Craik-Patton History Tour

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The Craik-Patton House was built in 1834 and was constructed by attorney James Craik. The Greek Revival styled home resides on Virginia Street. The house was later purchased by George S. Patton who was a Civil War Confederate colonel and grandfather of the famous General, George S. Patton from World War II. The house was originally known as Elm Grove and was built in downtown Charleston. The National Society of Colonial Dames in America saved the Craik-Patton house after it had been moved twice by placing it on this location in 1973.

2. Ruffner Log Cabin (Rosedale)

Located in Daniel Boone Park in Charleston, West Virginia, the Joseph Ruffner Log Cabin or “Rosedale” originally stood at 1538 Kanawha Boulevard. Built in 1803 by Joseph Ruffner, the log cabin is said to be one of the oldest extant houses in Kanawha County.

3. Daniel Boone Park and Monument

Daniel Boone Park is a public park with a boat ramp and shelter areas for picnics. It is named after the famous frontiersman Daniel Boone because it is said that he took residence in a cave close to the park's location. Boone also lived on the south side of Kanawha River near the park.

4. J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works

Building on a seven-generation tradition and the region's history of salt production, J.Q. Dickinson Salt-Works opened in 2013 and offers a variety of salts and related products in addition to interpretive tours and other food and heritage-themed events. Throughout most of the nineteenth century, this part of the Kanawha Valley was home to a booming salt industry. Dickinson & Shrewsbury was one of the valley’s most prominent salt manufacturers and based on a partnership formed between William Dickinson and Joel Shrewsbury in 1804. In 1813, the partners arrived in the Kanawha Valley to take advantage of the rapidly growing salt industry. After completing its first salt well in 1817, Dickinson & Shrewsbury went on to drill hundreds more and soon joined the ranks of the “Salt Kings of the Kanawha.” Like most other salt manufacturers along the Kanawha, Dickinson & Shrewsbury used slave labor in its saltworks and mines in the decades before the Civil War. Although the Dickinson & Shrewsbury partnership was dissolved in 1856, the Dickinson family remained in the salt business for decades to come, eventually becoming the only salt manufacturer in the area before it too closed in 1945. Nearly seventy years later, seventh-generation Dickinsons Nancy Bruns and Lewis Payne revived the family business to produce small-batch finishing salt and related products.

5. Lincoln Walks at Midnight Statue

West Virginia sculptor Fred Torrey designed Lincoln Walks at Midnight in the 1930s based on Vachel Lindsay’s 1914 poem of the same name. The statue represents Lincoln's decision to grant West Virginia statehood during the Civil War. “Whereas, by the Act of Congress approved the 31st. day of December, last, the State of West Virginia was declared to be one of the United States of America, and was admitted into the Union on an equal footing with the original States in all respects whatever, upon the condition that certain changes should be duly made in the proposed Constitution for that State; And, whereas, proof of a compliance with that condition as required by the Second Section of the Act aforesaid, has been submitted to me; Now, therefore, be it known, that I Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, do, hereby, in pursuance of the Act of Congress aforesaid, declare and proclaim that the said act shall take effect and be in force, from and after sixty days from the date hereof. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Seal of the United States to be affixed.” -Abraham Lincoln (April 20, 1862)

6. West Virginia Union Soldiers and Sailors Memorial

The Union Soldiers and Sailors monument is a memorial to the West Virginians who fought for the Union in the American Civil War. As West Virginia became a state in response to Virginia's secession from the Union, the new state was predominantly sympathetic to the Union. The memorial was funded by the State of West Virginia and placed on the capitol grounds in 1930. It faces Kanawha Blvd. east of the Governor’s Mansion. The statue depicts a soldier carrying a musket and symbolically marching towards the statue of Confederate General Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, which is also placed on capitol grounds.

7. Culture Center: West Virginia State Museum and Archives and History Library

The Culture Center is home to the West Virginia State Museum which offers a variety of programs and exhibits that preserve and share the culture and history of the Mountain State and its people. The complex is also home to the state's archives and library, the state historic preservation office, and offices of the West Virginia Library Commission. The complex also holds the Norman L. Fagan West Virginia State Theater which hosts Mountain Stage and other cultural and educational events throughout the year.

8. Holly Grove Mansion - Ruffner Mansion

Holly Grove Mansion, also known as the Ruffner Mansion, was built in 1815 by Daniel Ruffner, the brother of David, Joseph Jr., and Tobias Ruffner. All were the sons of Joseph Ruffner Sr. and were instrumental in developing a thriving salt industry to the Kanawha Valley in the early 1800s. The Ruffner Mansion served as the home for the family who helped develop the Kanawha Valley while also being a center of industry and commerce during the early 19th Century. Holly Grove Mansion was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and now sits on the West Virginia State Capitol Complex.

9. Ruffner Memorial Park

Ruffner Memorial Park (sometimes referred to as Kanawha Riflemen Memorial Park) was established in 1920 on the old Ruffner family cemetery. Although many graves were removed, several remain, including the grave of Revolutionary War Colonel Thomas Bullitt. The most notable feature of the park is a monument to the Kanawha Riflemen, a local antebellum militia company that joined the Confederate 22nd Virginia Infantry and fought in the Civil War. Erected by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1922, the monument lists the company's members. It also lists "William Armistead, colored cook, faithful during the war," an example of the "happy slave" cliche common among Lost Cause monuments. In 2020, the City of Charleston quietly removed the monument's plaque with the intention to replace it with a new marker detailing the park's history.

10. Sacred Heart/Charleston Catholic High School

As early as 1869 Sacred Heart Church in Charleston, WV operated a parochial school for primary grades that continued through the end of the 1800s. By 1903, the Sisters of Saint Francis of Penance and Christian Charity in Niagara, NY took over administration of the school and in 1923 added high school classes in what was known as the Chilton House. In 1940 the school's name was changed to Charleston Catholic High School and a new building was constructed under the auspices of Bishop John Swint of the Diocese of Wheeling. The school still offers classes to students in the Charleston area.

This Tour is a Walking Tour.

Craik-Patton History Tour

Created by Robert Simmons on July 16th 2020, 5:49:11 pm.

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Description

This short drive-able tour will guide you through important areas of Kanawha Valley history. It highlights the history of the historic Craik-Patton House, starting with the museum itself, and ending at the approximate location the house originally stood on. It features memorials for the Civil War as well as the oldest historic homes in Charleston. Though some of the locations shown on the tour may have their availability effected by the current global situation, it is more than worth the time just to take a look at them. .

Entries on This Tour

Craik-Patton History Tour

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