CONDITION CHECK ONE CHECK ONE

XORIGINAL SITE

-MOVED DATE

--.- ---- DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND CRIGINAL (IF KNOWN) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

The Old Stone House FS p r e s e n t l y b e i n g developed as a mus2un/cu:curd!. cep.ter the Ritchie County H i s c ~ r i c a i 3oc i e ty . Througnout nost of its i l i s t o ry it has

!rved as a p r i v a t e r e s idence t hz t has been used a s an i n n and boarding house. le s tone s t r u c t u r e , w i th a long frame a d d i t i o n t o t h e r e a r , i s c e n t r a l l y loca ted t an open l o t .

Both s t o n e and frame s e c t i o n s a r e r ec t angu la r i n shape. The f l o o r p lan of t h e :one p o r t i o n i s a modif ied c e n t e r - h a l l , s i n g l e - p i l e arrangement, probably o r i g i n a l l y ~ v i n g two rooms on t h e northwest s i d e and one on t h e sou theas t a t each l e v e l ( t h i s ts been much changed over t he yea r s t o accomodate u s e a s a n inn ) ; A s i d e h a l l i s Long t h e f i r s t f l o o r of t h e f r a n e a d d i t i o n , and a c e n t e r - h a l l p a t t e r n i s follawed on le second f l o o r .

The gable-roofed u n i t of uncoursed f i e l d s tone i s 2 1 / 2 s t o r i e s high and has five-bay width and two-bay depth. The frame a d d i t i o n , w i th a hipped r o o f , has

80 s t o r i e s and i s i r r e g u l a r l y broken i n t o v e r t i c a l bays, be ing approximately s i x y two.

P r e s e n t l y t h e r e i s a one-story porch ac ros s t h e e n t i r e f r o n t of t h e s tone s e c t i o n rid porches a long p o r t i o n s of t h e s i d e s of the frame s e c t i o n , Windows and doors r e i r r e g u l a r l y p laced , e s p e c i a l l y i n t h e e l l , b u t t h e r e i s symnetry i n t h e f i v e penings on t h e f r o n t of each l e v e l of t h e s tone b u i l d i n g (two dormers have been added t the f r o n t of t h e a t t i c and one has b e e n i n s t a l l e d a t t h e r e a r ) , t h e two windows per loor on t h e northwest s i d e , and t h e l ack of openings on t h e southeas t . F e n e s t r a t i o n n the frame u n i t i s random, w i t h s i n g l e windows i n most rooms and s e r i e s of ad jo in ing tndows i n some.

I n t e r i o r end chimneys a r e a t each end of t h e s t o n e house ( t h a t on t h e northwest ide has no cap p r o j e c t i n g from the roof a t t h i s t ime) ; t h e one t o t h e northwest s e rves orner f i r e p l a c e s wh i l e t h a t on t h e sou theas t i s f l a t a g a i n s t t he wall . Two chimneys dth corbe led b r i c k caps a r e i n t h e e l l , and each houses two f i r e p l a c e s on the f i r s t !loor w i th t h e one t o t he southwest a l s o se rv ing two on t h e second f l o o r . i

The e x t e r i o r i s r a t h e r simple and q u i t e devoid of deco ra t ive elements. amfering at t h e northwest corner of t he frame s e c t i o n , l a t t i ce -work around the w e l l

s ing on t h e south s i d e , and t h e corbe led caps of t h e chimneys i n t h e e l l a r e e most d i s t i n c t i v e .

I

; Having served a s an i n n f o r a long per iod of t ime, i t was only n a t u r a l t h a t t h e t e r i o r of the s t r u c t u r e would have been a l t e r e d and d iv ided on occasion. Most.- the p re sen t appearance probably d a t e s t o changes made e a r l y i n t h e twent ie th ntury. The multi-paned windows i n t h e s tone s e c t i o n were rep laced by 212 l i g h t , paneled f a c i n g s were put around windows and doors , and many of t h e o ld f l o o r s appa ren t ly covered wi th narrower boards. S ince t h e o i l and gas i ndus t ry played an important r o l e i n t he development of R i t c h i e County l a t e i n t he n ine t een th

atury, h e a t i n g and l i g h t i n g systems were upgraded to.make use of a v a i l a b l e b t u r a l r e sou rces . Although gas l i n e s s t i l l r u n a long t h e w a l l s , t he method of

s [ T t D STATES D t P . A R T M E k l ' OF T H E I N T E R I O R NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

RECEIVED

iONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES NVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM

= . O N T I NUATION S H E E T ITEM N U M B E R 7 PAGE 2

Lighting has s ince been changed t o e l e c t r i c i t y .

The e x i s t i n g frame sec t ion (o thers had been e rec ted and removed over the p a r s ) was added i n t h e twentieth century (with the poss ib le exception of the r e a r k i t chen t h a t s t i l l has a br ick- l ined f i r e p l a c e with mounted crane) and includes woodworking s i m i l a r i n s t y l e t o t h a t which a l t e r e d t h e s tone port ion. Unlike i n t h e stone sec t ion , however, windows have 1/1 l i g h t sash, but t r i m throughout includes the paneled fac ings and simple door frames with worked corner blocks. Mantels, stairs and hardware probably da te from the same period.

The only outbuilding on the property i s the one-story, gable-roofed shed over the c e l l a r a t the r e a r of the e l l .

Despite t h e numerous changes requi red t o s u i t t r a v e l e r s and l o c a l gues ts over the years , Pennsboro's Old Stone House r e t a i n s much of i t s o r i g i n a l charac ter .

AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE -- CHECK A N D JUSTIFY BELOW

ARCHEOLVGY-PREHISTORIC - C O M M U N I P I PLANNING -LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

-ARCHEOLOGY-HISTORIC -CONSERVATION -LAW

- A G R I C U L T U R E -ECONOMICS -LITERATURE

ARCHITECTURE -EDUCATION -MILITARY

_ A R T -ENGINEERING -MUSIC

COMIVI ERCE &X?LOHATION SETTLEMENT -PHIIOSO?MV

' J O M M U N I C A i l O h 5 -1NL)UCTHY -POLITICS GOVEQNMEWT

-INVENTION

3 BUI LDEFVARCH ITECT

-RELIGION

-SCIENCE

-SCULPTURE

- S O C I A L ~ H V M A N I T A R I A N

-THEATER

~ T R ~ N S ? I ~ A T A T I O N

K~~~~~ ISOF CIC' r I

Communi Cy Development

SIGNIFICANCE

The Old Stone House at Pennsboro, Ritchie County, West Virginia, stands Jnderof the importance, as well as the longevity, of the substantial houses :en came to serve as inns along a developing transportation system. What is -st residence still standing in the county has the distinction, too, of having 3s the first post office in Pennsboro. In addition, it apparently was used 2ting place of early sessions of the county court and was opened to church xtions on occasion.

It was about 1800 that John ~unnell is said to have built the first cabin .g in what is now Ritchie County. It was on this land, sold to John Webster of ;land sometime in the first decade of the nineteenth century, that construction Old Stone House was begun shortly after Websterrs arrival (traditions vary :her he completed it before moving west), The property was conveyed to James around 1815,

Martin, a native of Harrison County, had recently married Edith Wilson, er of Colonel Benjamin Wilson of the same county, and they rercoved to Penns- o take up residence in the large stone structure. The new owner quickly oned the Wood County Court (the community was then in that county) and received ~nse to keep an "ordinary" at his house. Business could continue under the :ion that he provide "good FTholesome and cleanly lodging and Diet for Travellers zablage fodder and Provender for Horses or pasturage for Horses as the season require.,.and shall not suffer or permit any unlawful Gaming in his House nor

2 Sabbath Day suffer or permit and Person to tipple or drink more Than is sary ...." Thus began an enterprdse that would continue for more than a century.

The inn probably did a thriving business from the beginning, located as -s on the state road (later to be part of the Northwestern Turnpike) between .sburg and Parkersburg. In addition, the house was sufficiently commodious re were probably several outbuildings and dependencies) and Martin well enough llished that when the first post office was opened in the cormrmnity around 1820, 1s named postmaster. After Ritchie County was formed in 1843, it is reported a number of court sessions were held here with Mrs. Martin serving as stenographer.

. . I 8 . .

Other uses being what they may, though, the Old Stone House was an and boarding house, first and foremost, from 1815 until well into the twentieth ury. It is said that "Stonewall" Jackson and Sam Houston were among the prominent 'le who stopped here, and that seems plausible, indeed, when one considers that

i

$\ilTtD STATES D t P A R T h l E S T O t T H E INTERIOR a

FOR NPS USE ONLY NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

RECEIVED

nONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES I INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM DATE ENTERED

old Stone House, Pennsboro, Ri~chie County, West V i r g i n i a

CONTI NU A T I O N SHEET ITEM NUMBER 8 PAGE 2

t h e turnpike through the area was one of the earliest major roads in western Virginia and eventually extended to Winchester and eastward to Washington. Pennsboro was a major stop, no doubt, for it was located midway between Parkersburg and clarksburg and was the major town between these points. The fact that the building vas divided into numerous rooms and additions were made is also indicative of popularity.

Ownership remained in the Martin family until 1908, when the structure was sold to A. J. Philip Ireland. If was under his proprietorship that alterations took place to give form to what we see today. The stone house had been divided into many rooms by the Martins, but it was Ireland who built the twelve-room frame ell at the rear and renovated the older portion with woodwork and trim in keeping with early twentieth-century tastes. Probably due to the availability of railroad service after 1858 and improvements to transportation facilities in general, the need for a major hotel for transients was lessened by the turn of the century. Because of this the old inn soon became more of a boarding house that included some housekeeping units taken up by local couples, usually young marrieds. Finally, after the death of Mr. Ireland, it ceased serving this function completely.

The Old Stone House remained in the Ireland family until it was purchased by the Ritchie County Historical Society a short time ago. For the part it played in the development of this section of West Virginia and Ritchie County in partic- ular, it has become a local landmark. Adaptive use as a museum and cultural center should revive its importance to the community.

)?

\ [ I t 1) S9 A T 1 5 I > t P ~ \ R T h l t h T 0 t 1 Ht I h T k K I O K - _ . . ._. - . NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

pOFlAL REGISTER OF HiSTORIC PLACES -.

INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM

n d Stone House, Pennsboro, R i t c h i e County, West V i r g i n i a

,CONTI NUATION SHEET . ITEM NUMBER 8 PAGE 3 t

I n t e r n a l improvements i n V i rg in i a , p a r t i c u l a r l y i n nor thwes tern Vi rg in i a , ,r t o 1850 were progress ing slowly. Washington's post-Revolutionary War p l ans canal and road development had been only p a r t i a l l y i n s t i t u t e d , and t h e in -

s i n g populace of t h e northwest r a i s e d a cons tan t c r y f o r s t a t e and f e d e r a l istance i n improvements.

In 1831, w i th t h e backing of a s o l i d l y organized Board of Pub l i c Works a t Jrno~cl, t h ~ Norrhwestern Ti-rnpike, from Parkershurg t o !.?inchester, 97as planned f i n a n c i a l l y supported. By 1838 i t was completed, a l l t h2 ~ h l l e belng toute2

m e x c e l l e n t f a c i l i t y meant t o r i v a l t he National Road t o t h e no r th . With a tern terminus on t h e Ohio River and acces s t o t h e Valley of V i rg in i a and t h e ional c a p i t a l i n t h e e a s t , t h e road became heav i ly t r a v e l e d a s a n a t i o n a l l y x t a n t through r o u t e s t r o n g l y a s soc i a t ed wi th t h e westward movement and e a r l y ted S t a t e s t r a n s p o r t a t i o n h i s t o r y .

The town of Pennsboro had become the main c e n t e r of a c t i v i t y between kersburg and C1>.cksburg i n northwestern Vi rg in i a even p r i o r t o completion of Northwestern Turnpike i n 1838. The l a r g e s t o n e i n n opera ted by James Martin a major s topping p l a c e f o r through t r a v e l e r s from the Ohio country and west were heading t o a l l e a s t e r n p o i n t s and v i c e ve r sa . And it was a convenient

's t r a v e l between t h e above towns, thus a s s u r i n g t h a t t hose pass ing through I d almost c e r t a i n l y s t o p f o r refreshments and a n i g h t ' s lodging . Included i n l i s t of v i s i t o r s were numerous n a t i o n a l f i g u r e s on t h e i r way t o and from

gressional s e s s i o n s i n Washington o r important p o l i t i c a l and bus ines s meetings the e a s t .

I n t h i s m a n n e r , t h e Old Stone House a t Pennsboro played a r o l e t ranscending n s t a t e l i n e s . It was a major s topping and meeting p l a c e on a major road t h a t nessed t h e t r a n s p o r t a t i o n of s i g n i f i c a n t people a t t e n d i n g t o important bus iness .

IAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES

a , Harold H. "Old Stone House in Ritchie was a Stage Stop Years Ago", Earkersburg (W.'Ja.) News, July 8, 1976.

~inkle, Carla. "'Old Stone House' is Rich in History," Parkersburg (W.Va.) News, Ja-r~uary 15, 1959. -

;EUGR APWf CAL DATA A C R k 4 G E C,- NOMlNATED P90PERTY ' I 2 acre

wADRAN:;LE NAME Pennsboro, W.Va. Q U A D R A N G L E SCALE 24000 uTM RETERENCES

~11171 151 0,21319t01 L4,3\4t811\7,0j

clfO,NEl [ A y l , N j , l_) L J LLLLuJ w

ZONE EASTING NORTHING

GWUII -- l l l l i ~

VERBAL t30UNDARY DESCRIPTION Beginning at the intersection of the alley and W. Myles Avenue at the south -

corner of the- stone house, thence northwestward along the street to the property line,northeastward along this line to the rear of the lot, thence to the southeast

LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES OVERLAPPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES

CODE COUNN CODE STATE

CODE COUNTY CODE STATE

FORM PREPARED BY

James E. Harding, Historian OAGANiZA"'ON Historic Preservation Unit

DATE

- Department of Culture and History March 15, 1978 rn~~~&'\~UMBE&cience arid Culture Center TELEPHONE

II--- Capitol Complex (304) 348-0244

W O R TCWN STATE - Charleston, West Virpinia 25305

STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER CERTIFICATION THE EVALUATED SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS PROPERTY WITHIN THE STATE IS:

NATIONAL X STATE 2 LOCAL X cl,

designated State Historic Preservation Officer for the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (PuMic Law 89-665). 1 novninate this property for inclusion in the National Register and certify that it has been ,evaluated according t o the

a anc procedures set forth by the National Park Service.

,ATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER SIGNATURE . March 30, 1978 ~ T L E West Virginia State Historic Preservation Officer DATE

g.gclOa '

,141 ~j?$lTtl> S T A T E S D t P A R T M t K T OF- T H E I K T E K I O R OR NPS USE ONLY

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

[ONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES lRECEIVED

NVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM DATE ENTERED

old Stone IIouse, Pennsboro, "nitchie County, :.iesc V i r g i n i a

:ONTI NU ATlON SHEET ITEM NUMBER PAGE 2

~owther, Minnie Kendall. History of Ritchie County. N.p., 1911 (Republication, 1967).

Morgantown, W.Va. West Virginia Collection, West Virginia University Library. Writers' Project Files and Wood County Court Records.

Sweeney, Edwin. "Ritchie Historical Society to Acquire Elegant Old Landmark," Sunday Exponent-Telegram (Clarksburg, W.Va.), September 26, 1976.

White, Helen W. "Webster Built Famous Old Stone House,11 Parkersburg (W.Va.) News, November 24, 1963.

2 300a

CI STATtS DtPARTMthT O t T H t IhTtKIOR

I NATIONAL PARK SERVICE i RECEIVED

ONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES VENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM

DATE ENTERED

ONTl NU ATlON SHEET

Old Stone House, Pennsboro, R i t c h i e Councy, Vest V i r g i n i a

I T E M NUMBER 10 PAGE 2

to the alley, and southwestward along the alley to its intersection with W. Myles Avenue. (The lot is approximately 175' x 125'.)