Institution

Ritz Theater, ca. 1930 (from West Virginia & Regional History Center)

Ritz Theater ca. 1960 (from West Virginia & Regional History Center)

Website

Entry for the Ritz Theatre on the WV Historic Theatre Trail site

More Info

National Register of Historic Place Nomination for the Ritz Theatre

The Ritz opened in 1929 as a movie theater.  The theater originally had a rectangular marquee – which, by 1949, had been replaced by an elaborate, triangular structure that featured neon and streamline moderne speed lines.  That marquee was later removed, as was the box office beneath it.  In 1964, it was remodeled.
The theater continued showing films into at least the early 1980s.  Following a period of closure and renovation, the Ritz Theatre reopened its doors in October 2009 – celebrating its 80th Anniversary.  Its 310-seat auditorium still features original art deco elements, such as eye-catching wall sconces, seats with speed lines, and stepped doorframes.  On the second floor, it hosts both a radio studio (for Hinton’s 1380 AM) and a balcony with additional seating.  The Ritz shows movies on the weekends and also offers live entertainment.

Ritz Theatre

Director

This walking tour will guide you through the Hinton Historic District and its most significant sites.

<div>Hinton's oldest standing residential structure, the house was built circa 1875 by Mr. Edgar Campbell and his wife, Elizabeth. The Campbells operated a general store, one of the first merchants in Hinton, out of the basement portion of the home. Little has changed since the home was constructed over a century ago. The entrance of the general store remains essentially the same today as it did in 1875. </div><div> In 1876, the Campbells deeded the residence to their daughter, Alice, and her husband John W. Flannagan. They married on December 2, 1875. John became an engineer for the C &amp; O Railroad in 1871 and was the oldest in service, highly respected in the community; and, although at the age of 58 and considering retirement, he hesitated to give it up. Fascination, after 15 years or more on the fastest passenger train on the railroad, kept him at the throttle-- then tragedy struck in 1907. John was engineer on the west-bound “Fast Flying Virginian” when it wrecked on March 12, 1907 just eight miles east of Hinton. John was killed in this terrible&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.cfm-fmh.org/1907-train-wreck">train accident</a><a target="_blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://www.cfm-fmh.org/1907-train-wreck">&nbsp;</a>that also took the life of his fireman Mike Quinn and John Williams. Never in the history of the city was there such a turn out of people to attend the funeral and burial services of a departed friend. Pictures of the wreck and the engine plate from the old steam locomotive are on display in Hinton's Railroad Museum. In 1902, the Flannagans daughter, Mary, married Robert O. Murrell and the home later became the property of the Murrells. Bob, as he was better known, began working for the C &amp; O in 1896 in Covington, Virginia, becoming a star baseball player for the C &amp; O. Hinton needed his athletic ability and in 1897 he was transferred to Hinton, where he transformed the team into the most famous and successful team in the history of the city. They were even selected to play in an exhibition game against the Cincinnati Reds -- and won! The uniform that Robert wore in 1897 can be seen today in Hinton's Railroad Museum. </div><div> After Bob's death, Mary Murrell lived on in the home and was cared for until her death by her daughter, Mildred, who was a highly respected teacher in the Hinton community. Mildred was a brilliant person who had a great appreciation for history. It is with grateful appreciation that we credit her with helping compile the colorful history of the family. The home was occupied by Mildred until her death in 1986.</div>

Built ca. 1875, the Campbell Flannagan Murrell House Museum is Hinton's oldest home. It interprets the lives of its past occupants and the history of Hinton. The museum organizes the annual Festival of the Rivers, a free music festival in downtown Hinton. 

Campbell Flannagan Murrell House

In 1891, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad constructed the passenger depot and the YMCA. The original YMCA&nbsp;building was a two-story wooden structure with
a front porch. It was the first of many YMCAs on the C&amp;O Railroad line.1&nbsp;In 1904, the Democratic Vice-Presidential Candidate, Henry Gassaway Davis, campaigned from the porch of the original YMCA Building on this site.2&nbsp;After a fire in 1911, the original wooden building was replaced with&nbsp;the brick building that
stands today. It was completed in 1913 and had its grand opening on May
12,1913. The total cost for the new buildings was $15,000.3&nbsp;The first floor was
a large room which contained a registration desk, offices of the Manager,
Secretary, and other staff. The room also contained tables and chairs available
for card playing, as well as board games. It was unusual to enter the building
and not find several checker games in progress. The second floor contained
sleeping rooms. The YMCA was opened to accommodate employees that were away
from their homes in connection to their employment with the railroad. However,
if the sleeping rooms were not needed for this purpose, they were rented out to
other travelers. 

The
building itself is one of the most architecturally significant buildings within
Hinton. Built in the French Second Empire style, which was popular in the early-1900s,
its character-defining element is the stylized Mansard roof and its gabled,
dormer-like vents. The other notable example of the Second Empire style in Hinton was the C&amp;O Boarding House, which was located on the corner of 5th and Summers Street. The Boarding House was demolished in 2016, leaving the Y.M.C.A as the best example of the architectural style in Hinton.&nbsp;

The YMCA, built in 1913 by the Young Men’s Christian Association, was owned and operated by this organization. It is located on the corner of Second Avenue and Summers Street, immediately up the hill from the Passenger Depot. The building now serves as the Senior Center for Hinton and Summers County.

Y.M.C.A

The extant passenger depot is the fourth structure built in Hinton for
the C&amp;O. It was erected following a 1913 fire that destroyed the 1891 brick
depot. This reconstructed station was built in the style of a 1902 east end
addition. It consists of a 3-story central block flanked by 2-story wings. Red
brick is laid in a common American bond and slat shingles cover a hip roof. A
small first floor outshoot was later added on the west side of the rear
elevation to house a Union News office. In the 1960s two concrete block
appendages were added to the rear of the structure.<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[1]</a>

The present railroad passenger depot is located at the foot of Second
Avenue. The first station for Hinton was located at the foot of 3rd
Ave; the small, wooden frame building soon became inadequate to furnish space
for passengers waiting to board passenger trains out of Hinton and the depot
now in use was built. It is the only functional passenger depot remaining in Summers County.[2]

The middle section of the depot housed two waiting rooms, restrooms,
baggage room, ticket office, HX office, and the stairwell to the second
floor. The east end of the building was the C&amp;O Lunch Stand. The railway
did not operate the lunch stand, it was leased to private concerns. The west
end of the building housed the Adams Express, later known as the Railway
Express Agency. The west end of the building caught fire in 1913. When repairs
were made, the cupola on the middle section of the building was not restored.
The second floor of the building housed the offices of the superintendent,
train-master, road foreman of engines, division engineer, chief train
dispatcher, telephone system, and Special Officers responsible for the Hinton
division, which ran from Hinton to Handley, WV. The three rooms on the third
floor were used as file rooms. 

AMTRAK’s Cardinal line, which&nbsp;stops in Hinton 3 times per week: Sunday,
Wednesday, and Friday, both east and west, for passenger service. The Cardinal line runs from Washington, DC to Chicago, IL.&nbsp;The depot also serves as the eastern terminus for the annual New River Train Excursions, during&nbsp;the expected fall color peak. Leaving&nbsp;Hinton&nbsp;and winding through the New River Gorge, the excursion gives passengers a chance to view the Gorge from a vantage point not available by other methods of travel.[3]&nbsp;The New River Train Excursions are the highlight of the Railroad Days festival in Hinton.&nbsp;

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In 1891, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad constructed this depot for its expanding passenger service; it was the 4th building built by the C&O in Hinton. This is the only example of a passenger depot left in Summers County. In its heyday, the building housed normal depot functions, like baggage service and ticketing, as well as C&O division offices, C&O Lunch Stand, and the Adams Express. The Adams Express, later known as the Railway Express Agency, was a livery service. Amtrak’s Cardinal Line now services this depot. The restored lobby is open to the public.

Hinton Passenger Depot

Constructed in 1907, the Laing Humphries Department Store is one of the largest buildings in the Hinton Historic District. During its first years in service, the department store occupied the space fronting on Second Avenue, the Citizens Bank operated out of the corner suite, and the Elks Lodge held its meetings on the upper floors. The lettering "BANK" on the corner of the building is still present and denotes the placement of the Citizens Bank. Local residents recall going to dances on the top floor of the building in the mid-1960s when the space was still the Elks Lodge. One woman remembered how steep the stairs were and how difficult they were to climb in high heels. Those stairs are located through a door that fronts Second Avenue and lead directly to the top floor. Today, only the ground floor is occupied. The Citizen's Bank left the space by 1930 and was replaced by a doctors office and Western Union. &nbsp;The former Citizens Bank space is now home to the Summers County Visitors Center. The former Laing-Humphries Department Store space is home to two retail stores.&nbsp;&nbsp;

This Neo-Classical Revival-style commercial building occupies nearly a full city block. During its first era of use, the Citizens Bank, The Laing Humphries Department Store, and the Elks Lodge shared the space. In a 1907 advertisement, the Laing Humphries Department store touted that they owned their own building. The building is now home to retail stores and the Summers County Visitors Center.

Laing Humphries Department Store

This building Neo-Classical Revival style building is one of several in the Hinton Historic District. Built in 1921-1922, under the leadership of Bank President James T. McCreery, the building is two stories with dominating Ionic columnns supporting the recessed entryway.&nbsp; The Bank of Summers opened its doors in 1895, became a national bank in 1906 and assumed the name National Bank of Summers. The bank presidency was held by McCreery from 1906 until his death in 1925. McCreery, namesake of the Hotel McCreery in Hinton, was a Confederate veteran and local entrepreneur. His childhood home is located on Summers Street. [1] A local citizen purchased the vacant bank building in 1981 and donated it to the Summers County Library. Though the library had begun years earlier, it relied on its bookmobile and a rented space. In 1984, the Library completed a renovation of the building and opens its doors to the public.&nbsp;

The Bank of Summers opened its doors in 1895. It became a national bank in 1906 and assumed the name National Bank of Summers. This 1921 building was built under the presidency of James T. McCreery, who held the office from 1906-1925. The building’s design has been attributed to M. Bates, a Huntington-based architect. 

National Bank of Summers

The Hinton Railroad Museum, located at 206 Temple Street, was opened May 21, 1991. The building was constructed in 1900 and was occupied by the Hinton Department Store for many years. Mr. A.A. Campbell, a native of Monroe County, owned and operated the store. He later downsized and moved the store to the Laing-Humphries Building on Second Avenue. The building was then occupied by A. W. Cox Department Store, a chain located in southern West Virginia, and headquartered in Charleston. The building was occupied by various small businesses after the A.W. Cox Department store closed. It stood vacant for a period of time, then purchased by the City of Hinton.  The Museum contains artifacts of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway with special emphasis on the era of the steam engine. Artifacts include tolls, uniforms worn by passenger crews, train schedules, and historic photographs. An outstanding feature is the wood carvings depicting the story of John Henry and his co-workers building the Great Bend Tunnel, which permitted the railroad to move west in 1873.  The Railroad Museum puts on the Railroad Days festival each year for two weekends in October. During the festival, the streets of Hinton are filled with vendors selling many different and unusual crafts; such as rings made from coins and coal scrip, handmade wooden banks with old post office doors, flag boxes, wooden furniture, hand-painted items, quilts, jewelry, driftwood creations, wooden oil lamps, and many more interesting items. Food vendors offer a wide variety of fair are located in the parking lot directly adjacent to the museum. Each year is different! The New River Train arrives each afternoon of Railroad Days.

The Hinton Railroad Museum opened May 21, 1991. The Museum contains artifacts of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway and Hinton area history. The building its housed in was constructed in 1900  and was occupied by the Hinton Department Store for many years.

Hinton Railroad Museum

The Bank of Hinton opened in 1887 with Azel Ford as its present. It was the first bank established in Summers county. In 1900, the bank became a national bank and was renamed First National Bank of Hinton. The bank moved to the corner of 4th and Temple streets in Hinton in 1974 [1].&nbsp; Bank President Azel Ford was also a local land speculator. He purchased and built a row of homes on Summers Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenues as a speculative venture around 1900. According to one oral history, he was a land agent for Rolling Land Company, which speculated land in Summers and Raleigh Counties in the 1880s [2].&nbsp; The building itself was built in 1887 for the Bank of Hinton [3]. Its original construction was influenced by the Neo-Classical Revival style, its elaborate window hoods were a hallmark of the architectural style. In the 1910s, a small renovation removed the window hoods and installed 1x1 single pane wood windows. Again in 1940, the building followed architectural trends to add Art Deco-style ornamentation. The stone facing with stepped doorframe and cornice decoration was added at this time. The corner clock was removed after the 1940 renovation and was relocated across the street in front of the Big Four Building.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Originally built in 1887, this building housed the first financial institution in Hinton. The bank was originally known as the Bank of Hinton. This building housed the bank in 1900 when it became a national bank and was renamed First National Bank. It underwent heavy renovations in 1940 and now reflects that era in its architecture. The Art Deco motifs along the cornice and the above the main doorway are some of the Hinton Historic District’s best examples of this architectural style. 

First National Bank

This 3-story Italianate building's metal facade is its most significant feature. The only full metal facade in the Hinton Historic District, and one of only 3 other Mesker Brothers products, this building is significant because it is the only local example of a prolific building material used across the United States in the Victorian Era.&nbsp; Frank and Bernard Mesker founded Mesker and Brother, a structural iron and sheet metal firm, in 1879 in Evansville, Indiana. In 1912, the firm incorporated under the name Mesker Brothers Iron Company. The Hinton building bears the name Mesker and Bro, establishing its construction date between 1879 and 1912. The Mesker Brothers began their prolific mail order service in 1884; by 1887, their print run was up to 500,000 catalog copies. The company specialized in structural iron and sheet metal but also produced cornices, railings, and jail cells. The building at 217-219 Temple Street in Hinton features one of their metal cornices [2].&nbsp; The design of this metal front was first enacted in 1888 and was featured in a Mesker catalog in 1894, which narrows down the construction date. It's possible but not likely that the metal front was installed years after the building was constructed because other buildings on that block were also built ca. 1890 [3]. The 1894 catalog identifies the owner as J.A. Parker, who more than likely operated the Fairyland Theater out of the building until 1895 when the Bank of Summers moved in. The Bank of Summers worked out of this building until 1905 when it moved two doors down to the building on the corner of Temple and 3rd Avenue, which used to feature a distinctive turret [4]. In recent years, the building has been used as a laundromat but has been vacant for several years.&nbsp;

This Italianate-style building, constructed ca. 1890 is the Hinton Historic District’s only example of a pressed-metal façade. The building’s façade is the product of the prolific Mesker Brothers Company from Evansville, Indiana, which produced a wide variety of pressed metal architectural features. It was likely ordered from a mail-order catalog and shipped to Hinton on the railroad. This was the original home of the Bank of Summers, which was established in 1895. The bank moved in 1905; since then, this building has served as a hardware store, the Fairyland Theater, and a laundry mat. 

Mesker Brothers Building, Hinton

Hinton is a quaint, little railroad town
located in Summers County, West Virginia. The town was incorporated by John
Hinton on September 21st 1880 and is situated at the confluence of
the New and Greenbrier Rivers. According to National Coal Heritage, the C &amp;
O connected the nation’s east coast with southern West Virginia,
via the towns of White Sulphur Springs, Hinton, and the city of Huntington. As
a result of the new railroad, small towns began to spring up to accommodate the
needs of workers. Thus, the town of Hinton was formed.

The Chesapeake and Ohio was the first
great railroad in southern West Virginia. Designed to link the Atlantic with
the Midwest farmland via the New, Kanawha, and Teays valleys, it grew out of
two older lines, the Virginia Central and the Covington and Ohio. The railroad
led to mine openings on the New River at Quinnimont, Stone Cliff, Fire Creek,
Sewell, Nutallburg, and Hawks Nest. By 1879 New River and upper Kanawha mines
were shipping 365,523 tons of coal and 19, 748 tons of coke to factories in the
east by rail. &nbsp;(Rice and Brown, West Virginia: A History, 185). As such,
the popularity of the C &amp; O Railway allowed Hinton to economically prosper.

In 1892 the C &amp; O completed the
construction of the Hinton roundhouse, which held 17 engine stalls and a car
repair shop that held 40 cars.&nbsp; The roundhouse employed 370 men and the
car shop 170 (Long, hintonwva.com). &nbsp;As
an important commercial and transportation center, Hinton underwent
construction in order to accommodate tourists and the new railroad workers. A
hospital, bank, hotel, newsstand, and numerous retail stores lined the streets.
Many of the buildings constructed resembled Victorian, American Gothic, and
Greek Revival architecture. However, by the 1940s, the railroad changed from
steam power to diesel power, and fewer workers were required to operate trains
from the Hinton terminal. As Hinton’s population declined, the town’s bustling
streets became less active and more sedentary. 

Despite the town’s diminishing
population, Hinton still retains its rich cultural history. Museums and
antique shops line the streets with interesting tchotchkes inside their
windows. The Hinton Railroad Museum features historic C &amp; O memorabilia
such as uniforms, tools, and model trains. The town celebrates its railroad
history with the annual Railroad Days, a festival featuring train excursions, local
artisans, and home-made food. Although Hinton is no longer a major terminal
point on the railroad, the importance of railroading has undoubtedly left its
mark on the once booming city.&nbsp;

Hinton was an important railroad community that linked the New River Valley with other towns across the east coast. Hinton has a rich cultural history with antique shops lining the streets, an authentic railroad museum, and an annual Railroad Days festival. 

Hinton West Virginia Historical Marker

The original design of the building in 1875 was a 48-foot square, two-story, brick building. It had a hip roof with a small dormer on each slope.1  Between 1893 and 1898, Frank P. Milburn guided the rehabilitation and redesign of the courthouse. Milburn was based out of Huntington during this period and traveled by railroad to all his commissions.2 Milburn developed a standard Courthouse design early in his career which featured corner towers, curvilinear gables, and Romanesque accents. In addition to the Summers County Courthouse, Milburn also designed the Putnam County Courthouse; this was the only other West Virginia Courthouse with these characteristics.3  In 1923,  the rear addition was added.4 The addition is a different color brick but continues Milburn's towers. This addition tripped the available office space in the courthouse. Another addition in 1940 added a 32-foot flat roof space for fire proof rooms and a vault.5

Designed by architect Frank P. Milburn, the Summers County Courthouse was built in three stages. Since its original construction in 1875, the Summers County Courthouse has served as the county's government seat. The building is significant for its architecture and its association with Milburn; the courthouse is Hinton's most distinctive example of 19th-century Eclecticism and representative of Milburn's early work.

Summers County Courthouse

The area of that is now known as Summers County, West Virginia, was first surveyed in 1671, by the Batts and Fallam expedition. By the 1770’s settlers had moved into the surrounding area, building homes along the Greenbrier, Bluestone and New Rivers. Fort Culbertson was built at Crump Bottom, in 1773, by Andrew Culbertson. This outpost was the westernmost settlement in the county. Some of these settlements were destroyed&nbsp;or abandoned during the French and Indian War. New settlements were rebuilt around 1760, only to suffer the same fate in 1763 during Pontiac’s Rebellion.&nbsp;Throughout the 1770’s, settlers would once again move back into the area. These new settlements&nbsp;along&nbsp;three rivers flourished until the Civil War started. During the war, a large percentage of the soldiers who supported the Confederacy were from this section of West Virginia where loyalties were divided. Many of the volunteers joined&nbsp;Pickett’s New River Regiment which was part of General Lee's&nbsp;Army of Northern Virginia. Others joined Bushwhacker militia groups that terrorized pro-Union and even neutral civilians throughout the region.&nbsp;There were a few skirmishes in Summers County. Union troops won control of Pack’s Ferry in a skirmish. This was significant as the ferry was the only way to cross the Bluestone and New Rivers at the spot where they met. In August 1862, Ohio soldiers under Colonel Rutherford Hayes captured the Mercer Saltworks which were located on Lick Creek.1Early in the 1900’s, some of the residents of Hinton wanted to erect a statue to honor Confederate veterans. This effort began with a modest dedication ceremony of a Civil War era cannon at the town square. In 1913, businesses and organizations raised funds to purchase this bronze statue. Many of the surviving soldiers, some who lived out of town and were brought in on special C &amp; O Railroad passenger trains, attended the unveiling ceremony. 2The text of the statue reads as follows: “This monument erected in honor of American valor displayed by the Confederate soldier from 1861 to 1865 and to perpetuate to remotest ages the patriotism of the heroes who fought and died for the lost cause.” A second inscription on the right side of the statue states: “This monument is dedicated to the Confederate soldiers of Greenbrier and New River Valleys who followed Lee and Jackson.” The left side of the statue has the following inscription: “Sacred to the memory of the noble women of the Confederacy who suffered more and lost much with less glory that the Confederate soldier.” And on the rear of the statue is the inscription: “Erected in the year 1914, Camp Allen Woodrum, Confederate Veterans and Camp Bob Christians, Sons of Confederate Veterans and their friends.” 3

Dedicated in 1914, this monument was built in honor to Confederate soldiers and supporters from Summers, Greenbrier, Monroe, Mercer, and Raleigh Counties. The movement to build a Confederate monument in Hinton in the early 20th century may seem surprising at first, as West Virginia was formed in opposition to Virginia's decision to secede from the United States. However, many residents of Hinton and other Southern counties supported the South. More importantly, a nostalgic view of the antebellum South and the perception that those who defended slavery were standing against modernization and the growth of the federal government took hold in many communities following the turn-of-the-century. 

As the nostalgic view of the "Old South" grew, members of groups such as the Daughters of the Confederacy began erecting Confederate monuments in the Border States like Kentucky and West Virginia during the early 1900s. Although the majority of residents in West Virginia remained loyal to the United States, there are more Confederate monuments in southern West Virginia than monuments dedicated to those who defended the Union.  

Hinton Historic District Walking Tour

Ritz Theatre

Introduction

Images

Additional Information