling the thread tight. The more tension applied, the wider the open area. Pulled thread has also been called drawn fabric</li><li class="ql-indent-1">Cutwork involves cutting-away sections of the base material. It may be resulting "hole" is reinforced and filled with embroidery or needle lace. Cutwork is often referred to as cutwork lace.</li><li class="ql-indent-1">Drawn thread work is a form of counted-thread embroidery which specific warp and/or weft threads are permanently removed from the ground material. The remaining threads are grouped or bundled together into patterns.</li><li>A knitted lace table runner by Esta Broyles, born 1861. The runner is 12 inches wide and 42 inches long. Esta began weaving before the age of six, making coverlets, linen cloth, and linsey-woolsey in the family loom house.</li></ul>

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Early settlers made the material to make their clothing. The wool from the sheep was clipped, washed, and dried. Many of the women would gather together to "pick" the dirt and burrs out of the wool. The wool was then carded and spun, then woven. Winter clothes were often wool. A patch of flax was sown in springtime. The flax was pulled, spread out to take rain, then broken with a flax hackle, spun into thread, and woven. Summer clothes were often linen. Cotton could be purchased by the bale, dyed to color, and then warp the web and put onto the loom. An extensive amount of work and time was needed to create cloth. It became a symbol of status to be able to use cloth for table runners, or to make decorative lace for clothing or furniture.

Fabric Arts

The first settlers arrived in the area around 1760. There was conflict with Native American people due to the fighting during the French and Indian War, and later during the American Revolution. Monroe County was formed from Greenbrier County in 1799. The new County was named for James Monroe, Virginia's governor at the time.Monroe's economic basis has always been farming and timber harvesting. Beginning around 1790, two additional activities were important for about 70 years. It was the age of water power, and streams such as Indian Creek and The Second Creek supported more than two dozen water-powered mills. During the same period, the area's mineral springs became major summer resorts, catering to Southerners seeking relief from lowland summer heat.After the Civil War, with the South's economy and social order devastated, the old resorts faded away. New railroads bypassed Monroe County except at its more accessible edges. Steam power and newer forms of energy overshadowed water power. Lacking suitable coal deposits, Monroe County lies outside the mining area which encompasses most of West Virginia. For these reasons, "Old Monroe" still relies largely on agriculture and retains its pastoral character.The Historical Society Museum campus consists of three buildings: <ul><li>The Caperton Building, c. 1820 is the home of the Monroe County Historical Society and Museum and is the former law office of Hugh Caperton, one of the early prominent residents of Union. Mr. Caperton was a successful merchant in Union and built “Elmwood,” located just outside of town. The building, in the Early Classical Revival style originally had only three rooms. The work would have been done by slaves who dug clay pits, made the brick and fired it in kilns here on the property. In the 1860s the building became a branch of the Bank of Virginia and after 1863 became the Bank of Monroe, when the vault (located in the closet with folding doors) was added. Then it became The Bank of Union in 1872. At some point, the building became a private residence and remained so until 1987, when obtained by the Historical Society. Today, The Caperton Building is the main building where visitors are welcomed to the museum complex. The Building houses artifact exhibits and archives of genealogy records and resources for research into daily living. Publications are displayed for purchase. It also serves as a Tourist Information Center for Monroe County. </li><li>The Clark Wiseman-Owen Neel House was built by combining two Monroe County log houses. In 1996, the society obtained ownership of the 1810 Clark Wiseman log cabin in Union, It was originally constructed on South Street as a two-story cabin. When the town fathers laid out the town plot for Union in 1799, they specified that each house be at least 16 x 18 feet, two stories in height, and built of brick, stone, or log. It also had to have a chimney of stone or brick and be finished inside in a craftsman-like manner. The Clark-Wiseman House was built to fit these demands. In 2005, the 1790 Owen Neel log house from Gap Mills was donated and became the kitchen/weaving wing. It represents a settler’s home of that period. We believe it was originally one room with a very low loft. The downstairs room would have been used for most everything, including sleeping facilities for the adults. The children would have slept in the loft, with access by an indoor ladder or outside stairs. Later, a second room and loft were added and that room became the parlor. Even later the roof was raised and the house then had four rooms. The double fireplace has separate flues for each side of the house. The two houses are furnished with Monroe County period pieces and artifacts.</li><li>The Carriage House Museum, completed in 2014, is located on Middle Street adjacent to the Museum Complex. It houses the Society’s vintage 1880s Omnibus that transported guests to the springs resorts, as well as a variety of different types of carriages showing the types of transportation available, and the tools to build them. </li></ul>

The Monroe County Historical Society Museum opened in 1987 and offers exhibits of artifacts donated by families from across the county. The organization is dedicated to discovering, collecting, preserving, interpreting, and sharing the rich history, culture, and heritage of the past in order to inspire present and future generations to make the past a meaningful part of their contemporary lives. Exhibits include fossils, military artifacts, the once-famous springs resorts, and fabric arts. The museum is located in the Caperton Building and the two nearby log houses and carriage houses complete the museum campus. Guided tours are offered by volunteers. This tour includes the museum complex and then proceeds on to several nearby buildings in Union.

Dedicated in 2014, the new Carriage House Museum on Middle Street, off Main, contains an extraordinary collection of transport vehicles used in the county during the 1800s. A project of the Monroe County Historical Society, this museum highlights the early modes of transportation in America. The project was conceived and led by Dr. Fred Ziegler of Greenville and designed and built by Chip Sills, owner of Earthwood Construction in Greenville with a team of dedicated volunteers. This 1000-sq.ft timber-frame building is constructed in a Gothic Revival style. The museum accommodates historic transport vehicles including the omnibus, carriages, horse-drawn wagons, sleighs, buggies, wheelbarrows and a goat cart. Inspiration for the design was the Conestoga Wagon House adjacent to the North House, home of the Greenbrier Historical Society in Lewisburg, WV. Finished in natural wood stain and red trim, the building's exterior features restored 12-pane antique windows, sliding doors, and engraved bricks on the porch floor from community patrons. Inside, soaring hammer-beam trusses offer noble dimensions with their upward sweep. The "star" of the fleet is the elegant Omnibus built around 1880 by John Stephenson &amp; Co., New York. With its original paint and designs unaltered, the handsome coach (9 feet tall and 11 feet long) has never been restored and is in good original condition, a "survivor" of early transportation days. Though there were thousands built, only a few remain. According to Dr. Ziegler in "Carriages of Monroe County, West Virginia": "John Stephenson's success was due to his low prices, fine workmanship and the light weight of his products. In fact, the Omnibus is a masterpiece of the coach maker's craft, with curved panels for walls, supported by a double suspension system and painted with scrolls, country scenes, pinstripes, and the destinations of Chalybeate and Sweet Springs. It is in original condition - while every other surviving omnibus known to us has been over-painted. This makes it unique!" (Ziegler)The mission of the Omnibus was to transport resort guests from the Alleghany Station (near Callahan) in Virginia and shuttle them to the famous resorts including Sweet Chalybeate and its nearby neighbor, Sweet Springs. Amidst a flutter of activity, its arrival would be met with a shout, "Stage in!"There are four picture windows on each side of the Omnibus and three small windows in the front and back for viewing the countryside. As many as 12-14 riders would enter from the back door, walking up several steps. Once inside, they must have marveled at the wood-slatted, curving ceiling. The last year of its operation was 1916. Drivers of the Omnibus included Baxter Poole Hepler, and Bernie Martin. In 1968, the Monroe County Historical Society purchased the Omnibus from Mr. and Mrs. J. S. Stubbs of Earlhurst, near Sweet Springs. From the Walnut Grove estate, two well-restored vintage surreys and a Portland Cutter sleigh (see picture) were donated by the late Nancy M. White. The sleigh looks like something Santa would ride in. One of the surreys is a Summer Rockaway which once was taken out for a hometown parade, such as Farmer's Day in Union. The other surrey, called Mountain Wagon, and, as the Rockaway, features double row seating. A Doctor's Buggy (see picture) from the 19th century was donated by David Dillon and Ann Meadows.The Carriage House is a showcase for the display of farm and transportation tools, harnesses, saddles, and related items form the period which are displayed around the vehicles and on the interior walls. The Carriage House also demonstrates the spirit of Union in the 240 engraved bricks paving its entrance representing contributions from the community and admirers from afar.

This Gothic Revival style building was opened on Labor Day Weekend, 2014 and contains seven horse-drawn vehicles including a magnificent 1880’s Omnibus in original condition. The building was built in 2014 and as a traditional timber-frame. The vehicles range from coaches to carriages to wagons and sleighs and represent a spectrum of vehicles once used in Monroe County. In early 2015, the exhibits were broadened to include carriage-makers’ tools, horse tack and illustrations of late 19th Century transportation. This structure adds to the “museum campus” at the south end of Union and was funded with numerous small contributions as well as bequests, and was built primarily with volunteer help and encouragement from both town and county governments. The Carriage House has been featured in “Wonderful West Virginia” and “Blue Ridge Travel Guide.” The Carriage House is located on Middle Street, just around the corner from the other Monroe County Historical Society Museums.

Carriage House Museum

RED SULPHUR: The spring at Red Sulphur was used as a watering place since about 1800, as a primitive spa with log huts was developed by the Harvey family. The sulphur water was used to ease sore legs and skin diseases. A pavilion over the springs was built about 1830. In 1833 Dr. Burke bought the valley and the springs, razed the log huts and built a resort to accommodate 350 people. The hotel had buildings along Alabama Row, Philadelphia Row, and Bachelor's Row.1892 was its banner season, with over 800 guests. The resort had niceties not found elsewhere, with covered walkways between buildings, a ventilated ballroom, ice cream daily, a wood fireplace in every room, and a carpeted drawing room.The resort was acclaimed for the treatment of tuberculosis. The band was known to retire early so the “invalids” could rest, giving the resort the nickname of “Sleepy Hollow”. The springs got their name from a purplish-red deposit that forms from the water.The property was sold before the Civil War to the Campbell brothers. It served as a hospital during the war. In 1896 former Vice-President Levi Morton purchased the property and invested in many upgrades. After passing through an assortment of owners, the resort was torn down around 1927. The last of the buildings, the store building, burned between 1930 and 1935. The remains of the resort can be found on Rt. 12 in a valley known as Campbell's Cove. The resort is a cow pasture now, with a recessed small circular enclosure for the spring.SALT SULPHUR: Salt Sulphur Springs Resort consists of three springs: The Sweet, discovered in 1802, The Salt, discovered in 1805, and the Iodine, discovered in 1838. Under the intense heat of the sun, the Iodine occasionally deposits a beautiful pink sediment upon the bottom and sides of the reservoir. The Iodine spring was reported to be ten degrees warmer than the others.Salt Sulphur Springs was opened as a resort in 1821, with cabins built of logs. Bath houses were built in 1820. In 1823, the resort was opened to the public. Erskine and Caruthers bought the property and managed the resort and store. The resort was used as a hospital during the Civil War. After various owners, in 1882 General Appleton, who a recruiter for 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment, the second African-American regiment in the Civil War, became manager. He was unpopular with the southern customer base, and visitors from the North were few in numbers.The springs were used to treat goiter, diseases of the skin and in “cases that require active cathartic operation” (Moorman). The bubble of gas from the water may be “eagerly caught up by some care-worn and almost world-weary invalid as a gem from the treasury of Hygeia” (Moorman)The resort had a theater, bowling alley, two mills and a butlery. The ballroom is in the main building, pictured above. The ballroom is 45 feet long and 30 feet wide, with ceilings of 15 feet. The balcony used by musicians is 15 feet long and 4 feet wide. The heyday of the resort was between the years of 1837 and 1861. At one time over 2,000 people were listed as guests, including John C. Calhoun, Henry Clay, and Martin Van Buren. The Salt was reported to have the best table in the mountains.The resort closed around 1913. Much of the land was sold to surrounding farmers. After a brief attempted revival of the resort in 1921, the remainder of the resort was sold for private use. The main building and the cottages still stand, and are a private residence.SWEET SPRINGS: The Sweet Spring was discovered in 1760, and became a watering place for travelers. In 1781 log huts were available for guests. The first hotel was built in 1792, hosting upward of 200 people and their servants. In 1830, the original buildings at the spring were taken down and work commenced on the large brick hotel, designed in a classical style by a protege of Thomas Jefferson. Most of the buildings were completed by 1833. The bathhouse was completed in 1850. The 1859 season saw 2,752 guests.The water of the springs was described as chalybeate, (iron salts) and touted as a cure for various diseases. The resort also became a rendezvous site for society. This resort was one of the first of the western group to put the importance of society over invalidism; offering gambling, billiards, faro, whist, loo and dueling. The ballroom was described as 60 by 120 feet.The resort did not appear to operate during Civil War, but enjoyed relative prosperity throughout the late-nineteenth century. In the 1870's the C &amp; O railroad eased transportation difficulties, with an omnibus from Allegheny Station and the hotel registered up to 800 guests. The resort declined sharply after 1920, and a series of owners attempted to revive the hotel for a decade before it closed in around 1928. A significant factor that led to the gradual decline of Sweet Springs was lack of any railroad line near the resort. Nearby resorts such as White Sulphur Springs (better known as The Greenbrier) and Hot Springs thrived in this period with ready access to railroads.After Sweet Springs ceased to operate as a resort, the buildings were purchased by the state of West Virginia in 1941 for a tuberculosis sanitarium, closed in 1943 and then rehabilitated for the Andrew S. Rowan Memorial Home for the aged in 1945. The Rowan Home closed in 1991. Sweet Springs was once the grandest spa in Western Virginia, aside from the Greenbrier. The remaining buildings reflect the past age of opulence and gracious living.

From the end of the eighteenth century to the early days of the twentieth, Monroe County's medicinal springs enjoyed an enormous popularity. Invalids and pleasure-seekers from all parts of the nation came to the resorts built around the many springs in search of health and diversion. Visitors left innumerable testimonials to the efficacy of the foul-smelling water of the springs. As the resorts improved, the medicinal aspects of the springs played a less prominent role. The springs became the place to see and be seen. Families often went from resort to resort in a social round. The twentieth century saw a decline in the popularity of the springs. Medical advances, improved transportation, and the demand for more sophisticated forms of recreation all played a part in the decline of the springs. Today, only the Greenbrier and the Omni Hot Springs continue.There were many springs resorts and spas in Monroe County. This article will focus on the three largest, the Red Sulphur, the Salt Sulphur, and the Sweet.

Springs Resorts of Monroe County

In 1863, the first act of the first session of the West Virginia Legislature was ”to provide for a thorough and efficient system of free schools”.  Monroe County was divided into six districts. Each district elected members to its Board of Education. This District System lasted until 1933. Then, the districts were dissolved into one Board of Education with a county superintendent. In the early 1900s, high schools gained importance. By 1921, four districts had established high schools. In Monroe County, however, Black students had to find transportation, walk to or board in Lewisburg in Greenbrier County to attend. The 1940s and 1950s brought free textbooks for elementary students. By 1940 there were 65 one-room schools, 16 graded schools, and 4 high schools. African American scholars from Carter G. Woodson to Ancella R. Bickley have taken the lead in researching and publishing articles about the history of African American schools in West Virginia. In the first two years of the state, the state legislature only funded schools for white students. Black families responded by funding a few private schools. In 1865, the legislature passed a law that only provided funding for schools for Black students in communities that had more than thirty Black students between the ages of six and 21. That law essentially prevented public funding for Black students in many parts of the state, and although the legislature made changes to these laws in the years ahead and lowered the minimum number of students to ten, many Black families had to move to other areas or send their children to live with family in order for them to attend school. Owing to the diversity of West Virginia cities and the number of Black families in many mining communities, the state had many schools for Black students throughout the 20th century. By 1950, the West Virginia public school system provided separate education for more than 19,000 of the state’s Black youth, grades 1–12.The state superintendent declared that West Virginia would comply with the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision which declared segregation to violate the 14th Amendment, but like many other states that maintained segregated schools, the end of segregation took many years in the Mountain State. Records for this area show that segregation continued for another few years. In 1957, Black Union Elementary and Black Belleview school in Gap Mills were closed. In 1958, Black Alderson school was closed.

Early settlers in Monroe County provided for the education of their children by building schools and employing teachers at their own expense. The first school is reported to have opened in 1795, near Nickell’s Mill on Second Creek. Many students had to walk, and schools were built to accommodate children within a ten-mile area. Governor Thomas Jefferson proposed a statewide system of free public schools in 1779, legislators disagreed on the plan’s implementation. Virginia established a university in 1819 but provided little for schools at the primary and secondary levels. Children of the wealthiest families attended private academies. In 1809 the Literacy Fund was enacted to pay for the education of children whose families could not afford to send their children to school. Each county appointed commissioners to determine the number of poor children they would educate and how much to pay for their education. The commissioners report that there were 25 schools operating in 1823. As the Literacy Fund released monies for the education of poor children, the number of schools increased to 88 prior to the Civil War. In 1861 the fund was closed, and monies applied to the military defense of the state.

Monroe County Historical Society Museum

Fabric Arts

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information