Institution

The campus was originally located in the southern section of Elkins on a plot of land donated by Senator Elkins. Hallie Davis Elkins, the widow of Senator Elkins, matched her father's support of the growing college by donating her estate in 1926. The gift included Halliehurst, which was used as a dormitory for the college as well as land that allowed the construction of other campus buildings. Like many other private colleges, Davis and Elkins barely survived the economic downfall of the 1930s but flourished in the era of World War II thanks to military training programs and an influx of veterans who were supported by the GI Bill. Subsequent decades saw steady enrollment and donations that allowed the college to construct a chapel, a science center, three residence halls, an auditorium and a theater. The campus has grown to include 23 buildings on its hilly 172-acre campus.

This four-story academic building was completed in 1924. Charles E. Albert Hall is pictured in the background and was completed two years later. 

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National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form

Constructed in 1924, this four-story brick structure holds classrooms and offices for faculty and administrators at Davis and Elkins College. The history of the college itself dates back to 1901, when area leaders of the Presbyterian Church began plans to develop an institution of higher learning in West Virginia. After key donations from Stephen Benton Elkins and Henry Gassaway Davis, the organizers created a Board of Trustees and began recruiting faculty and students for the small college which first held courses on a plot of land just south of Elkins. Classes began on September 21, 1904 and the college moved to its present location in 1926. 

Liberal Arts Hall, Davis and Elkins College 

Contributor

This tour takes visitors on a short drive through historic downtown Elkins, a community established in 1890 and named in honor of industrialist, land speculator, and US Senator Stephen Elkins. The tour begins at the 1925 home of Herman Guy Kump, the 19th Governor of West Virginia, and includes local establishments such as the West Virginia Railroad Museum, the Randolph County Community Arts Center, and landmarks such as the statue of Henry Gassaway Davis and historic buildings on the Davis & Elkins Campus. 

Prior to the Civil War, the land that is now Elkins, West Virginia was known as Leading Creek or Leadsville. The plantation of Jacob Ward encompassed much of that area, with Ward’s slave-built home occupying a slight rise overlooking the rest of the property. Ward was no doubt one of the wealthiest individuals in the area given the size of his slaveholdings, large even by the standards of eastern Virginia where slave labor was far more prevalent. Over the course of his life Ward served Randolph County in a number of capacities, including as a justice of the peace and member of the committee responsible for the construction of the area’s first bridge of any substantial size (over the Cheat River). Still, while Ward may have held unchallenged sway as the area’s most prominent figure during the Antebellum Period the coming of the American Civil War brought the winds of change with it. In the 1861 plebiscite held throughout Virginia to decide upon the issue of secession, Randolph County chose to join the eastern half of the state in leaving the Union by a slim majority of nineteen votes. Soon thereafter, however, Federal troops under General George B. McClellan occupied the county, and when McClellan was promoted to command of the Army of the Potomac and left for Washington, D.C. those troops remained. They stayed in Randolph throughout the war, ensuring the county’s inclusion in the new state of West Virginia when it was formed in 1863. Ward didn’t live in the new state for long, dying in 1866. His heir and son-in-law, Andrew Taylor, ordered the construction of a new home to replace Ward’s former plantation house, built between 1880 and 1881. This new house was one of only two structures in the Leading Creek area along with the “Old White” Church building that housed the local Presbyterian congregation prior to the construction of the Davis Memorial Presbyterian Church in 1895. This makes the Taylor-Condry House one of the oldest structures in the town of Elkins, which was not founded until nearly a decade after the house arose. The building’s appearance certainly reflects that status, designed to mirror that of Mount Vernon, the stately plantation home of the first President of the United States George Washington. Like Washington’s home, Andrew Taylor’s new house features a colonnaded front porch, dormered windows along the roof, and a central cupola. Unlike the Washington plantation, which was built of wood, Taylor’s home used red brick, a building material that was in the eighteenth century considerably more expensive and no doubt less attractive to the notoriously thrifty first president. Andrew Taylor continued to live in his home for two and a half decades before deeding it to his son Blaine in 1904. Blaine Taylor had already served in a number of prominent positions prior to that time, among them Superintendent of Randolph County Schools, Clerk of both the West Virginia Legislature and State Department, and Chief Clerk of the U.S. Postal Service. In 1904, however, Taylor played a somewhat different role as the Democratic Party’s campaign manager in Randolph County. That year was a particularly notable one for Randolph County, more specifically in terms of its connection to the presidential election. That year, former West Virginia Senator and founder of Elkins Henry Gassaway Davis stood as the Democratic Party’s vice-presidential nominee alongside New York Judge Alton Parker. The party selected Davis as Parker’s running mate in large part because Democratic leaders wished to tap into his vast fortune to defray campaign costs. Unfortunately for the party, Davis’ wealth did not translate into any sort of political advantage. The similarity of the candidate’s campaign positions instead translated into a contest of personalities, which the Republican incumbent Theodore Roosevelt easily won. In fact, Roosevelt’s margin of victory was the largest since James Monroe’s election in 1820. Davis could not even help the Democrats secure his own state (although he did win Randolph County). Despite the setbacks of the 1904 election, Davis remained a prominent figure both nationally and locally. The same year as the election, in fact, his namesake Davis and Elkins College in the town of Elkins was born, a project to which he contributed heavily over the remainder of his life. For his own part, Davis’ supporter Blaine Taylor retired from politics to a successful law practice in the town. The arrival of the Great Depression in 1929, however, bankrupted Taylor and he chose to sell his family home. The building’s new owner, Dr. R.J. Condry, was an influential physician in town. Condry remained in residence there for nearly fifty years and is responsible for choosing the name Ednalea. Still, regardless of its title, the Taylor-Condry House is a story that tells of one family’s rise and fall from influence in an area of West Virginia that has witnessed profound changes over the course of its history.

Situated at the southern end of Taylor Avenue, the Taylor-Condry House (also known as “Ednalea”) is one of the most unusual sights in Elkins, West Virginia. Built between 1880 and 1881, the Taylor-Condry House was designed by an unknown architect to replicate the outward appearance of President George Washington’s home at Mount Vernon, Virginia. Prior to the house’s construction the land upon which it was built formed part of Jacob Ward’s plantation, one of the largest in Randolph County with approximately 200 slaves. Ward willed the property to his son-in-law Andrew Taylor in 1866, who constructed his Mount Vernon-style home there twenty years later and deeded it to his son Blaine (a noted local politician) in 1904. The building is currently a private residence and is not open to the public.

Taylor-Condry House

Elkins, WV became a railroad boom town in the 1890s when U.S. Senator Henry Gassaway Davis and his son-in-law, Stephen B. Elkins decided to extend the the West Virginia Central and Pittsburgh Railroad from Tucker County to Elkins for more feasible access to timber and other resources. The extension of the railroad and new availability of jobs rapidly increased Elkins' population from 349 in 1890 to 2,023 in 1900. Growth of the Elkins community continued as more railroads provided their services, and eventually the population was sustainable enough to start construction on the First Ward School in 1907. The building was designed by the West Virginian architect Andrew C. Lyons, and was built using local materials. The placement of First Ward School in underdeveloped South Elkins resulted in the addition of sewer lines to this part of the town in 1908.  Lyons designed the school in an "H" formation to enhance the benefits on natural light and the effects it had on the students ability to learn. Lyons also wanted the building to be placed on the corner lot so that students had room to play outside, and incorporated windows into his plans so that every classroom had access to natural light.<blockquote> </blockquote><blockquote>"First Ward’s classrooms were designed with student comfort in mind. Originally, each classroom was fitted with long rows of ornate Black wrought iron desks with wood bench seats. The bench-style seats were hinged and featured curved backs and seats to allow correct posture control. Each row was separated by a wide aisle. Seating of this type was used throughout the most of school’s history. Walls were finished in plaster for easy cleaning and painted in a restful color using a dull finish to ease eye strain and reflection. Cloakrooms were open and well ventilated featuring upper and lower rows of hooks. The tip of the each cast iron hook was embellished with a tiny acorn design. This acorn motif was representative and associative of the metaphor surrounding the acorn and the tree of knowledge. This subtle design feature served as a psychological reinforcement for students of the value and importance of knowledge and education."1</blockquote>First Ward School was developed with the ultimate goal of student success, and also aided in the reduction of overcrowding in the school system. The school initially opened as both an elementary school and high school. In 1915, the high school students were moved to the newly built Central School Building where they remained until 1926 when the Elkins High School building opened adjacent to First Ward School. First Ward School educated the elementary students of the Elkins community from 1909 to 1976. The Randolph County Board of Education created a plan in 1974 to build four new schools, Midland, North, Third Ward and First Ward, to replace the existing buildings due to rising energy costs. After First Ward School closed it's doors the building then served as a warehouse for the Randolph Board of Education until it was eventually abandoned. C-Hope bought First Ward School from the Randolph County Board of Education in 2009 after creating a partnership with Elkins Historic Landmarks Commission to state that the building was salvageable. C-Hope, along with AFHA AmeriCorps members, developed and distributed a reuse plan for the school building. The Randolph County Board of Education sold First Ward School to C-Hope for a single dollar with the promise that they restore and repurpose the building. After First Ward School was placed on the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia Endangered Property List, a Development Grant from the WV SHPO Division of Culture and History was awarded, and the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, allowing the renovation process to unfold. Today First Ward School has been completely renovated thanks to partnerships with the Randolph County Housing Authority and AU Associates who repurposed the building into apartments.

First Ward School served the Elkins community by educating students from 1909 to 1976. After a brief period of being a storage unit for the Randolph County Board of Education, the building was left to decay. C-Hope, Citizens for Historical Opportunity, Preservation, and Education, bought the abandoned building from the Randolph County Board of Education in 2009 for $1. The First Ward School building was then placed on the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia's Endangered Properties List with intent for renovation. Today, the building has been re-purposed as an affordable 55 or older apartment complex and is also on the National Register of Historic Places.

First Ward School

Herman Guy Kump was a West Virginia native, born in Capon Springs in 1877. Kump grew up on a stock raising farm and went to local schools until the 8th grade, when he attended the Shenandoah Normal School near Winchester, Virginia. He returned to Hampshire county to teach and later worked as a deputy county clerk before becoming the paymaster for the Consolidation Coal Company’s Monongah mine. At the age of 26, Kump started law school at the University of Virginia. He moved to Elkins following graduation and opened up his own law practice. Like many other leading attorneys of the era, Kump's practice led him to the political sphere when he became the prosecuting attorney in Randolph County in 1908, a position he served for two terms. During World War I, he and other attorneys utilized their legal skills to help the army, serving as a Captain in the Judge Advocate General's office in Washington. Following the end of the war, Kump returned to his law practice for two years before seeking the office of mayor. After a successful election, he served as the mayor of the city from 1921 to 1923.  Kump began his candidacy for Governor of West Virginia in 1932, just as the full effects of the Great Depression were being felt throughout the state and nation. Kump defeated Republican T. C. Townsend and became the Governor of West Virginia in 1933. He was the last Governor to be inaugurated in March, and the first to be inaugurated at the current state capitol. During his tenure in office, West Virginia faced one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation. His inaugural address as governor identified the need to stabilize the banking sector while also stimulating private businesses, but much of his time in office focused on promoting public works projects throughout the state.  Upon taking office, Kump called for a special session of the state legislature; The legislature met for 240 days- the longest session in West Virginia history. During this session, the legislature reorganized the State Road Commission and passed legislation authorizing the transfer of authority for maintaining 31,000 miles of secondary roads from the counties to the state government.  To meet the revenue needs of the growing state government, the Kump administration enacted the first state-wide consumer sales tax. His administration also established unemployment insurance, state personal income tax, and the creation of a county unit school system and a unified nine-month school term.2 The Depression did not end while Kump was in office, however his efforts to secure unemployment insurance and promote federal works projects helped many throughout the state whether some of its leanest years. Kump left office in 1937 and returned to Elkins, WV where he continued practicing law. He attempted to run for United States Senate in 1940 and 1942, but was defeated both times.  Kump passed away in 1962 and was interned in the Beverly Cemetery in Randolph County. Mary Gamble Kump, Kump's youngest daughter, took control of this historic house. In 2008 Mary gifted the home to the city of Elkins with the understanding that it would be used for educational purposes, with programs that promoted citizenship and education for children and youth. In 2010, The Kump Education Center was established and maintains its headquarters in this historic home. The center maintains a schedule of events and programs designed to fulfill Mary Kump's vision for promoting education and citizenship by collaborating with the faculty of several local colleges and other educational institutions.

Completed in 1925, the Kump House was home to the family of Herman Guy Kump, a leading attorney and the 19th Governor of West Virginia. Kump was in office from 1933 to 1937 and is best known for his work promoting public education and working with the federal government to promote public works projects throughout the state during the Great Depression. Today the Kump house is owned by the city of Elkins and is home to the Kump Education Center, an organization that focuses on historic preservation and sustainability. 

The Kump House

The Randolph County Courthouse in Elkins, West Virginia was a center of local controversy before it even existed. When the county was founded as part of the state of Virginia in 1787, the town of Beverly seven miles to the south of modern-day Elkins was the most prominent community in the area and thus became the county seat. That seat’s regional prominence grew over the course of the early nineteenth century as a result of the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike, which Beverly’s residents convinced state authorities to construct on an indirect route that hooked northward to bring business through their town. In the second half of the nineteenth century, however, railroad activity quickly outpaced turnpike travel, and Beverly’s economy and demographic growth began to stagnate. The population and trade of Elkins, on the other hand, expanded rapidly after its foundation in 1890 as a town specifically intended to service the West Virginia Central and Pittsburgh Railroad, and with the backing of its founders Senators Stephen B. Elkins and Henry Gassaway Davis soon eclipsed Beverly in regional influence. In response to this shift the citizens of Elkins began efforts to move the county seat from Beverly, efforts that resulted in rising tensions between the two communities that are known locally as the “Randolph County Courthouse Wars.” Ultimately, this conflict was resolved in the courts in 1898 in Elkins’ favor and plans moved forward for the construction of a new county courthouse. After several years of planning, construction began under the direction of Uniontown, Pennsylvania architect John Charles Fulton in 1902. Fulton, a prominent Pittsburgh-area architect who played a role in the construction of a number of courthouses throughout the state (among them those of Doddridge County, Barbour County, and Monongalia County), designed the Randolph County Courthouse in the style popularized by Henry Hobson Richardson during the late nineteenth century. Richardson, recognized along with Louis Sullivan and Frank Lloyd Wright as one of the three most influential architects in American history, is perhaps best known for his work on Trinity Church in Boston’s Back Bay. Like that building, the Randolph County Courthouse features prominent rounded arches, a recessed entryway, contrasting masonry textures, and towers with conical caps, characteristics borrowed from Roman and Byzantine buildings that came to define Richardson’s work and the Richardsonian Romanesque architectural style named for him. While examples of that style can be seen across the United States, however, it largely failed to take hold in West Virginia. Only a few dozen public and private structures were built with its features and of those the Randolph County Courthouse is among the most prominent, making it a unique architectural contribution to the region. The courthouse is equally unique as a site with connections to prominent individuals from the state’s history. Two future West Virginia governors practiced law there in its first year in operation. The first, Ephraim F. Morgan, was the Republican Party’s candidate in the gubernatorial race of 1920 and after winning with a plurality of the vote served as head of the state from 1921 to 1925. A descendent of prominent early colonist to western Virginia Morgan Morgan and native of Marion County, West Virginia, Ephraim Morgan ran as a pro-business candidate in one of the most hotly contested elections in the state’s history. In that election, Morgan received less votes than the combined total earned by pro-labor candidate Samuel B. Montgomery and Socialist Matthew S. Holt, but because his opposition was split between those two candidates and Democrat Arthur B. Koontz he was able to eke out a narrow victory. During the campaign Morgan had run as an opponent of labor unions in the state and friend to the coal mining industry, and his term as governor was largely reflective of those priorities. Morgan’s opposition to the United Mine Workers of America resulted in an escalation of the West Virginia Mine Wars, a series of increasingly violent conflicts between unionized mine workers and mining industrialists backed by government troops and armed vigilantes. Eventually, after repeated requests from Morgan, President Warren G. Harding dispatched federal troops to intervene in the conflict, an action that prompted a series of court cases that ultimately bankrupted UMWA. The second West Virginia governor to practice law in the Randolph County Courthouse in its first year of existence, Herman G. Kump, was considerably less conservative than his predecessor. After winning the 1932 election as part of the political wave that brought Democrats to office across the United States in response to the Republican Party’s slow response to the Great Depression, Kump was the first member of his party to lead the state since 1894. Although he endorsed the party’s presidential nominee Franklin D. Roosevelt, however, Kump failed in many respects to endorse the policies of Roosevelt’s New Deal. While he worked to salvage the state’s depleted treasury with a series of tax increases that ultimately increased the state government’s authority over local affairs and unintentionally paved the way for later New Deal reforms, Kump opposed any expansion to the welfare system and endeavored to curtail the influence of labor unions. The growing conflict Kump’s fiscal conservatism prompted between his supporters (known as “Statehouse Democrats”) and New Deal Democrats culminated in the election of the more progressive Matthew M. Neely, which cemented an alliance between the Democratic Party and labor unionists that dominated state politics for the rest of the century. Through its connections to two of the most prominent governors of West Virginia in the first half of the twentieth century and its status as an example of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture, the Randolph County Courthouse serves as a window into some of the most impactful processes in the history of West Virginia and the United States. As a product of the Randolph County Courthouse Wars of the late nineteenth century, the structure is also a unique testament to the progress of local and regional affairs during the same period. With a little bit of something for everyone, the building is thus a must-see during any visit to the city of Elkins.

Built after the county seat moved from its former home in nearby Beverly in 1898, the Randolph County Courthouse on Randolph Avenue in Elkins, West Virginia is one of the most prominent examples of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in the state. While the structure is notable for its architecture, however, it is also noteworthy as the site of legal proceedings involving not one, but two West Virginia governors. These individuals, the state’s 16th governor Ephraim F. Morgan and 19th governor Herman Guy Kump, both appear in county court records from the building’s first year in operation, 1905. Through these figures, the Randolph County Courthouse is connected to much broader historical processes, particularly the history of the West Virginia Mine Wars and Great Depression. The courthouse remains in operation today, and is open from Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.

Randolph County Courthouse

In the early 20th century, as the city of Elkins
began to grow and the African American population increased, the demand for a
school for African American children was found. Previously, education for
African Americans came from non-government funded sources such as local churches.
West Virginia segregation laws required that a community have thirty Black children
between six and twenty-one for a public school to be built. When Elkins met
that demand, the Independent School District of Elkins purchased two lots on
River Street in 1905 that the school would be built on. 

Riverside was first built as a one-story, two-room school
for elementary students. After years of the African American community
petitioning the Elkin’s School District, a second story was built on and a high
school curriculum was added. Before the closure of the school, it was proclaimed
a legacy of Black Academic Excellence in West Virginia. As the only school for
African Americans in Randolph County, students had to travel to Riverside to
get their education. Some students from neighboring counties also chose to
pursue their education at Riverside. After desegregation and the closing of the
school in 1954, the students and faculty were dispersed to other schools
throughout the county. The school then served as a storage facility and school
bus repair shop for the School District.

Riverside School is reflective of the segregated society in
education in West Virginia. The ability of the African American community to
successfully demand for a high school education for their students proves their
influence in Elkins and their desire for equal educational opportunities for
their children. Today, the school has fallen into disrepair and the history of
Riverside is in danger of being lost. The building was purchased by the
Riverside School Association in 2009 with the mission of restoring&nbsp;the structure of the school and eventually creating an
African American Archives, Museum and Heritage center in the building. The
Riverside School was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.&nbsp;

Riverside School was built in 1906 to serve the African American community of Elkins, West Virginia. Riverside was the only African American elementary school in Randolph County from 1905 to 1954. It was the only African American high school in Randolph County from 1928 to 1954. When segregation ended in 1954, the school closed its doors to students. Riverside School represents the history of segregated schooling in West Virginia. The Preservation Alliance of West Virginia added Riverside School to the Endangered Properties List in 2010.

Riverside School

Senators Henry Gassaway Davis and Stephen B. Elkins, after whom Elkins is named, developed railroad lines, coal mines, and timber operations throughout Randolph County. Together they built the WV Central and Pittsburgh Railway to run through Elkins. This opened a vast territory to industrial development in the late 1890s. By the early 1900s, Elkins had begun to grow rapidly. The city attracted hundreds of rail and timber workers along with business entrepreneurs all looking to make Elkins their new home.  Without the arrival of the railroad, the coal and timber industries would never have rapidly become the powerful economic forces they came to be in West Virginia. Due to railroad expansion in the early twentieth century, Elkins was able to experience the luxury of passenger train service. "In 1930, eighteen passenger trains were arriving and leaving Elkins daily."1 However, in the late 1950s, the passenger service was discontinued and by the end of the 1980s, commercial rail services also ended. At the turn of the twenty-first century, the rail yard began to return to life. Now, there is a redeveloped depot area and tourist train service in Elkins.Darden Mill, the only remaining original building on the railyard other than the depot, was built in 1902 by Elkins Milling Company. The Mill was operated by the Company until 1919, when it was sold to local businessman Ralph Darden. The grain produced at the Mill was transported all over the state. Darden operated the mill until 1943. After 1943, the Darden Mill building was used for various businesses such as a farm supply store, a furniture store, and a junk shop. The structure has survived at least two fires, marks of which are still visible on interior beams. The Mill was purchased in the early twenty-first century by Citizens for Historical Opportunity, Preservation, and Education (C-Hope). The organization has put forth endless efforts to restore the Mill to its historical glory. In 2014, Darden Mill reopened as a historic building that hosts local non-profit community focused organizations.The West Virginia Railroad Museum is a small museum located in Darden Mill and dedicated to preserving and archiving the history of the railroad and its workers in West Virginia. The purpose of the West Virginia Railroad Museum is to educate visitors and the community about West Virginia's railroad history. The museum's mission is achieved through the collection and preservation of significant locomotives, artifacts, photographs, and memorabilia that are related to the railroads and railroading in West Virginia. In addition to these exhibits, select pieces of equipment in the collection were restored to working order. Now, they are operated throughout the year to demonstrate steam, gasoline, and diesel technology.  Also, visitors are provided with a first-hand experience of railroad history with a train ride.The Appalachian Forest Discovery Center also resides in Darden Mill. This organization promotes ecological and cultural awareness of portions of West Virginia’s landscape. The Center hosts a new exhibition each year. Objects are sourced through the community and acquired by soliciting donations. The Center also acts as a welcome center for the Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area, which encompasses sixteen counties in West Virginia and two in Maryland.

Darden Mill was built in 1902 to serve the burgeoning rail lines in Elkins. The building continued to operate as a mill until 1943, when it was sold and served as a retail space for several more decades. In the early twenty-first century, the Mill was acquired by Citizens for Historical Opportunity, Preservation, and Education (C-Hope). C-Hope restored the historic building, which is one of two original structures that remain of the Elkins rail yard. The Mill houses two organizations; the West Virginia Railroad Museum and the Appalachian Forest Discovery Center. The West Virginia Railroad Museum gathers, conserves, restores, and interprets the history of the railroad in West Virginia. The Appalachian Forest Discovery Center is devoted to educating the public about the culture and natural resources of sixteen counties in West Virginia and two in Maryland.

Darden Mill (Appalachian Forest Discovery Center and West Virginia Railroad Museum)

Together with the Elkins Area Community Theatre, this partnership presents theatrical experiences and educational opportunities for children and youth through both local and touring programs. The Old Brick Playhouse also presents Vaudevillian style entertainment similar to that found during the age of the Silo Circuit, popular during the railroad era in many small, rural towns such as Elkins.

Formerly the Randolph Garage Company, which was constructed in 1919, this late Edwardian style brick building is a contributing structure to the Downtown Elkins Historic District. In 1992, M&J Enterprises purchased the building and donated three quarters of it to The Old Brick Playhouse Company, a newly formed educational arts organization. 

Old Brick Playhouse

Walter F. Martens, the architect who designed the Governor’s executive mansion in Charleston, designed the church using a Romanesque Revival style. The building features locally quarried sandstone blocks on the outside, with a border of stone relief angels around the entire building.

Built in 1928, St. Brendan’s Catholic Church served the Catholic community until 1999.  In 2000, the Randolph County Community Arts Council purchased the building and following renovations, the center opened in 2001. The former sanctuary of the church is now referred to as the "Great Hall" and includes the original lighting fixtures and religious icons. The Arts Center hosts 16 exhibits, 24 concerts, and more than 100 art and music classes each year.

Randolph County Community Arts Center

Before the late nineteenth century, the area that is now Elkins, West Virginia was sparsely populated compared to the Randolph County seat of Beverly seven miles to the south. After the formation of the state of West Virginia during the American Civil War and gradual industrialization of the region over the same period, however, this began to change. West Virginia Senators and wealthy industrialists Henry Gassaway Davis and Stephen B. Elkins founded the town in 1890 to service the West Virginia Central and Pittsburgh Railway, connecting the area to major industrial hubs to the north and east in Pennsylvania and Maryland. The new town’s economy grew rapidly, as did its population, and the community’s Presbyterian congregation just as quickly outgrew the “Old White” Church building that had served as its house of worship since 1869. Himself a Presbyterian, Davis soon realized the need for more spacious accommodations and offered to fund the construction of a new church building on the condition that it be dedicated in memory of his mother. Davis played an active role in the new church’s design and construction, writing over ninety letters between 1894 and 1895 with specific instructions to the architect Charles Cassell as well as the various furniture, glass, tile, hardware, and lumber companies that supplied the building materials. He also arranged for his son-in-law and fellow town founder Stephen B. Elkins to donate the prominent Tiffany stained glass windows now located on the structure’s western side. When it was completed in 1895 as a combination of Cassell’s and Davis’s visions, the new church building offered visitors a unique blend of Gothic and Romanesque Revival architectural styles. The pointed archways in the structure’s windows and entrance as well as its castle-like tower (with pyramidal cap) are particularly representative of the Gothic Revival style popular in the nineteenth century. The fact that the windows and entrance are recessed and the façade is composed of stones of various textures, on the other hand, is indicative of Romanesque influences. Together with the Randolph County Courthouse nearby, these design elements make Elkins a unique entrepot of medieval revival architecture in the region. The church’s associations with individuals like Charles Cassell and Moses Drury Hoge also make it a unique window into the process by which former Confederates reintegrated into American society following the Civil War. While Davis himself had favored the Union during that conflict and played a key role in maintaining service for Federal forces on the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Randolph County had supported secession by a narrow margin when its original state of Virginia left the United States in 1861. Because it lay along the Staunton-Parkersburg Turnpike, however, Union leaders deemed it of too much strategic importance to allow it to join the Confederacy uncontested. As a result, Federal troops occupied the area throughout the war and Randolph County joined the new state of West Virginia when it seceded from Virginia in 1863. In consequence the relationship between former Confederates from what was once western Virginia and those of their neighbors that remained loyal to the United States was a complex one, strained by the violence and loss of the war and rising tensions of the subsequent Reconstruction period. By the 1890s, however, many West Virginians had joined a growing majority of white Northerners in choosing to embrace their former Confederate enemies at the expense of the war’s legacy of civil rights. This most likely played a role in the selection of Cassell as architect in 1894 and Hoge as minister at the church’s dedication ceremonies the following year. Cassell, a native of Portsmouth, Virginia who served as an engineer under General George Pickett, had primarily designed buildings in his home state prior to the construction of Davis Memorial. In the period following its construction, however, he went on to serve as architect for a number of prominent buildings further north, most notably in Baltimore. The Reverend Moses Drury Hoge, meanwhile, famously ran the U.S. Navy’s blockade of Charleston, South Carolina to deliver a donation of Bibles from London to the Army of Northern Virginia and preached to the likes of Generals Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson. After his role in the dedication ceremonies at Davis Memorial, Hoge went on to serve in a number of notable capacities for both the national and international Presbyterian Church. The fact that Henry Davis, a Unionist, was willing to work with individuals like Cassell and Hoge and that both went on to prominence outside the South afterwards, indicates that by the 1890s Randolph County and West Virginia had begun to follow in the footsteps of the rest of the United States in moving toward reunification.

Located at the intersection of Sycamore Street and Church Lane in Elkins, West Virginia, Davis Memorial Presbyterian Church is the first sight that greets visitors to the nearby Davis and Elkins College. While the church itself was not built until the mid-1890s a Presbyterian congregation had existed in the area since 1869, meeting in the “Old White” Church (one of two buildings that existed in the town then known as “Leading Creek” prior to the foundation of Elkins in 1890). The new church built for the Presbyterian congregation of Elkins between 1894 and 1895 was largely the brainchild of West Virginia Senator Henry Gassaway Davis, one of the town’s founders along with Senator Stephen B. Elkins. In addition to its connection to Davis the church also has associations with a number of prominent former Confederates, most notably its architect Charles E. Cassell and the minister who led its dedication ceremonies Moses Drury Hoge. The church is currently open every Sunday for services at 11:00 AM as well as for regularly scheduled community events.

Davis Memorial Presbyterian Church

Henry Gassaway Davis was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1823. Although forced to leave school to obtain work before finishing elementary school, Davis would become a leading supporter of higher education. After working as a farmhand, Davis secured a position with the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad as a brakeman. From this humble beginning in 1842, he slowly worked his way through the organization, first by becoming a conductor, and later being promoted to station agent. Thanks to his wife's inherited land in what would eventually become the town of Elkins, and his capacity to live within his means, Davis was able to invest his earnings in real estate. Though his efforts, Elkins became a booming railroad town by 1890.<blockquote>"When he was on the railroad as a brakeman, he spent many, many cold hours riding on the top of a coal pile on a coal car. He probably escaped death just by a whisker many, many times over. That was life out on the railroad. Who better to represent a state like West Virginia than someone who has come from the bottom, made his fortunes, knows what West Virginia is all about?" - Historian, John Hankey1</blockquote>Davis left the B&amp;O railroad in 1858 to pursue a career in the coal and timber industries. Davis and his brother recognized that these resources would be the key to industrial development in Appalachia long before the timber and coal booms of the the late 19th and early 20th century, Davis also found himself in position to provide resources to the Union army as the the nation went to war in 1861.  As his business interests grew, Davis turned to politics, where he focused on issues related to the development of the railroad. As he gained political influence, he was able to exert some control over the location of railroads which allowed him to support the economic interests of his constituents while also supporting his interests in the coal and timber industries. Davis was elected to the House of Delegates in 1865 and then the West Virginia Senate in 1868. After helping the Democratic Party take hold, Davis became the first West Virginian Democratic U.S. senator in 1871 and served until 1883. Throughout this period, Davis joined other white Southern Democrats in opposing Republican efforts to reconstruct the South and promote political rights for former slaves.2 After his voluntary retirement from the Senate, Davis again focused on the railroad. Through his efforts and influence, the West Virginia Central and Pittsburgh was extended through Tucker, Barbour and Pocahontas Counties until he had connected his road with the Baltimore and Ohio on the western side of the mountains, and also with the Chesapeake and Ohio. This development led to founding of Elkins. Davis soon returned to politics, becoming the Democratic Party's vice presidential candidate alongside Alton B. Parker in 1904. Parker chose Davis primarily on Davis' wealth, connections, and ability to secure funds for the campaign. However, the two Democrats lost to Republican candidates Theodore Roosevelt and Charles Fairbanks. The statue sits adjacent to the entrance of Davis and Elkins College, and was placed there in 1927. Davis died in Washington, D.C. on March 11, 1916 at the age of 92 following a short illness. He is buried in Maplewood Cemetery in Elkins. The statue commemorates West Virginia’s ‘‘Grand Old Man,’’ best remembered as a politician and business leader who dedicated his life to promoting industrial development in West Virginia via railroads, timber, and coal.

This statue on the corner of Randolph Avenue and Sycamore Street commemorates the life of Henry Gassaway Davis, an early political leader who represented West Virginia in the Senate from 1871-1883. Davis' greatest influence was promoting the development of railroads, perhaps appropriate given the fact that his first job was working as a brakeman for a rail company in 1842. Davis worked to connect the West Virginia Central & Pittsburg Railway which connected Elkins to Charleston, WV. Davis & Elkins College is named after Henry Gassaway Davis due to his early support of the institution and his many efforts to build the city of Elkins. Davis may be best remembered as Alton B. Parker's running mate in 1904, the year that Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt became President. An identical statue to this one appears in Davis Park in Charleston.

Henry Gassaway Davis Statue (Elkins)

The campus was originally located in the southern section of Elkins on a plot of land donated by Senator Elkins. Hallie Davis Elkins, the widow of Senator Elkins, matched her father's support of the growing college by donating her estate in 1926. The gift included Halliehurst, which was used as a dormitory for the college as well as land that allowed the construction of other campus buildings.  Like many other private colleges, Davis and Elkins barely survived the economic downfall of the 1930s but flourished in the era of World War II thanks to military training programs and an influx of veterans who were supported by the GI Bill. Subsequent decades saw steady enrollment and donations that allowed the college to construct a chapel, a science center, three residence halls, an auditorium and a theater. The campus has grown to include 23 buildings on its hilly 172-acre campus.

Stephen Benton Elkins was not a West Virginia native and it took him until his late 40s to move to Elkins, WV. Prior to his impact on West Virginia, Elkins went to law school in Missouri and practiced territorial politics in New Mexico. Elkins' marriage to Henry Gassaway Davis' daughter, Hallie brought him to West Virginia where he helped Davis with his coal, timber, and railroad pursuits. Elkins gained political recognition by working with James G. Blaine at the 1880 Republican National Convention. Elkins also helped Benjamin Harrison clasp the Republican nomination and presidency in 1888, and became his Secretary of War in 1891. In 1895, Elkins became a United States Senator from West Virginia, following the footsteps of his father-in-law Henry Gassaway Davis. Together they were some of the wealthiest entrepreneurs in the state of West Virginia as they dominated the coal, timber, and railroad industries.  Stephen B. Elkins built Halliehurst as a summer home when his involvement in West Virginia politics and industries started to take off. Charles T. Mott, a New York architect designed Halliehurst to represent Elkins' wealth and modeled the home after a German castle that Elkins' wife admired. Once the home was finished in 1890 it became a destination for social and political gatherings, along with Graceland which sits adjacent to the Halliehurst property. Graceland was the summer home of Henry Gassaway Davis, and both homes are now attributes to the Davis &amp; Elkins College campus. Elkins remained a Senator until his death at Halliehurst in 1911. Hallie Elkins gifted Halliehurst and the property, including the gatehouse, to Davis and Elkins College after her death in the 1920s. The college has made good use out of Halliehurst and has utilized it as housing, offices, and for administrative purposes since the 1920s. Today Halliehurst houses the office of the college's President and the first floor can be used for events.

Halliehurst was built in 1890 by  Senator Stephen B. Elkins, the co-founder of Elkins and Davis and Elkins College. The summer home is named after Stephen B. Elkins' wife, Hallie Davis Elkins, and was modeled after a German castle that she adored. Hallie Davis Elkins was the daughter of U.S. Senator from WV, Henry Gassaway Davis. Halliehurst was the first building the be established on the current campus of Davis and Elkins College, and has been home to a social center, a college administration building, and has housed the office of the president and other officials of the college. Halliehurst and her neighbor, Graceland, the summer home that belonged to Davis, would host elaborate social and political gatherings long before they belonged to Davis & Elkins College. Halliehurst was donated along with a matching gatehouse that now houses the Office of Communications & Marketing.

Halliehurst

The Stirrup Gallery is home to an array of over 10,000
donated artifacts ranging anywhere from the Roman Empire, a collection of
brilliantly colored butterflies from Peru, an up-close look Native American
tools, clothing, and art, to even fossils! A few of the many notable exhibits
include The Darby Collection, The Reckling Collection, The Howard-Sudbrink
Collection, and many more.

The most popular exhibit at the Stirrup Gallery is the Darby
Collection, donated by Hosea M. Darby, who was a West Virginian builder and
architect. The Smithsonian Institution and Colonial Williamsburg have both
inspected all 100 firearms in the Darby Collection. These guns range from the
period of 1600 to the Civil War era and are accompanied in the collection by
other weaponry such as knives and swords. This collection is also home to one
of the top five powder horn collections according to The Smithsonian Institute
and Colonial Williamsburg curators, with some of the horns having detailed
carvings. Other notable pieces in this collection include Native American
pottery and baskets, Americana pieces (such as spinning wheels, looms, and
furniture), glassware, metalware, and Mississippian artifacts. Without a doubt,
the Darby Collection is sure to educate everyone who encounters it. 

The Reckling Collection, donated by Jerry Reckling in 2017,
is home to Miocene and Pleistocene epoch fossils. The fossils in this
collection date back 2.6 million years and include parts of a mastodon, a
platybelodon, a wooly rhinoceros, and many more. This collection also contains
replicas of a cave bear and smilodon skull. Perhaps most notably, is the
mammoth exhibit that is made up of vertebrae, jaw parts, and even a tooth that
can be held by guests!

The Howard-Sudbrink Collection was donated by Board of
Trustee member and alumni Bill Sudbrink in 2014. This collection is home to
over 400 Roman coins and is one of the top twenty private collections in the
United States. These coins are a variety of gold, silver, and bronze. These
coins show Trajan’s major accomplishments, war campaigns, and gladiator games.
Guests of The Stirrup Gallery, are able to hold one of the coins in this
collection.

Other
collections in The Stirrup Gallery hold gems such as an 18 karat gold Tiffany
and Co. pocket watch from the mid-1800s and a unique Sicilian wedding cart
which is covered entirely with paintings, an Egyptian bronze Osiris statue
(circa 760 B.C.), paintings by E.A. Burbank of Abraham Lincoln, and even a
Picasso piece! These artifacts were unavailable to the public for several
decades, but thankfully, are now a part of the exhibits at Davis and Elkins
College. There are a number of interactive exhibits for people of all ages.

The Stirrup Gallery, located on the historic Davis & Elkins College campus, includes hands-on exhibits as well as one of the most extensive collections of powder horns in the United States; domestic life pieces and firearms from the historic Darby Collection; Ancient Roman coins, Native American artifacts and much more! Originated in 2013, The Stirrup Gallery has 14,000 years of history that has been donated to Davis & Elkins College. The Stirrup Gallery is dedicated to student success as they provide materials for them to promote thoughtful and meaningful involvement in their communities and the world. 

The Stirrup Gallery of Davis & Elkins College

Henry Gassaway Davis was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1823 and quit his education before finishing elementary school. A true business man, Davis did not let his lack of education determine his wealth. After being a farmhand Davis served the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad as a brakeman and started working his way to the top by becoming a conductor and then a station agent. Thanks to his wife's inherited land in what would eventually become Elkins, and his savings, Davis was able to invest and develop a booming railroad town by 1890.  Davis left the B&amp;O railroad in 1858 to pursue the coal and timber industry. Davis and his brother gained wealth during the Civil War as their land was valuable because it was easily accessible to supply the army with food and other various supplies. Most of Davis' political agenda dealt with the development of the railroad; he gained political power to have more control over the placement of the railroad and to expand his wealth through the coal and timber industries. Davis was elected to the House of Delegates in 1865 and then the West Virginia Senate in 1868. After helping the Democratic Party take hold, Davis became the first West Virginian Democratic U.S. senator in 1871 and served until 1883.  After his voluntary retirement from the Senate, Davis again focused on the railroad. It was during this time between retirement and his vice president candidacy that he extended the West Virginia Central and Pittsburgh through Tucker, Barbour and Pocahontas Counties until he had connected his road with the Baltimore and Ohio on the western side of the mountains, and also with the Chesapeake and Ohio. This development led to founding of Elkins. After much persistence, Davis became the Democratic vice president candidate alongside Alton B. Parker in 1904. Parker chose Davis primarily on Davis' wealth and ability to fund the campaign. They lost to the Republican campaign of Theodore Roosevelt and Charles Fairbanks. Henry Gassasway Davis' wife passed in 1902, leaving their daughter Grace responsible for taking care of the house during the summers that her family spent there. Grace died in a tragic car accident in 1931 and left Graceland in the hands of her children, Ellen Bruce Lee and her husband, John A. Kennedy. Graceland was a men's residence hall for thirty years after the West Virginia Presbyterian Education Fund gifted it to Davis &amp; Elkins College in 1941. The home was not in use for nearly 20 years from 1971 to 1990. The Graceland Inn started renovating in 1990 and finally opened in 1996. The Graceland Inn is furnished with antiques and Victorian style furniture, and has dining, wifi, and conference rooms available.

Graceland was built in 1893 by Senator Henry Gassaway Davis, the co-founder of Elkins and Davis & Elkins College. Davis earned his wealth through climbing the ranks of the B&O Railroad, and eventually gaining enough political power to control the growing path of the railroad to better suit his involvement in the timber and coal industries. This Queen Anne styled summer home once sat on 360 acres of land that now houses Davis & Elkins College. Graceland was originally named the Mingo Moor, but was changed to honor Davis' youngest daughter, Grace. Graceland and the property that now belongs to Davis & Elkins College was once the site of many upscale political and social gatherings. After being passed through the family, Graceland was purchased by the West Virginia Presbyterian Education Fund in 1941 and was given to Davis & Elkins College where it was a residence hall for thirty years. Restorations began in 1990 to return Graceland to it's once luxurious state, and Graceland Inn opened it's doors in 1996. 

Graceland, Davis & Elkins College

The West Virginia Children's Home opened on May 9, 1911, bringing with it the transfer of the Humane Society headquarters from Wheeling, WV. The children were consolidated from smaller homes located throughout Elkins, Wheeling, and the rest of West Virginia. The home was meant to serve healthy children who were orphaned, abandoned, neglected, or cruelly treated. At the time of its creation, the home only admitted white children and a separate home was created and maintained until racial integration began in the 1950s. Children sent here were originally kept here until a more permanent home could be located and most children stayed from 3-6 months and ranged in age from 2-14 years old. The home never served children with mental or physical disabilities and only a small portion of the children were orphaned. The children assisted with the adjacent farm and the girls were taught to cook, clean, sew, and complete laundry work as well as help with the younger children. In 1956, the West Virginia Colored Children's Home in Huntington, WV was closed and the Elkins Children's Home became integrated. The home remained in operation until 1977 when it was given a new mission to treat, provide long-term care and evaluation of disturbed teenagers. The facility now operates as a long-term care for children ages 12-18 from throughout West Virginia. These children have not been able to transition into foster care or a group home setting due to behavioral issues. The facility has its own state accredited school on campus and provides a number of activities ranging from arts and crafts, swimming, and sports to first aid/CPR training and nutrition training/food handlers card.

The West Virginia Children's Home has served the State of West Virginia with housing and placement of orphaned, neglected, and dependent children from 1911 through the present. In its early years, the home was meant to serve as a short-term housing solution for children who ranged in age from two to fourteen years old who typically stayed here for less than six months. Today, the home has a different mission as youth who have demonstrated behavioral issues from all 55 counties in West Virginia are housed here on a more long-term basis. The West Virginia Children's Home includes an accredited school and serves children from the ages of twelve to eighteen with the goal of preparing youth for the transition to independent living or for life in a group or foster home.

West Virginia Children's Home

As the state of West Virginia grew after the Civil War, residents across the state established and joined fraternal and benevolent societies. These organizations sought to promote the well-being of their members and often emphasized care for the less fortunate that reflected the spirit of the Progressive Era. Fraternal orders in America and Europe had long made social welfare a cornerstone of their mission, and the Odd Fellows was established in Europe for the specific purpose of caring for members and the less fortunate.&nbsp;During the early Industrial Age and in response to the Poor Laws of England, middle-class workers formed the Odd Fellowship in the late eighteenth century. “Members in dire circumstances could freely appeal to “brothers” for aid; the order also guaranteed members a decent burial.”<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[1]</a> As the Odd Fellow organization evolved in England form the late eighteenth century to the early nineteenth century, the fraternal order spread to the United States, and the first American chapter opened in Baltimore, MD in 1819.&nbsp;Throughout the century, the Odd Fellows organization grew steadily in the United States along with many other benevolent societies and while continuing ritualistic practices, many benevolent groups focused on charitable deeds. “The last third of the nineteenth century was a time of dramatic proliferation of voluntary associations. The population of America’s towns and cities was multiplying rapidly, and the number of organizations was growing even faster.”&nbsp;The rapid increase of fraternal organizations during this time reflected the growing social, cultural, and economic problems many Americans faced during the Victorian age.

With very limited social safety nets in place for Americans during the nineteenth century, fraternal organizations offered people a means to alleviate to some degree, their social and economic hardships. Alternatively, as historian David T. Belto put it: “The fraternal society was far more than another device to address deep-seated cultural, psychological, and gender needs. It allowed Americans to provide social welfare services that could be had in no other way.”<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[2]</a> Whereas government and private aid reflected the social, cultural, and racial trends of the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century, social welfare assistance dispensed in a very limited manner.&nbsp;Principled ethics of reciprocity dictated fraternal organizations offering of social and financial aid to Americans. The Odd Fellows established trends in relief aid by creating a schedule for benefits. “Each member when taken sick could claim a regular stipend per week (usually $3.00 to $6.00) to compensate for working days lost.”<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[3]</a> The Odd Fellows also used different language when referring to the monetary aid they provided, and used the term benefits or rights as compared to the term charity. 

The rise of orphaned children in the United States by 1880 had reached 50,579 and increased to 142,971 by 1923.&nbsp;Caring for orphaned children became a common practice for many fraternal organizations, including the Odd Fellows, the Loyal Order of the Moose, and the Masons. "Out of all the fraternal societies, however, two stood out the most, the Odd Fellows and the Masons." As the geographic spread of Odd Fellows chapters emerged across the United States, chapters opened in West Virginia following statehood and through the subsequent years of the nineteenth century. One West Virginia chapter that developed in the early twentieth century was the Odd Fellows of Elkins, West Virginia.

West Virginia newspaper articles began covering the story of an Odd Fellows chapter opening in Elkins, West Virginia in 1909. The Point Pleasant Register noted in July 1909 that the Odd Fellows home was almost completed and that West Virginia had 22,000 Odd Fellows members.&nbsp;By November of that year, a Clarksburg, West Virginia newspaper, the Clarksburg Weekly Telegram stated an important feature regarding the Odd Fellows home in Elkins: “The first and only state home possessed by a fraternal organization in West Virginia is that of the Odd Fellows, and is situated near the beautiful mountain city of Elkins.”<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[4]</a> The Clarksburg Weekly Telegram further explained the need for the fraternal home in Elkins that highlighted national trends regarding orphans and fraternal organizations; the newspaper stated: “Agitation for a state home for their dependent ones soon crystallized into action by the various Odd Fellows’ lodges in West Virginia, with the result that the contract for the elegant state home at Elkins was awarded April 30, 1908.”<a target="_blank" rel="nofollow">[5]</a> As the newspaper articles indicate, the various Odd Fellow lodges in West Virginia contributed to the fraternal home in Elkins. 

The Odd Fellows home in Elkins, West Virginia opened on September 22, 1910, caring for the elderly, widows, and orphans.&nbsp;After opening the Odd Fellows home in 1910, the fraternal organization began taking in orphaned children that needed a home and an education, but the geography of the home was problematic. When the Odd Fellows home began operating, the building was not in the school district, and the board members of the Elkins Odd Fellows agreed to pay tuition to the school board so the orphans could attend school in Elkins. By 1915, the legislature expanded the school district zone to include the Odd Fellows home. However, the Odd Fellows still had to pay tuition, just half of the total amount depending on the number of orphans attending school. As the Independent School District of Elkins and the Odd Fellows chapter entered into a verbal agreement for reduced tuition, by the 1919/1920 school year, the Odd Fellows stopped paying the reduced tuition for their orphans. By 1920, the Elkins Odd Fellows cared for 126 orphans from ages 6 to 21.&nbsp;When the 1920/1921&nbsp;school year commenced, the Odd Fellows once again did not pay the tuition fees, and so the school board sued the fraternal organization. Because West Virginia law at that time required school-aged children to attend school, the judge presiding over the case ruled that nonpermanent domiciles did not justify charging orphans tuition in a free school district. The judge also acknowledged that the Odd Fellows were never obligated to pay tuition because only one school existed for the orphans to attend in Elkins, and despite being orphaned, they indeed resided within the closest school district, and thus qualified to attend the free school of Elkins without charge. As of today, the Elkins Odd Fellows are still an operating fraternal order focused on community service.&nbsp;

Shortly after the founding of Elkins, West Virginia, in 1889, local residents established a chapter of the International Order of Odd Fellows. The organization reflected the spirit of the Progressive Era with its emphasis on self-improvement and service to the community. In the early 1900s, the Odd Fellows raised funds to create this home for orphaned children and the elderly. West Virginia had several homes that were operated by the state, but when this home opened in 1910, Elkins was the only city in West Virginia to have a charitable home operated by a fraternal order. In its early years as a charitable home, members of the Elkins Odd Fellows organized community events and started a marching band. Over subsequent decades, the Odd Fellows home of Elkins continued to serve as an orphanage and place of care for older adults, and widows suffering from economic hardship. The home continues to operate just as it did a century ago, but with the slow decline in membership of fraternal orders, the old fraternal house now serves as a nursing home. 

Historic Elkins Driving Tour

Liberal Arts Hall, Davis and Elkins College

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information