Classroom

The Woolworth Department Store in downtown Charleston, WV was a "whites only" department store that caught fire and burned on May 5th, 1949. Among the seven firefighters who died battling the fire, were two Black firefighters, Richard McCormick and U.S. Army veteran George Coates. Had McCormick and Coates tried to sit down to eat a sandwich or have a cup of coffee at the Woolworth’s lunch counter the day before the fire, they would have been denied. This store was certainly not alone in their "white-only" policy, as several other&nbsp;downtown lunch counters did not allow Blacks until 1958.&nbsp;The tragedy served as a catalyst for African-Americans in the Charleston area that led to several protests in the 1950s and would lead to city-wide&nbsp;sit-ins and boycotts in the late 1950s.&nbsp;In that year,&nbsp;sit-ins and boycotts organized by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) compelled most store owners to change their practice.

A photo of the Woolworth five and dime department store circa the mid-1940s.

Video

The Woolworth department store in Charleston was consumed by fire on May 5th, 1949. Seven firefighters died in the effort to save the building, including two African American members of the Charleston fire department. Due to the store's policy of racial discrimination, these two men would not have been served had they attempted to patronize the business. The fire also caused over one million dollars in damage. 

Woolworth Department Store Fire, 1949

Instructor

This tour starts with the courthouse and city hall buildings and then moves throughout the heart of downtown before returning to the riverbank. The tour includes several historic buildings, churches, and sites and markers related to the early history of Charleston from the Civil War to the 1950s.

After the establishment of the Kanawha County, court was held at Fort Lee in the Mansion House, and the decision to build a courthouse was decided during the first meeting of the justices. A levy resulted in the creation of a one story log cabin on property belonging to George Alderson, which served at Kanawha County’s courthouse until 1817. A two story brick court house was constructed in 1817. In 1849, the open market beside the courthouse was destroyed during a cholera outbreak in Charleston, and offices for the courthouse were built in its place. In 1888, the brick courthouse was demolished over the course of two days because it could not suit the needs of the growing city.The current Kanawha County Courthouse was erected on the same site in 1892. An architectural firm from Richmond, Virginia, Shieff and Highnam, won the bid to design the new courthouse. In 1917, prominent West Virginia architect, H. Rus Warne, designed the additions that shaped the courthouse into an “L.” These additions, finalized in 1924, extended the building onto the corners of Kanawha Street and Virginia Street. In the 1930s, the statue that was originally installed at the top of the tower vanished. With the additions of 1817 and 1824, the Kanawha County Courthouse spans the length of an entire block. All of the buildings that have served as the Kanawha County Courthouse have existed on the same piece of property.

The Kanawha County Courthouse was originally assembled at Fort Lee in the home of George Clendenin, the man responsible for the first permanent settlement of the Kanawha River Valley. After the incorporation of Kanawha County, the justices voted to construct a courthouse during their first gathering. A one story log cabin was the first official courthouse of Kanawha County, and was replaced by a two story brick building that existed from 1817 to 1888. The current Kanawha County Courthouse was established in 1892, and has served the community since. Additions were made in 1817 and 1824, both designed by local architect, H. Rus Warne.

Kanawha County Courthouse

After the Civil War, an engine house was constructed on the
courthouse property and housed Charleston city offices on the second floor. The
engine house burned down in 1874, and for the next ten years all city offices,
including the mayor’s, were located in rented rooms throughout Downtown Charleston.
The first official City Hall building was constructed in 1884 for $13,000. The
first floor of the 1884 City Hall housed the fire department and a lock-up,
while the second floor housed city offices, and the third floor was utilized as
a storage area. Due to the growing population of Charleston after becoming the
permanent West Virginia State Capital, over 30,000 people from 1900 to 1922,
there was a need for a new facility to house city matters.

When the new Charleston City Hall was completed in 1922, it
was remarked as, “the finest municipal building in the south.”1 The
new city hall cost $650,000, which was considered expensive for the time
period. A local West Virginia architect, H. Rus Warne was hired to design the
new city hall, while A.G. Higgenbotham was responsible for its construction.
Bonner H. Hill was the Charleston City Manager at the time of construction, and
later went on to become the secretary of the West Virginia Captiol Building
Commission; Hill was noted as being very involved in supervising both projects.
On August 31st, 1922, one third of Charleston’s population showed up
to tour the new facility; Mayor Hall, H. Rus Warne, A.G. Higginbotham, and
Bonner H. Hill were all in attendance.&nbsp;The fourth floor of
Charleston City Hall was originally utilized as health care center, which was a
new concept for the growing city.<blockquote>“But the new thing, the
one with which Charleston people are not familiar, is the provision made for
caring for the physically ailing or the delinquents of life. Here the paternal
aspect of the whole thing was best exemplified. Here it has been shown how a city
is not indifferent to derelict who is sick, the wayward who needs restraint and
medical attention, the casual emergency case that needs treatment and care and
all done at the expenses of the city.” –Charleston Gazette reporting on the
grand opening of the new Charleston City Hall.1</blockquote>The Charleston City Hall building was
constructed to outlast the population boom of the state capital, and has proven
to be true.&nbsp;

Charleston's first city hall was completed in 1882, but was replaced as a result of notable population growth between the late 1880s and early 1920s. Architect H. Rus Warne was tasked with designing the existing structure. Dedication of Charleston's current city hall occurred on August, 31, 1922. The dedication featured an opulent public gala attended by nearly one-third of excited Charleston residents. In order to complement the architectural style of the Kanawha County Courthouse, also designed by Warne, the City Hall was constructed with neoclassical influences. Features of this style include arched entryways, inset columnns, and a gray limestone exterior. The centerpiece of the four-story building is the grand lobby and council chambers, which feature ornate plaster ceiling with decorative moulding, marble floors, and walnut paneling. The building was restored in the 1980s and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

Charleston City Hall

On April 16, 1906, Charles and John Woodrum opened a small furniture store on Kanawha Street. Over the next ten years of successful business, the company needed a bigger building.1 The Woodrum's Furniture Building was constructed in 1916. Originally, it was known as Woodrum's
 Home Outfitting Company by brothers Charles and John Woodrum.
 A 50,000 square foot addition was completed in 1937, which doubled the retail space with new floors and room to showcase home furniture. With this new addition Woodrum's Home Outfitting Company became the
 largest furniture store in Charleston at the time. The Woodrum's Building was listed on&nbsp;the National Register of
 Historic Places in 1996.2

Woodrum's Furniture Building, also known as  Woodrum Home Outfitting Co., is a six-story commercial building located in downtown Charleston, West Virginia. The building was built in 1916 and a rear addition was added in 1937. Woodrum's Furniture faces the south side of Virginia Street and is the tallest building on the block, which has many buildings from the same period of  early 20th-century Charleston.

Woodrum's Furniture Building

The Heritage Towers Museum, opened in 2005,&nbsp;to bring life to
African American culture. It derives from the roots of African Heritage and expresses the most important components for African
Americans in West Virginia. The museum is&nbsp;an exhibit that brings African American culture to life. A 3-D textbook that helps West Virginians grasp the rich and exciting diversity
ranging from life in West Africa to the heart of West Virginia, the coal
mines. 

Some of the intriguing displays are of the heart-wrenching
slave auctions and the famous Underground Railroad. There is even a timeline of
the civil rights movement that displays events starting in 1950 and ending in
the 1990s. The best part of the museum is that it caters to all races and all
ages. The displays are strategically placed and created so that they develop a
beautiful depth to them, but they are so beautiful and elegant that they
capture the eye of even the younger children. It is a gallery that speaks to the
souls of African American culture and yet somehow captures the beauty out of
the pain of slavery. There are multiple galleries. The first gallery (A)&nbsp;is about African culture and the craftsmanship of African Kingdoms. Exhibit B
is the Village Life, which contributes replicas of Africa village life with
things like handmade utensils. Exhibit C and D are dedicated to the Middle
Passage and Lost At Sea and they tell the story of the slave trades. Exhibit E
is called Slave life and it gives insight on what it was truly like to be a
slave, from the houses to auctions. Exhibit F, G, and H are all exemplifying
Civil Rights and the beginning of the timeline towards freedom. The last
gallery shows visitor how the events have contributed to the lives and families
of African Americans in Charleston today.

Heritage Towers Museum allows visitors to explore West Virginia's unique African American heritage. Located in downtown Charleston, it’s the ideal place to learn, and experience culture. It is more than a museum, it’s a place of discovery.

Heritage Towers Museum

When the Charleston National Bank was established in 1884, it did not have a bank house. After the bank started to thrive, the management decided to build the original Charleston National Bank Building along Kanawha Street, which was completed in 1890. L. Prichard was the president of the Charleston National Bank in the late 1800s, and followed by his son, H. L. Prichard. The original structure was four stories tall and constructed of pressed brick. Charleston National Bank was created to fund Charleston's growing business and industrial endeavors and was at one point responsible for nearly half of the bank holdings in the city. In 1906, the bank established a new building in the predominantly commercial section of Downtown Charleston on Capitol Street. By 1929, Charleston National had merged with five other banks, making it the largest national bank in the West Virginia.&nbsp;The current Charleston National Bank, or Chase Tower, was constructed in the mid-1960s, during Charleston’s first Urban Renewal program. The razing of the old Charleston National Bank Building permanently changed both Quarrier and Capitol Streets, expanding both. The new Charleston National Plaza was completed in 1969, and acquired an entire block. The urban renewal of Charleston, WV, in the 1960s sparked numerous jobs for community members, however also destroyed the structures that created Charleston’s first business district. The construction of the new tower started a chain reaction as other “sky scrapers” started to inhabit downtown Charleston. In the 1980s, Charleston National was part of a mega-merger that established the first billion-dollar bank holding company in West Virginia. The building was renamed the Chase Tower after J.P. Morgan branches were changed to Chase in 2006. In 2012, the Chase Tower Plaza was renovated to include a larger walking area and a fountain.

The Charleston National Bank was established in August of 1884 to accommodate Southern West Virginia’s growing industries. In 1890, the bank constructed the original building along Kanawha Street, and was housed there until 1906 when a new structure was built along Capitol Street. During Charleston’s first Urban Renewal project in the 1960s, the Charleston National Bank Building was razed and a tower was erected to provide an office space that could accommodate more jobs.

Charleston National Bank/Chase Tower

The Charleston Arcade Building was established in 1895 by John T. Cotton and E.W.&nbsp;Wilson, who was the seventh governor of West Virginia. Cotton was a local businessman and pharmacist who had established numerous businesses along Capitol Street prior to the Arcade, including the Cotton Opera House. Wilson married Cotton's daughter, Henrietta, in 1874 prior to his term as governor which began in 1884. The Arcade was an open two-story structure with a iron framed glass atrium. Some of the popular businesses remembered from the Arcade were Gibbs Barbershop, Arcade News Agency, The Arcadia, and the Corey's Arcade Fruit Company. &nbsp;The Arcade continued to be prosperous until the late 1900s. When the Arcade was demolished, the iron structure and glass paneling from the roof were salvaged and to be repurposed in the restored Hotel Kanawha, however that project was never finished.&nbsp;Prior to the existence of the Hotel Kanawha, the Charleston Institute for Women was housed on this site until 1869. The Hotel Kanawha was constructed from 1902 to 1903, and was 96,000 square feet upon completion. The eight story structure expanded and added a wing in 1906, and again in 1917. When the Daniel Boone Hotel opened in 1929, it replaced the Hotel Kanawha as the premier hotel in Charleston. Prior to the existence of the Daniel Boone Hotel, the Hotel Kanawha was where local, state, and federal politicians resided during their stay in Charleston, WV.When John F. Kennedy ran against Hubert H. Humphrey in the 1960 Democratic primaries, it was more than just a political battle: it was a battle of denominations. To ensure victory in the southern West Virginia coalfields that were primarily protestant, Catholic candidate John F. Kennedy made countless visits and sent his brothers to speak on his behalf. A Lou Harris poll three days prior to the election showed Kennedy long to Humphrey despite Kennedy’s popularity. After Kennedy heard of the results, he made an unforgettable speech during a telecast where he put the religion debate to rest. Upon Kennedy’s win over Humphrey, he thanked West Virginia during his speech and said that he would not have won if it weren’t for the Mountain State.In 1965, the installation of newer hotels in Downtown Charleston outweighed Hotel Kanawha’s popularity, and the building was sold and then utilized as the West Virginia Job Corps office until 1997. The Job Corps was dedicated to training underprivileged young women for the work force, and was installed by the Kennedy administration. Restoration efforts began in the late 1990s, and continued into the early 2000s. These plans included the razing of the arcade to provide parking for both the Hotel Kanawha and the Kanawha Bank and Trust Building, the renovation of the Hotel Kanawha to make more rooms and add a ballroom, and create a tower that connected the Hotel Kanawha and a restored Kanawha Bank and Trust Building. To fund this project, the Hotel Kanawha needed to be added to the National Register of Historic Places to acquire federal and state historic preservation income tax credits. The Arcade was demolished in 1998, and in 1999 the project managers asked for a $7.7 million loan. A $6.6 million loan was allotted by the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and approval from the Charleston Urban Renewal Authority shortly followed. The cost of the project skyrocketed as issues and problems arose, and the project developers secured only a fraction of the costs. Not enough investors donated money, and soon the city started pulling their money from the project. The Hotel Kanawha was demolished in May of 2003, and a four story building replaced it in 2004.

The Hotel Kanawha was established in 1903 and was a premier hotel in Charleston, WV until 1965. When West Virginia was a battleground state during the Democratic primaries of the 1960 presidential election, the Hotel Kanawha was campaign headquarters for President John F. Kennedy. The Arcade Building was established in 1895 by a former state governor, and was demolished during the efforts to restore the Hotel Kanawha. Despite its historical significance and tremendous efforts to restore the Hotel Kanawha, the building was demolished and a bank now stands in its place. There were many fights to save the hotel, but the project was too expensive and there were multiple problems with loans.

The Hotel Kanawha/Arcade Building

Designed by architect P. Norwood Higgins, the WVSU Capitol Center opened as the Plaza Theatre in 1912, to serve primarily a vaudeville venue.&nbsp; By 1919, new owners had purchased the property and undertook a remodeling of the theatre to add such features as a Wurlitzer pipe organ and projector room to the interior, and a new marquee and large sign outside.&nbsp; They also rebranded the theatre when it was reopened with an elaborate ceremony in 1921, which included the governor Ephraim Morgan who viewed the first film screened in the theatre, “The Old Nest." For a few years, there was a coexistence of Vaudeville and film, but after a fire in 1923 caused the roof to collapse, the decision was made to focus solely on film.&nbsp; In the late 1920s sound was added to the theatre to meet the new trend of talking pictures.&nbsp;Through the years, the Capitol Theatre was a nexus of entertainment and culture in Charleston. In 1956, another major remodel project updated the interior and exterior of the theatre and added elements of the Art Deco style to the mostly Classical Revival style. The theatre continued to operate until 1981 when it succumbed to competition from chain theatres and multiplexes. In 1983, a nearby theatre (the Kearse Theater – built in 1922) was demolished to make room for a parking lot. In response, many local residents became concerned that the remaining historic downtown theater might suffer the same fate. In response, local preservationists and a group of 28 investors pooled their resources to form the “Capitol Renaissance ’84-1 Ltd.” to purchase the vacant property in 1984. The organization renovated and reopened the building the following year, primarily as a performing arts center. The theater became the home of Mountain Stage and other local productions and was celebrated as an adaptive reuse projection that would help revitalize the old business district in downtown Charleston.



The theatre building itself is three stories tall and is nestled between two adjoining buildings on either side.&nbsp; The exterior façade is divided into three segments with 4 brick pilasters (a rectangular columnn that projects from a wall).&nbsp; There are three large windows on the second and third floors.&nbsp; The color scheme is mostly green and beige.&nbsp; There is a parapet that adorns the upper part of the building that contains decorative ornamentation.&nbsp; At the center is a triangular pediment containing artistic decorations.&nbsp; The street level was significantly altered in 1956 when much of the theatre was remodeled.&nbsp; An Art Deco ticket booth was installed on the right side of the building near a pair of doors in the center of the building where the lobby is accessed from the street. There is a large marquee that overhangs the ticket booth and entry doors.



Inside, the lobby features similar Art Deco style to the ticket booth, including artwork and decorations. The main auditorium is 110 feet deep and 53 feet wide and features a floor that slopes toward the stage and orchestra pit.&nbsp; There are two aisles in between the rows of chairs.&nbsp; There is also a substantial balcony that extends over two-thirds of the main floor.&nbsp; In addition to the stage, there is a single screen and about 800 total in the theatre.&nbsp; In 1991 the theatre was donated to West Virginia State College (now University).&nbsp; The venue is part of the university and includes five classrooms and computer lab. The main auditorium hosts university productions and the&nbsp;West Virginia International Film Festival.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Completed in 1912 and located in the heart of downtown Charleston, The Capitol Center Theater is now part operated by West Virginia State University. The historic building held vaudeville productions in the early 20th century when it was known as the Plaza Theater, and later held movies and other events before closing in the 1980s. After a neighboring historic theater was demolished, preservationists and investors worked with government officials to save, restore, and preserve the historic downtown theater. 

Capitol Center Theater

On April 1,&nbsp;1925, D. W. Griffith's controversial film,&nbsp;Birth of a Nation, was scheduled to open at the Rialto Theatre in Charleston. In late March, several African-American leaders protested showing of the film on the grounds it violated a 1919 state law prohibiting any entertainment which demeaned another race. Mayor W. W. Wertz and the West Virginia Supreme Court supported their argument and prevented the showing of the film. The movie was supposed to be a three-day engagement at the Rialto Theater. Upon hearing this, attorney T.G. Nutter, along with other activists, vowed to block the film from being shown. They argued that the film not only showed African Americans in a bad light but also glorified the Ku Klux Klan. Nutter took his fight to the mayor of Charleston at the time, W.W. Wertz, and he did not go alone. Nutter was joined by the state supervisor for Black schools, W.W. Saunders, and G.E. Ferguson, operator of the Ferguson Hotel. They plead that not only did this film go against the 1919 state law in which a race or class of people is demeaned in a form of entertainment, but it also&nbsp;violated the city statute that stated that it was forbidden&nbsp;to show any film that was judged to be immoral or indecent. The&nbsp;mayor heard their case and sided with Nutter&nbsp;and the other protesters. He not just banned the film, but let the theater staff know that he would arrest them if the film was shown. When hearing this, Rialto management&nbsp;was not pleased and decided to take the case to court. They ended up obtaining an injunction to Mayor Wertz's ruling. As a result, the movie was shown twice on April 1. The Kanawha County Circuit Court decided to dissolve the injunction and banned any further showings. From there, the Rialto Theater took the case to the West Virginia Supreme Court for an appeal. The West Virginia Supreme Court backed the 1919 law and the circuit court rulings and did not allow the movie to be shown ever again. This is the first major civil rights victory of many for T.G. Nutter. Nutter went on to lead the Charleston and state chapters of the N.A.A.C.P. The Rialto Theater was demolished decades ago. The&nbsp;site is now a parking garage.&nbsp;

This location, which is now a parking garage, was the site of the Rialto Theater. The theater was built in 1917. This theater differed from other theaters in Charleston at that time because patrons entered the theater "sideways." Instead of walking forward to the counter and the movie screens, moviegoers had to turn left to get to the movie screens and right to go to the balcony which was set up in tiers. The Rialto is significant as the site where African Americans protested the 1925 opening of a controversial movie.

Rialto Theatre Site

Originally chartered on January 19th, 1866, the five-story Masonic Lodge has remained in its original location for over 150 years. The original structure dated from 1893 and&nbsp;sustained damage in a 1896 fire, which hindered its use until rebuilt ca.&nbsp;1915 when architect H. Rus Warne redesigned and updated the building to its current neo-Gothic style. The first three floors of the building serve as offices for businesses while the top two floors are reserved for Masonic activities. H. Rus Warne kept his Charleston architecture offices in the building until his death in 1954.On the first story are three recessed entrances with pointed arches. The
building has pointed arch, three-over-one, double-hung sash windows in pairs. Intricate
pinnacles and terra cotta details top the parapet.&nbsp;

The Masonic Temple located on Hale Street in the Downtown Charleston Historic District,  serves as the Grand Lodge of West Virginia. This large and ornate Masonic Temple has private amenities for four different bodies of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, typically abbreviated as AF&AM. The lodge is commonly referred to by its members as Kanawha Lodge #20.

Masonic Temple and Grand Lodge of West Virginia

The end of August 1862 brought despair to the Union cause, as a series of defeats and setbacks rocked the morale of the Union's Army of the Potomac and put it on the defensive around Washington. In a disastrous three day battle on Aug. 28-30, General John Pope's Union army was badly defeated at the Battle of Second Bull Run. Around the same time, General Don Carlos Buell was forced out of Tennessee by Confederate General Braxton Bragg. And a Confederate force under General Kirby Smith was moving virtually unopposed toward Cincinnati.To make matters worse, a Confederate cavalry raid just before 2nd Bull Run had captured General Pope's dispatch book, revealing to Confederate General-in-chief Robert E. Lee that more than half of the Union troops guarding the Kanawha Valley and western Virginia had been ordered northward to deal with these various crises, leaving an almost token force of 3,500 men in scattered garrisons under Colonel Joseph Lightburn to guard a line of defense from Fayetteville all the way west to the Ohio River.Seizing the opportunity, Lee ordered General William W. Loring to cross into what is now West Virginia with a sizable force, destroy or capture the Union garrison, then march northward. He was to secure the countryside along the way and prepare to rendezvous with more Confederate troops in the Shenandoah Valley. In capturing the Kanawha Valley, Loring would secure significant military supplies and perhaps even the salt-works near Charleston. Salt was an essential military item of the era, since without refrigeration it was the only way to preserve meat long enough to reach the fighting men at the front.Loring began his movement on September 6. He attacked a Union detachment near Fayetteville four days later with a force of at least 5,000 men — some estimates have placed it his numbers closer to 10,000. One thing is certain--it was the largest single Confederate force to invade West Virginia during the war.Federals were able to hold their positions near Fayetteville for a day then pulled back to Gauley Bridge, rendezvousing with other detachments along the way. From there, Lightburn's men conducted a fighting withdrawal up the banks of the Kanawha River, burning supplies as they went. The speed of the retreat meant that Lightburn had to split his forces, with columns traveling up both sides of the river. The Confederates followed suit, with sharp skirmishing all the way to Charleston.The majority of Lightburn's troops arrived in Charleston by the evening of September 12. But Loring's Confederates came close on their heels, and early on the morning of the 13th, Confederate artillery opened fire on Lightburn's positions near the town. Union surgeon Thomas H. Barton remembers,"The tale of rout and disaster is always the same. Intense excitement prevailed in the city. The streets were thronged with people, many of whom were preparing to follow our army, or leave the town, for the feared the battle of Charleston was about to be fought over their heads."1Union cannons attempted to answer, but were heavily outmatched. Loring's troops advanced up both banks of the Kanawha River. A brigade under General McCausland included the 22nd Virginia Infantry regiment, whose Company I were known as the Kanawha Riflemen. They were largely Charleston natives, and took part in some of the sharpest fighting near the present day Capitol Complex. Incidentally,<a href="https://www.theclio.com/web/entry?id=22808" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(32, 33, 36)"> </a><a href="https://www.theclio.com/web/entry?id=22808" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kanawha Riflemen Memorial Park</a> lies not far from where the action took place.Lightburn's troops were pushed steadily back through town, holding their ground briefly near present-day downtown Charleston to set fire to a number of buildings that held military supplies. The fire spread to unintended targets and caused the town much damage. Still more destruction was visited upon Charleston in the form of artillery fire, including a cannonball fired by a Confederate battery that passed through the roof of the the<a href="https://www.theclio.com/web/entry?id=22680" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(32, 33, 36)"> </a><a href="https://www.theclio.com/web/entry?id=22680" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">MacFarland-Hubbard House</a> (owned at the time, ironically enough, by Confederate John C. Ruby II, who was serving in the Kanawha Riflemen).Lightburn had wisely pushed the many wagons of his supply train across the Elk River the previous day, and so after setting fire to the abandoned supplies his troops withdrew quickly across the suspension bridge. Under heavy shellfire, they cut the bridge's support cables and collapsed it into the river. The advancing Confederates restlessly prowled the banks looking for boats or a usable ford, but there was no way across. Musket and cannon fire still flew hotly across the Kanawha and Elk Rivers, but the engagement was effectively over.Lightburn's 700-wagon supply train had already begun the trek northward toward Point Pleasant (intense Rebel artillery fire had kept them from taking the westward route toward the Ohio River). Lighturn kept a rearguard dug in at the Elk until evening, when they extracted themselves and followed in the wake of the weary army. The Battle of Charleston had ended and<a href="https://www.theclio.com/web/entry?id=22836" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color:rgb(32, 33, 36)"> </a><a href="https://www.theclio.com/web/entry?id=22836" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Lightburn's Retreat</a>, in many ways more famous than the battle itself, had begun.Lightburn's destruction of the bridge over the Elk had preempted effective Confederate pursuit. Back in Maryland, the tide of Confederate victories was stemmed at Antietam only three days later--Loring was never called northward to join forces with Lee. Six weeks after the Battle of Charleston, Union reinforcements advanced southward and took the city without a fight, as the Rebels backpedaled to the positions they'd occupied before the Kanawha Valley campaign began.

Between September 6th and September 13th, 1862, Confederate forces pushed into the Kanawha Valley from western Virginia. When outnumbered Union troops pulled back from defensive positions near Fayetteville, a 10,000-strong Confederate force followed hot on the heels of the Federal retreat up the Kanawha Valley to Charleston. A brief but fierce fight took place throughout the city. Union troops withdrew across the Elk River and retreated north to Point Pleasant, but not before a large section of Charleston was burned to destroy military supplies. From the position of this marker, an observer would have been near the Union headquarters, and looked across the river toward attacking Confederate artillery. 

[Charleston's Civil War Trails Markers] Downtown Battlefield

The Union Building, designed by architects Harding and Upman, is a thirteen-story Neoclassical Revival style building. It was originally named the Alderson-Stephenson Building in honor of businessmen Charles Alderson and Samuel Stephenson who financed its construction. The Union Trust Company was the main tenant in the building, which was later converted into a general office tower. The building required 32 concrete piers that extended down 64 feet through 18 feet of quicksand to support the steel frame. The first two stories of the brick building have a rusticated stone facing. The building has one-over-one, double-hung sash replacement windows with stone lintels, keystones, and sills. A cornice is embellished with decorative brackets and dentil molding. A recessed entrance facing Kanawha Boulevard features decorative acanthus leaves and egg-and-dart molding. The building was finished on all four sides since it was such a visible building. Companies that inhabited the building after completion were the Scherr-Morton Company, Fisher, May &amp; Company, Stock Brokers, Civil and Mining Engineers, Consulting Accountants and Auditors. The Scherr-Morton Company held offices on the second floor of the Alderson-Stephenson Building, and were one of the top insurance companies in Charleston at the time. Scherr-Morton handled fire, life and causalty insurance, surety bonds, loans, and real estate, and insured most of the successful and developing businesses in Downtown Charleston. Stock brokers, Fisher, May &amp; Company, were members of the New York Stock Exchange, and opened an office on the first floor of the Alderson-Stephenson Building to provide Charleston with a firm to save community members from traveling to New York to invest. Civil and mining engineers, Clark and Krebs, housed their office in the building as well, and were the top mining engineers in Charleston for a number of years. These geologists were credited with some of the most remarkable feats of engineering in the southern parts of West Virginia. When consulting accountants and auditors, Jayne and MacCutcheon, opened their office in the Alderson-Stephenson Building they were newcomers to Charleston, but proved their worth in the community in just a few short years.<blockquote>“Five years ago there were few persons in this part of the country who had an idea that progressive citizens of Charleston would ever erect such a massive structure as is that at the Kanawha river end of Capitol Street, but there were those in the East who had been looking toward Charleston with a knowledge that it would someday become a city that would well afford such a building.”1</blockquote>At the time of its completion, the Union Building was the tallest in the state and a symbol of the city’s early banking and business prosperity. Between 1938 and 1940, Kanawha Boulevard was constructed along the Kanawha River, separating the Union Building from the remainder of the business district. All other buildings on the south side of Kanawha Street were demolished for the boulevard project. Only the Union Building survived, because the City of Charleston ran out of funds for demolition. Today, Charleston's skyline would be dramatically different without the iconic Union Building.Dr. Irene Bullard and Women's Suffrage:Dr. Irene Bullard was born June 26, 1876 in Snowville, VA. She attended and graduated from Wadsworth High School in Radford, VA. She attended a school in Madison, Wisconsin and took professional courses at Farmville before teaching public school for three years. Afterwards, she pursued a medical degree, first at Boston Medical School and then at the University of Michigan where she graduated with her M.D. in 1903. Bullard first practiced medicine in Birmingham, Alabama with Dr. Laura Burton. Bullard and Burton were two of the first female doctors in the state and they practiced together for approximately two years. After Dr. Burton was murdered by her ex-husband, Bullard left Alabama.In December 1906, Bullard was appointed as third assistant physician at Eastern State Hospital for the Insane at Williamsburg, VA. By 1911, she had moved to Charleston, WV and opened a practice there. In West Virginia Bullard worked with the State Charities and Correction Association and was the secretary for the Anti-Tuberculosis Society. In 1920 she was appointed as the Board Examiner of nurses alongside Dr. Harriet Jones and held that position until 1922. Bullard was active in the West Virginia suffrage movement. She served as chief of the literary bureau, secretary, and treasurer for the West Virginia Equal Suffrage Association and hosted suffrage meetings in her office located in the Union Building. When the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920, Bullard was the secretary and treasurer of the Kanawha County Woman Suffrage Association. After ratification, Dr. Irene Bullard was active in the Democratic Party. She ran as a delegate for the 1920 Democratic Convention and served on the Democratic Women’s Executive Committee. Dr. Irene Bullard died March 21, 1947 in Charlottesville, VA.

The Union Building was constructed from 1909 to 1911 along Kanawha Boulevard in downtown Charleston, West Virginia. Upon completion, the structure was the tallest building in the state. The structure is also known as the Alderson-Stephenson Building, named after the two men who financed the project, Charles Alderson and Samuel Stephenson. The building originally house the Union Trust Company, but was later converted into office space. The construction of the Kanawha Boulevard demolished most of the buildings alongside the structure and separated the Union Building from the business district in Charleston; the building was spared due to high demolition costs.

Union (Alderson-Stephenson) Building

The first permanent settlement in what would become Charleston was established by an Irish immigrant, George Clendenin in 1788. Others had tried to settle the land prior to Clendenin, but were not successful. George was the son of Charles Clendenin, for whom Charleston, WV is named after. Cuthbert Bullitt sold George Clendenin the 1,030 acre piece of property in 1787, and Clendenin formed a company of rangers with intent of frontier defense so that he could establish a settlement along the Kanawha River. The location of Fort Lee was about 125 feet above what is now the intersection of Brooks Street and Kanawha Boulevard.Originally known as Clendenin’s Fort, Fort Lee was completed in May of 1788 and was enclosed by a stockade stretching 250 feet by 175 feet. The central structure of the fort belonged to George and his family, and was a two-story hewn-log building considered to be both bullet and arrow proof. The “Mansion House” building was 36 feet by 18 feet, had chimneys at each end, and had two rooms on both the first and second floor. The rangers that accompanied Clendenin established a blockade a mile above the fort, which was where Clendenin’s brother lived. The majority of the rangers were among the first permanent residents of Charleston. In 1972, the fort was renamed Fort Lee in honor of Robert E. Lee’s father, Governor Richard Henry Lee.After the establishment of Fort Lee, Clendenin convinced the state legislature to form Kanawha County from land then owned by Greenbrier and Montgomery counties. The first county court was housed in the Mansion House, while the first session was held on October 5th, 1789. The justices present at the first session decided to establish a court house at the mouth of the Elk River. Clendenin’s establishment of Fort Lee guaranteed him a permanent position in local government, and was deemed the county lieutenant. In 1790, Clendednin and Andrew Donnally Sr. became the Kanawha County representative for the Virginia House of Delegates.Fort Lee was established on land belonging to Native Americans prior to the treaty of Fort Stanwix that once again opened up the trans-Allegheny region to settlement. Once the Native Americans noticed the new settlement in the Kanawha River Valley, they began to retaliate to prove that they would not be moved easily. A local legend was created with one of the attacks on Fort Lee. “Mad” Anne Bailey was widowed during the battle of Point Pleasant and after began to wear men’s clothing and drink whiskey to ease her pain. Legend has it that Bailey saved Fort Lee during an attack by riding her horse back to the Greenbrier settlement, obtaining gunpowder, and rushing it back in time to defeat the attackers. Joseph Ruffner purchase Fort Lee from the Clendenin brothers in 1796, which shortly fell into disrepair. The blockhouse was purchased by John P. Hale in 1872, and moved the structure. On April 1st, 1891, the blockade house belonging to Fort Lee was destroyed by fire. There is a table constructed from the remains of the structure in the State Department of Archives and History.

Construction of Fort Lee in 1788 was made possible by George Clendenin, along with thirty other rangers who formed the first permanent settlement in what would later be known as Charleston. The fort was built on land that was purchased by Clendenin, who named it that in honor of General Richard "Light Horse Harry" Lee. The fort site was an excellent spot for canoeing and offered vantage points up and downstream. When completed in May 1788, the fort was 36 feet long, 18 feet wide, and 18 feet high with a log stockade surrounding it. The fort offered protection to the settlers in the area, but Indians were still a threat until at least 1794. A famous story from the fort claims that while Indians laid siege to the fort in 1790 a woman named "Mad" Anne Bailey purportedly ran ammunition to the fort all the way from Lewisburg. In 1796, George Clendenin sold the fort property to Joseph Ruffner. John P. Hale bought the lot in 1872 and moved the log fort, which burned down in 1891. 

Fort Lee Historical Marker

Haddad Riverfront Park is named after Fred Haddad, longtime Charleston businessman. Haddad had an office across the Kanawha River and contributed $500,000 of the $8.5 million required for the park's creation. Well-known senator, Robert C. Byrd secured half the funding through U.S Army Corps of Engineers money. Additional funding came through the City of Charleston, city-issued bonds, and the Charleston Urban Renewal Authority. Charleston Renaissance Corp., which raised $1.5 million in private donations, sold bricks with the donor’s names engraved for $50. The infrastructure built for the community, was also built BY the community. More than three-fourths of the construction workers involved were West Virginians! Haddad Riverfront Park features a retractable fabric canopy over the park’s existing seating area, a steel and fabric roof for the park’s new permanent stage and a canopy covering a new pavilion overlooking the Kanawha River. Silling Associates' senior architect Ed Weber, who designed the canopy, among other modifications, along with his design team, described Haddad Riverfront Park perfectly as “the front porch or living room of Charleston.” Said Weber, “It’s where we come to celebrate and interact.” The Riverfront Park today is just that; free concerts are held at the park every Friday from Memorial Day weekend until Labor Day. The park is also the focal point for the Smoke on the Water Chili Cook-Off, the 4th of July Celebration, car shows, symphony performances and many other activities.

Host to special annual events and concerts, and the occasional private gathering, the amphitheater seats up to 2,500 people with lovely views of the river and downtown Charleston. Boaters can dock at the Riverfront Park and watch the city activity from the peace of the water. 

Haddad Riverfront Park (Levee)

MILITARY OCCUPATION MarkerCharleston resident James MacFarland, a prominent citizen who stayed in the city even in its darkest days during the Civil War, wrote to a friend in Washington in 1862:<blockquote>"You are doubtless aware of the sad destruction of property here on the advent of the Southern forces on the 13th of Sept. . . . . The Federals on their retreat set fire to their large commissary warehouse, the fire taking in its range the Bank of Virginia Building, the Kanawha House, William A. Whitteker's large store, the warehouse, Southern Methodist Church, Academy, etc., myself being by far the greatest sufferer. The walls of the Kanawha House present a ghastly appearance. In the former building but very little and in the latter not a particle of furniture was saved."1</blockquote>He later added in a letter to Arthur Boreman, the first Governor of West Virginia:<blockquote>"During all this period the Kanawha Valley has been in the occupancy of alternating armed forces."1</blockquote>Indeed over the course of the war Charleston changed hands several times. Only once was a pitched battle ever fought within the city, which went on to cause the damage MacFarland described. But the constant movement of troops also churned up streets and consumed resources. A year after the Battle of Charleston, MacFarland noted there were still no fence-rails to be found anywhere in town — they had been carried off for use in the soldiers' fortifications.Occupying troops were a common sight. When the Confederates briefly seized the city in 1862, their commander General Loring commandeered the local printing press to mass-produce proclamations, broadsides, and circulars. When Union troops retook Charleston in October of that year, they established camps within the city itself and across the river atop present-day Fort Hill.For the occupying forces, not all the fighting happened on battlefields. Much of the warfare in West Virginia was waged by partisans. From Charleston southward, much of the future state was pro-Confederacy, and Federal patrols were often ambushed and sniped at by unseen assailants commonly referred to as "bushwhackers."<blockquote>"If there was one thing more than another that the Second [West] Virginia Cavalry hated, it was the detestable bush-whackers (sic). We did not object to being shot at on general principles, but to have some unprincipled scoundrel who was too cowardly to join the army and fight as a man, sneak around like a thief in the night and shoot from behind a tree or from some inaccessible position, was more than we could patiently stand."2</blockquote>This made some of the most routine soldierly duties dangerous, since "in a mountainous country like western Virginia, [soldiers were] constantly exposed..."2  Union troops were usually safe in more urban areas like Charleston, but as soon as they ventured out they were vulnerable to ambush.Espionage was also not uncommon. A Union spy had worked his way into the good graces of Charleston native Colonel George S. Patton early in the war, then escaped before being caught. A story also persists that later in the war, while future President Rutherford B. Hayes was serving as an officer in the garrison guarding Charleston, two female Confederate spies were caught and executed by firing squad. A gravestone exists for the two women across the river. The story is not a far fetched one, as illustrated by dangerous Confederate spy Nancy Hart, who several times escaped Union custody and was known to assist the Moccasin Rangers, a particularly savage group of Confederate bushwhackers. PRESIDENTIAL PRESENCE MarkerAcross the river from this marker lay Camp White, built after Union forces retook Charleston in October 1862. Colonel Rutherford B. Hayes, 23rd Ohio Infantry, was based here in March 1863 and ordered fortifications and artillery to be placed on present-day Fort Hill (then called Fort Scammon), keeping watch over the intersection of the Kanawha and Elk Rivers. A battery of 12 cannons occupied the fort, though their only recorded firing was in salute to the Union's victory at Vicksburg in July 1863. Hayes wrote to his uncle shortly upon bivouacking at Camp White:<blockquote>"You can get on a steamer at Cincinnati and land at our camp, and be safely and comfortably housed here. Lucy and the boys, after a most happy time, went home yesterday...We seem intended for a permanent garrison here."3</blockquote>Another future President, John McKinley, served under Hayes in the 23rd Ohio for the duration of the war, and too was stationed at Camp White. Hayes noted of McKinley in his letters:<blockquote>"...an exceedingly bright, intelligent, and gentlemanly young officer. He promises to be one of our best..."3</blockquote>

Two markers on the north bank of the Kanawha River near downtown Charleston discuss aspects of military occupation during the Civil War. Notable during 1863 was the presence in Charleston of future U.S. presidents Rutherford B. Hayes and William McKinley, both of whom served in the Union Army's 23rd Ohio Infantry Regiment, which was bivouacked across the river at Camp White. The former location of Camp White is visible from the marker.

Downtown Charleston West Virginia

Woolworth Department Store Fire, 1949

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information