The Seven Sisters

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Located across the Kanawha River from Malden, the seat of salt making in the antebellum years, this home is a reminder of the region’s prosperity during that period. Colonel Henry Hewitt Wood, a leading salt merchant of his day, completed construction on the house in 1831. Colonel Wood had come from New York to the Kanawha Valley in the 1820s, where he entered the lucrative salt manufacturing business. Wood’s two-story brick and stone house, though similar in style to its contemporaries in the area, is set apart by a number of unique features, including floor-length windows and colored glass panels above its main entrance, which itself is notable for facing the Kanawha River rather than the road. After Colonel Wood passed away in 1883, the house passed through a series of owners and underwent a number of changes and additions. Despite these alterations, the house has retained much of its original appearance, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The second oldest extant residence on its original foundation in Charleston, the Colonel Henry Hewitt Wood House now stands among the seven antebellum homes colloquially known as the “Seven Sisters of Charleston.”

2. Craik-Patton House

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.

3. 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.

4. Augustus Ruffner House

One of the last remaining homes built prior to the Civil War in Charleston, the Augustus Ruffner House was constructed in 1834 by lumberman and farmer Augustus Ruffner. The Ruffner family maintained ownership of the home for several generations. The family named the estate "Cedar Grove” in reference to the beautiful stand of trees that surrounded the property. Today, the home is known as one of Charleston's "Seven Sisters," the name residents assign to the seven remaining pre-Civil War homes. Henry D. Ruffner inherited the house upon Augustus’s death in the mid-1850s, though he was forced to leave it while serving in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. The house remained in the Ruffner Family until the 1940s.

5. MacFarland-Hubbard House; West Virginia Humanities Council

The MacFarland-Hubbard House was built in 1836, and is one of seven remaining homes built in Charleston prior to the Civil War. The home has housed four prominent Charleston families since its construction, including the MacFarlands, the Rubys, the Crowleys, and the Hubbards. In 1861, the home was temporarily used as a Federal medical hospital, even though it was owned by a family with Confederate sympathies. Today the MacFarland-Hubbard House has been restored by the West Virginia Humanities Council, whose offices reside on the second floor.

6. Glenwood

One of Charleston's oldest homes, this beautiful antebellum residence is located on the West Side directly across the street from Stonewall Jackson Middle School. It is possibly the only antebellum home with slave quarters still standing in the Kanawha Valley, a structure that is located directly behind the home and known as "The Quarters."

7. Littlepage Mansion-Charleston Civil War Trail

Charleston, like the rest of western Virginia, was contested territory during the early years of the Civil War. Confederate troops attempted to capture and hold the city at several points during the course of the war. A marker at this location tells the history of the first engagement in Charleston. In July of 1861, Henry Wise's Confederates attempted to build a small fort at this location in anticipation of a battle with Union troops under the command of General George McClellan. The owner of the property, Rebecca Littlepage, reportedly denied Wise's demands and successfully compelled the Confederates to both leave and spare her home from destruction as they had originally promised.

This Tour is a Driving or Biking Tour.

The Seven Sisters

Created by Clio Volunteer Editors on July 11th 2021, 7:44:28 am.

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Charleston's seven surviving pre-Civil War houses. Take a close look at the varying architectural styles of these Antebellum beauties! The fortunes of these houses and their owners span the early development of Charleston from frontier fort to state capitol. Their windows and doorways have seen the rise and fall of industrial salt empires, the passage of armies, and the flowering of Charleston from riverbanks and farmland to commercial and legislative power.

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The Seven Sisters

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