In 1887, Enos Jones, William Bruce, Andrew Brooks, George Lovage and Solomon Peterson purchased land at Town Run Road and Allegheny Street for the first church for black people in Moorefield.

Breaking away from the Duffey United Methodist Church, where they worshiped in segregated pews in the gallery, the five men formed the Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church, ministered by a Rev. Possey, a Methodist circuit rider who, according to church history, "traveled on horseback and often walked many miles".

Soon the congregation outgrew its small building. Rev. William E. Brooks, who had been sent in 1921 by the Methodist Washington Conference to serve congregations in Williamsport, Petersburg and Moorefield, began planning for a new church on the existing site. In the 1926, the building, which is the present church, was dedicated.

The last black minister was the Rev. Melvin Washington. In the 1970s, jurisdictional responsibility was transferred from the Washington Conference to the West Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church. Since that time, the church has had white ministers, all of whom share their time with other small Methodist churches in the South Branch Valley.

Open courtesy of Asbury United Methodist Church.

Directions: Town Run Road and Allegheny Street, Moorefield

Just over the bridge on South. Main Street, set back from the street by a lovely expanse of yard, is the now colorful Bean/Bowman House. The house was built sometime between 1916 and 1920 by W. F. Friddle, probably a pharmacist in town. He had purchased his one acre site from Mr. Frank Garret who owned three parcels along the south end of town.

What makes the story of home interesting is that from 1928 to 2004 the house was occupied by Molly and Emory Bean and their descendents. When the elder Beans lived there, they filled the house to over flowing with nine children. Looking at the house now, one wonders how they managed. Tales are told that the house and yard was literally alive with youngsters as it became the place for all the neighborhood children to congregate as well.

When the Beans passed on in 1950, the house was willed to all nine children, but it was son Harry and his wife Lula who made it their residence. They, in turn, passed the home onto their daughter, Mildred Bean who married John Bowman…thus the Bowman connection.

Their son, John, lived in the house with his wife Lorraine from the 1970s until 2004 when the house was put on the market. In 2006, Jill and Doug Seal purchased the house with the idea of renovating and re-selling it, but they succumbed to its charms, and earlier this year, opened it as a home furnishings, antique and gift shop called appropriately All Through the House. They painted the exterior of the house a cheery yellow, which creates a contented look for the property as it serves a new purpose into the 21st century.

Open Courtesy of Jill and Doug Seal.

Directions: 330 S. Main Street, Moorefield.

With the growth of Methodism and movement of the population center from Old Fields, where the first church was constructed at Fort Pleasant, the first Methodist Church was built in Moorefield in 1850 on Elm Street.

The church had an auditorium that seated 200 and a gallery for slaves, who worshiped there until the Asbury Methodist Episcopal Church was formed in 1887.

By 1915, according to a History of Methodism, South Branch Valley, by Daisy Sherman, the congregation had begun planning and raising money for a new church building. The first services were conducted in the new sanctuary in 1922.

Built at an estimated cost of $50,000, the large brick church features stained glass windows of "exquisite shades (that) add the ancient spiritual touch," as Halterman put it. The main auditorium and youth chapel were built so they could be "thrown together to accommodate more than 500 people."

It was dedicated in the name of Jeffrey Waite Duffey, the son of tavern owner John Duffey. A Confederate Civil War veteran with McNeill's Rangers, he was the first Moorefield man to enter the Methodist ministry.

Open courtesy of Duffey United Methodist Church.

Directions: Corner of Winchester Avenue and Elm Street

Episcopalians trace their presence here to 1753 when the Hampshire Parish of the Church of England in Virginia was established by the same legislative act that created Hampshire County, which then included Hardy County. "The Revolution saw most Anglican clergy return to England and it was seventy years before Episcopalians again became active in Hardy County," according to a church history." The Rev. Mr. Thralls of Cumberland, Maryland, by invitation held an Episcopal service in the Presbyterian Church in February of 1875 and in 1876 Emmanuel Parish was formed."

The church building owes its existence to Josiah Dent of Georgetown, D.C., who donated mountain land, a portion of which was traded for land and lumber to build the church in Moorefield. Construction began in 1876 and the building was consecrated in 1881.

Emmanuel is of the late Gothic Revival period "and, like many of its contemporaries, was built of wood rather than stone." Stucco was added to cover the original board and batten exterior in 1920.

Typical of "low churches" that characterized less emphasis on ceremony than "high churches," Emmanuel's stained glass windows have geometric designs rather than pictures of saints. The colored glass along sides of windows in the Nave is made from colored pot-metal glass. The center parts are enameled glass with designs painted on clear glass. The parish hall windows use opalescent glass of the La Fare and Tiffany styles. The church will have a collection of civil war era book to view both days.

Open courtesy of Emmanuel Episcopal Church.

Directions: Corner of Winchester Avenue and South Fork Road

In the mid 19th century and particularly after the Civil War, the area experienced a strong religious revival. The Methodists were especially active, building substantial church structures in towns but also small chapels in the hollers and valleys to serve "family congregations" ministered by circuit-riding preachers, who traveled by horseback over rough terrain on their mission.

It was a hard life, and the average life span of circuit riders was 37 years. One young minister, the Rev. Washington Varner, reported that in 1875, he preached 79 sermons, 22 at Beans Settlement, 13 at Baker's Run, 20 at Lost River, six at Cove Gap, 12 at Barr's Store and six at Dolands. For residents unable to get to a church, he took the gospel to their homes. He reported marrying one couple for $1.50; a more generous couple gave him $5.

Three such family chapels - Oak Grove Methodist Chapel at Fisher, Bass Chapel at South Fork and Baker's Chapel at Durgan, all dating from the 1870s-1880s - will be open for Heritage Weekend for Sunday services.

Even today, the chapels are ministered to by a modern-day circuit-rider, the Rev. Judy Vetter, who divides her time between the Asbury United Methodist Church in Moorefield and the three smaller congregations.

While the three Methodist chapels are participating in Heritage Weekend, small chapels of various denominations throughout the county will be holding regular worship services Sunday morning and welcome visitors with unaffected country warmth.

For more than half a century, McCoy's Grand Theatre operated continuously as a show place for movies and live performances, and it is revived today, restored and modernized, as home to community theater productions and live musical performances. It's just as Eunice McCoy had wished.

Built by James and Eunice McCoy and Curtis McCoy in 1927, the McCoy opened Feb. 16, 1928, to a welcome from local residents and a showing of "Wife Savers," a slapstick "photoplay" starring Wallace Beery that a New York Times reviewer called "violent nonsense" that "now and again" shows "something akin to humor."

But if the "photoplay" was the entertainment, the star of the night was McCoy's Grand Theatre built "at enormous expense but with the thought of giving the good people of Moorefield the very best possible in an Entrainment Center and an Institution that they can safely and heartily compare with the best in the Country."

The McCoys made this promise: "The entire structure is of steel and concrete, wood being used only in trimming. Even a minute survey of this modern structure will convince you that it absolutely fire-proof and that your safety has been seriously considered throughout."

From that opening day, Eunice Dasher McCoy dedicated her life to keeping the McCoy alive with movies and live performances until declining health forced her to close its doors in 1982, just a few months before her death at age 82. But she did not exit the stage.

Eunice McCoy left the bulk of her estate, after bequeaths to family, friends and charities, to restore the theater, and, with financial assistance from the state and private donors, the McCoy reopened on May 27, 1988, for a dedication ceremony and a performance by Percussion 80 of West Virginia University.

The 248-seat theater's interior was restored, seating replaced, and a modern sound system added to enhance its near-perfect acoustics. Two museum wings were added to display Mrs. McCoy's extensive collections of antiques. A new heating and cooling system was installed in 2004, replacing the "genuine six foot Typhoon Fan" that in 1928 promised "an abundance of fresh air and cooling breezes in the summertime."

The McCoy was featured as the Tile House during Heritage Weekend 2004, and it is included in the designation of the Moorefield downtown district on the National Register of Historic Places.

Once again, the McCoy is a popular venue for what its founders promised would not only be a place to entertain but to serve, and Saturday night Heritage Weekend visitors will enjoy just such entertainment envisioned by the McCoys - the South Branch Fiddle & Banjo Contest.

Performing in fiddle, banjo and mandolin, adult and juvenile contestants are judged according to Nashville rules for amateurs by three independent judges. Winning juvenile performers receive cash and trophy prizes; adults receive cash prizes.

Admission is $10. Advance tickets can be purchased at the Hardy County Public Library. Tickets, as available, can be purchased at the box office before show time at 6 pm.

Open courtesy of the McCoy - McMechen Theatre and Museum Board of Directors.

Directions: 110 N. Main Street, Moorefield.

When house-hunter Dr. R.W. Love and builder T.W. Lakin came to terms on Feb. 10, 1906, they agreed not just on the costs but on the aesthetics of this “substantial” house with features "pleasant to the eye." As specified, the house was to have two layers of interior plaster; two coats of paint, inside and out; wallpaper Love would have "the privilige (sic) to select;" "neat and substantial" porches "with such ornamentations as may be pleasant to the eye;" and a stairway "neatly and substantially constructed with (an) easy rising." For this, Love paid $1,500 with $300 down, $200 in 60 days, $400 to retire Lakin's debt for the land, and the remaining $600 in two equal payments over two years.

Dr. Love and his wife, Scottish emigrants who moved to Moorefield to set up a family medical practice, by all accounts were pleased with the outcome, for they lived in the house for more than 50 years, raising four children, one of whom became a doctor who practiced medicine for many years in Moorefield.

While this Late Victorian house has been modernized in some respects, including vinyl siding, significant features have been preserved, including the porches, the dark-wood paneling in the foyer, the variable width pine and oak flooring, the staircase, the hand-carved banister. four fireplace mantels (two fireplaces are covered) and a corner china cabinet.

The property was purchased in August 2005 by Shultz Reality of Charles Town for an office to be managed by Brandi Shultz, a Moorefield native.

During Heritage Weekend, the porch will be alive with music and carved bowls will be on display.

Open courtesy of Shultz Realty.

Directions: Corner of North Main Street and Kuykendall Avenue, Moorefield.

The three story Greek Revival house was built in 1853 by Samuel Alexander McMechen, Jr. and was originally nine rooms. Mr. McMechen was a dry goods merchant, politician, church member, and supporter of the early railroad in Hardy County.

Legend says that Mr. McMechen told the builder he didn't care what the house looked like as long as it was bigger than the Maslin house, an imposing residence to the south. The house was originally "U" shaped with nine large rooms on three floors and rooms in the basement.

During the Civil War, General McCausland was staying at McMechen house when he was warned that Union troops were approaching Moorefield. The ensuing battle on August 7, 1864, became known as the Battle of Moorefield.

The house remained the McMechen family residence until the last McMechen descendant, Miss Carrie, passed away in 1944. At that time Eunice Dasher McCoy inherited the house and converted it into seven apartments. The house now has twenty three rooms, nine bathrooms, seven assorted hallways, three porches, an eight hundred square foot deck and a thousand square foot retail space. For over the 40 years, many local families lived there at one time or another.

The house was sold at auction in 1982 and has since been upgraded extensively. Art & Evelyn Valloto opened it as The McMechen House B & B in 1984, and Linda and Robert Curtis added a restaurant. The Hardy County Rural Development Authority purchased it in 2000, and soon after, Jay and Stephanie opened the 1853 Restaurant along with the B & B. They operated it until the spring of 2007.

One of the most interesting features of the house is a political slogan from the 1856 Presidential Election discovered during the Valottos renovations. It is painted on the wall under layers of wallpaper in one room on the third floor. This room is believed to be 'the Grange Hall above the McMechen' store referenced in local history books. The slogan is believed to reference states rights, a prominent political issue before the Civil War.

Open by the Courtsey of the Hardy County Rural Developement Authority.

Construction of this semi-Georgian Colonial home began in 1853 with the front four rooms. Sometime prior to the Civil War the second section of the house (now the dining room and kitchen on first floor and bedrooms above) was completed. The home's history is entwined with wealthy landowner George Casey Harness' stubborn disapproval of the marriage of one of his daughters, Mary Katherine, to John Francis Williams.

Harness forbid the marriage, but the equally willful couple defied him and eloped. In retribution, Harness refused to build a house for Mary Katherine, as he had done for his other daughter, Anne Rebecca, whose wood frame home on Main Street was called Rosedale.

After Harness died, his widow, Mrs. Sallie Harness, made it up to Mary Katherine and built this Greek Revival brick home next door to Rosedale. The house is built in a basic T design. Interior door cornices and other evidence suggest that the base of the "T" was added later. The bricks used are of similar sort used at the time and made on the premises, usually by slave labor, indicating that the entire structure was finished before the Civil War. The interior and exterior walls are of 14-inch thick brick construction covered with horse-hair plaster. Slave quarters once were at the rear of the lot.

The home was purchased by the Trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church South (now Duffey United Methodist Church) Sept. 26, 1874, for use as a parsonage and approximately 37 Methodist ministers and their families occupied the home over the years. In June 2004, it was sold and is currently owned by Yvonne Rowland, only the third owner of house.

The house will be open Saturday, 10 - 5, and Sunday, 1- 4pm.

Open courtesy of Yvonne Rowland.

Directions: 208 North Main Street, Moorefield.

The Old Stone Tavern is one of the earliest buildings still standing in this community that was incorporated in 1777. It is the only structure made from uncoursed fieldstone still standing in what is among the oldest West Virginia towns. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Sites in 1979.

Thomas Parsons set about construction of the stone section of the house in the late 1780s. It was noted that this was one of the finest buildings in town until well after 1800. It combined ruggedness with finer symmetrical details and featured large rooms, a wide stairhall, and well-designed basement fireplace.

As with most of houses of this era, as family and wealth grew, needs changed and additions were added. The frame units were added around 1840, 1860, and 1900. The front porch is an outstanding feature, and it is complemented by a bracketed cornice in the original stone house. A separate cinder-block apartment placed at the rear of the house has been added more recently. The addition of the bay and stained glass transoms, and the alterations to the doors and windows, carried the stone section into the 20th century in style.

The passage of this house from one prominent business person to another through the years demonstrated the continuity of the business community in Moorefield and its association with this house. Carrying on that tradition, Lawrence Sherman's law firm now occupies several of the rooms, while his wife Kim has created a charming gift and apparel shop called Hotchpot which is entered through a door located on the side porch.

Opened courtesy of Lawrence and Kim Sherman.

Directions: 117 Main Street, Moorefield.

The Presbyterian Church congregation in Moorefield was organized with 31 members on the rolls in 1838 but traces its roots to itinerant preachers in the 1780s. In 1846, several prominent families deeded Lot 18 in Moorefield to the trustees of the church for a new sanctuary that was begun in 1847 and completed in 1855. The church called the Rev. William V. Wilson as their pastor in the same year, and both church and pastor survived the Civil War.

During the war, the church was occupied at various times by Confederate and Union troops and both armies used it as a hospital. In 1914, the U.S. government paid the church $800 for damage done by Union troops.

The exterior reflects many characteristics of Greek Revival architecture. On the gabled roof, a bell tower houses a bell cast in Philadelphia in 1842 that was used as a fire alarm for the town until 1934. The belfry is topped with a weathervane in the shape of a fish and inscribed by its maker, Gottlieb Hutter.

At 11 am Sunday morning, the Rev. Katherine C. Jackson is leading a special ecumenical Heritage Weekend worship service. The order of worship, the music and the liturgy will be similar to a service from the Civil War. Union and Confederate re-enactors will take part.

Open courtesy of the Presbyterian Church of Moorefield.

Directions: Main Street just below Winchester Avenue, Moorefield

The Manse, built in 1858-60, stands near where the old Union Church once stood. The lot was conveyed by James Kuykendall and wife by deed dated July 29,1858, to Garrett VanMeter, Samuel Alexander, Felix Welton, Samuel McMechen and Solomon VanMeter, trustees of the Presbyterian Church for the site of a home for the pastor.

The Rev. W.V. Wilson was living in the new manse by 1860. Wilson was an avid Southern sympathizer and his stay was shortened by the war when he and his family were forced to flee along with many the congregation. He never returned.

The Manse, as well as the Presbyterian Church on Main Street, was occupied by both the Confederate and Union forces during the war.

One of the outstanding features of the house was a double staircase, one for use by the family and the other for slaves or servants. The "family" staircase had more elaborate scroll work on the trim. Anoher notable fearure is the exposed support rods running flush with the outside wall at the front of the house. Normally these rods, which were used to help eliminate bowing in brick, were placed inside the house. The Manse is the only home in the area to have the treatment on the exterior.

The Manse was restored during a three-year project begun in 1987 to return it to its original Federal look.

It was the home of 11 Presbyterian ministers in Moorefield from 1860 until 2004 when the stately brick home was sold. Only the first minister and the current minister have not lived here.

Open courtesy of Shultz Realty.

Directions: Corner of Elm and Washington Streets, Moorefield

Old Oak Cemetery and Olive Cemetery will be open for walking tours on both Saturday and Sunday. There will be booklets available for self-guided tours at the Welcome Center at the Hardy County Public Library.

For those who would like to take a leisurely stroll around Moorefield, self-guided tours of North and South Main Street will also be available at the Library. You are invited to stop in and pick up one.

Thank you to Julie George, an intern from WVU, for her work in up-dating these materials and the web site with historic information on the area.

Also known as the Fort Pleasant Meeting House, the Old Fields Church holds special significance in the history of the South Branch Valley. It is the oldest church in West Virginia; and because it served, too, as a school house, it is believed to be the oldest extant school house in the state. The church was built in 1812 on land donated by Isaac and Elizabeth VanMeter, early settlers in Old Fields who, in 1832, built Fort Pleasant, an 18-room mansion of mixed Georgian and Federal styles nearby.

The original deed for the church stipulates that while the property is to be owned by the Methodist Church, it must be available for use by any denomination at any time.

Religious tolerance did not extend to racial equality. While black slaves were allowed to attend services, they were segregated in a balcony accessed from an outdoor staircase. "A contributor to the Moorefield Examiner in 1904 recalled 'Uncle' John and 'Aunt' Lydia Lowe and all the old servants in the gallery before the war," reports Richard MacMaster in The History of Hardy County, 1786-1986.

The meeting house had fallen into disrepair and was closed briefly in late 1800s. According to MacMaster, Methodists from Old Fields and Moorefield raised enough money at an ice cream social in 1897 to repair the church and reopen it in 1898 with a service led by the Rev. S.G. Ferguson, who had served with Mosby's Raiders in the Civil War.

After the removal of the unsafe balcony pre-1900, the building has been maintained in excellent condition. Members of the VanMeter and other lprominent local families continue to be buried in the church yard as their ancestors have been for the past seven or eight generations.

Open courtesy of the Duffey Memorial United Church of Moorefield.

Directions: US 220 north from Moorefield, watch for the green flag, drive through field.

Mill Island holds a cherished place in the history of the South Branch Valley, and again this year Mill Island hosts the Civil War Living History Encampment to give visitors a taste of what camp life was like, along with educational demonstrations and exhibits.

The home is the union of a 1798 brick cottage at the rear and a grand Greek Revival mansion Felix Seymour added in 1840. The front porch has hand-carved Corinthian columns. Inside, the 15-foot ceilings top heavy cornices over every door and window. The bricks were made on the premises and laid in an American Bond. The Corinthian-style columns at the front were carved from single tree trunks. The first floor has 15-foot ceilings with windows 12-feet high.

An 18 x 40-foot ballroom trimmed with elaborate cornice and dentil work was the legendary setting of the South Branch Valley's most elegant social gatherings. Seymour, although wealthy with good land holdings, was not among the social elite until he married well, hitching up with Sidney McNeill of the valley's wealthiest family and owner of its most magnificent mansion, Willow Wall.

During the Civil War, McNeill's Rangers, the storied Confederate Calvary, sometimes used the house for a hospital, and fittingly the Sons of Confederate Veterans, Camp 582, McNeill Rangers, are staging the encampment. Comfort food will be provided for purchase.

Heritage Week began here in 1953 when then-owners Mr. and Mrs. Donald Pryce Jones opened their home to raise money for the Hardy County Public Library.

Mill Island is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Open courtesy of Royce Saville.

Directions: From the Moorefield library, go east on Winchester Avenue to railroad tracts. Turn right on South Fork Road 1.3 miles. Turn right at green flag and go 0.7 miles across low bridge.

The Stump Cabin generally is recognized as the oldest extant structure in West Virginia. It is a must-see for anyone wondering how life was lived in the untamed frontier of the mid-1700s.

Sometime around 1746, Michael Stump, who two or three years later gained a deed to 366-acres from Lord Fairfax, built a small cabin and moved his family to this rich, but unsettled and untamed, land along the South Fork of the South Branch of the Potomac.

In October 1746, according to the History of Hardy County, a surveying crew, including Peter Jefferson, father of Thomas Jefferson, reached Stumps Run and, needing provisions, found "but one family of poor Dutch people from whom we could have no Supply." These "poor Dutch people" likely were the Stumps. And it was not the last visit of an historical figure from the colonial era.

When he was just 16, George Washington recorded in his diary that he spent several days with the Stumps in 1748 while a member of Lord Fairfax's survey team.

As the Stump family grew, so did the cabin. Stump or his son added a second cabin joined to the first by a center front door. A massive central chimney has openings to serve both cabins. The second story was added later.

The property remained in the hands of the Stump family until 1973, when John Buhl purchased the property and, considering himself more "caretaker" than owner, has preserved it as an important piece of local and state history.

Open courtesy John and Beverly Buhl.

Directions: About 13 miles south of Moorefield on South Fork Road (SR7). Watch for the green flag on the left. Turn in, cross the bridge and go one mile.

With the opening of a large tannery and several other enterprises in the 1890s, residents envisioned a city growing up along the banks of the Lost River. They named their community Lost City, and it indeed thrived for a time. A Presbyterian congregation was organized and the church was named for its first pastor, Ivanhoe Robertson.

The congregation grew through the heyday of Lost City, surviving the closing of the tannery in 1927, the Great Depression, the chestnut blight, the end of lumbering, terrible droughts, forest fires, depressed agriculture price and World War II, which drew its young men from the valley. The church today continues to be an active center of worship.

The original church was a lovely building with gothic-style windows and carpenter gothic detailing outside and beautiful oak paneling inside. Over the years, the congregation has upgraded the facilities but maintained the historic sanctuary in its original form. The original pump organ still occupies a corner in the sanctuary, and sometimes it is played.

In the fellowship hall, the church displays historic photos and other memorabilia. During Heritage Weekend, a bake sale will take place on the grounds. The congregation welcomes visitors to its 11 am Sunday service and for a covered-dish supper following the service.

Open courtesy of the Ivanhoe Presbyterian Church congregation.

Directions: Take WV 259 to Lower Cove Road at the Lost City Post office.

The Lost River Craft Cooperative is the eastern headquarters for Heritage Weekend. The Craft Cooperative and Museum share the 150-year-old Harper Barn. Upstairs, the Craft Cooperative offers for sale juried handcrafted furniture, pottery, glass, baskets, weaving and other crafts, plus paintings and photography, books, and music by the 70 members of the cooperative.

Downstairs is the Lost River Museum featuring special exhibits of antique spinning wheels, looms and the tools of other fiber arts that have been restored in working order. During Heritage Weekend, artisans demonstrate how pioneers worked these wheels and looms to provide blankets and coverlets for their families and for sale. The museum houses the most complete display of homesteading tools and artifacts in the Mountain Highlands.

Built by Samuel Harper around 1847, the barn was constructed into a bank so he could drive his wagon into the upper level to unload and the drive out the other side, unhitch his team and lead them into the stable on the lower level.

A cantilevered overhang juts the length of the barn to form a protected fore bay on the lower level and add space to the upper level. With its native stone foundation and huge hand-hewn beams, the barn is a magnificent example of Appalachian craftsmanship, durability and practicality.

For a time in the 1960s, the upper level of the barn was used as office space, a western wear shop and antique and gift store associated with a dude ranch.

During Heritage Weekend, co-op members demonstrate traditional crafts, including spinning, weaving on vintage looms, quilting, chair-making, blacksmithing and basket weaving. Weather permitting, a clothesline art show will display the works of local artists Saturday and Sunday.

Open courtesy of the Lost River Craft Cooperative

Directions: Midway between Mathias and Baker on WV 259.

The Mathias Homestead has survived more than two centuries of wear and tear and some misfortune to remain standing as a monument to the homesteading families of the Lost River Valley and as a special tribute to the Mathias family that made it home for 165 years.

It hasn't been easy. During the Civil War, Union troops burned the floor of an upstairs room when a raging fire in a fireplace got out of control. The scar is still visible. Natural aging and harsh weather have taken their toil.

But nothing so threatened the cabin as the natural gas explosion at a garage across the road in December 2004. The rippling explosive impact and debris crashed into the front exterior. Repairs to the windows and door, and roof have brought the cabin back to life.

The cabin was built as a single-family structure about 1797 by John and Barbara Mathias, who had moved here from Shenandoah County. It is believed the structure was constructed in two phases with the northernmost section being the original. At or around the time when the second part was built, porches and a breezeway were added to connect the halves.

Weatherboarding that had been added at some unknown time was removed to expose the log exterior as it appeared at the turn of the 19th Century.

For more than 165 years, the cabin was home to the Mathias family, Sadi, the widow of Philip S. Mathias who lived in the home until the mid 1960s, being the last family member to occupy it. The home place remained in the Mathias family until 1974 when it was deeded to the Mathias Civic Center Association by Wendall Mathias.

It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places Nov. 24, 1978.

Open courtesy of Mathias Homestead Inc.

Directions: Located on WV 259, 13 miles south of Baker.

The Inn at Lost River was built by James Garrett and his son Ferg in the late 1800s. Garrett purchased the property and the Harper Grist Mill from William (Billy) Harper. The Inn is nestled at the intersection of State Road 259 and Mill Gap Road. This area is both a historical and contemporary hub of activity in the Lost River Valley. The Harper Grist Mill is no longer standing. However, the Lost River General Store, also on the property, continues the tradition of being a draw for commercial and social activity for residents and visitors alike. It was added to the National Register of Historic Sites in 2005.

The first renovation and restoration on the wood frame lath and plaster constructed Inn began in mid 1987 and was completed 30 months later. The Inn opened in 1990, and operated as a Bed & Breakfast for the next ten years. This year, under new ownership, it has re-opened its doors to overnight guests.

The 120-year-old soft pine floors are original to the center hall farmhouse and were milled from local forests. During the restoration process, fourteen coats of paint were removed from the center hall banister to reveal a local walnut masterpiece. The Spring House, located next to Mill Creek on the property, was used to store the large blocks of ice that were harvested from both Mill Creek and Lost River to cool milk and perishables, and provide an ingredient for ice cream.

A small smokehouse, which has been converted to a guest house is also on the property.

During Heritage Weekend, enjoy refreshments at the Inn or The Lost River

General Store and activities at The Lost River Craft Cooperative and The Lost River Valley Museum, a short walk away.

Open courtesy of Ted and Toni Mathias Harvey.

Directions: Route 259 behind Lost River General Store. Hours: Saturday and Sunday 1pm to 4pm ONLY

Used as a place of worship and community meeting place for many years, St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church, like many country churches, lost its congregation to larger consolidated churches in the 1950s, closed its doors in 1961 and became a hay barn.

But in 2000, the church, farmhouse and property were purchased by Joshua Miller, a master woodworker, and his wife Laura Bryant, an illustrator of children's books.

Miller and Bryant converted the church into a woodworking shop, built an art studio and restored and modernized the old farmhouse, preserving much of its classic character and adding artistic touches of their own. The entire compound is a tribute to a compatible mixture of rural heritage and modern creativity.

The cornerstone for St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church was laid Sept. 1, 1901, but the congregation was active at least as early as 1894, serving the families that settled Cullers Run.

Founders included many family names still common today: Delaunter, Dove, Fauley, Jenkins, Loury, May, Moyers, Sherman, Souder, Sours, Stultz, Ketterman, Loy, Strawderman and Wilkins. The first baptism was Jan. 17, 1903, for Virginia V. Smith. The first marriage united Noah Moyers and Emma Loury on Nov. 15, 1903, and a month later, on Christmas Eve, Perry L. Dove and Florence H. Loury were married.

Lewis Loury provided land for a cemetery on a hilltop just above St. Johns, and the earliest marker carries the date April 8, 1894, for Arthur Loury.

When cars become common, roads were improved and ministers became hard to find and keep, people left their home churches for large, consolidated churches. St. John's, like so many country churches, closed its doors in 1961.

Open courtesy of Joshua Miller and Laura Bryant.

Directions: From WV 259 about two miles below Mathias, take Crab Run/Cullers Run Road to Cullers Run. Turn right. St. John's is just beyond Hoy Dove's Country Store.

It is a working barn and an eye-catcher for barn-lovers - a classic example of what Eric Slone referred to when he wrote of a time when barns were "the palaces of America." The barn was built by Wade Snyder for H. Riley Hishman on his wife's home place. With its soaring interior and exceptional craftsmanship, the Mathias Barn looks more like a cathedral than the working barn it is. The walls of the feed bins are tongue-in-grooved, and the openings are finished with fine molding. Ornaments accent the barn doors.

The Hishmans were savvy business people, owning at one time the general store, post office, beer parlor, opera house, funeral parlor and trucking business. Eventually they owned most of the land between Mathias and Lost River, including the land purchased by the state for Lost River State Park.

As children, Ben and Elizabeth Mathias watched the barn's construction and in 1965 bought the property, where they have raised beef cattle since.

During Heritage Weekend the barnyard will be busy with friendly goats to pet, soft-eyed sheep, and draft horse pulling loads. Wandering chicks, ducks, and geese will delight young and old visitors alike.

Open courtesy of the Mathias and Landacre families.

Directions: On WV 259 at Mathias, directly across from the Misty Valley store and gas station.

For years, this rustic cabin was believed to have been built by Henry "Light Horse Harry" Lee, the Revolutionary War hero and father of Confederate icon Robert E. Lee. But a study by Ellen Anderson for the WV Department of Parks documented that it more likely was Light Horse Harry's son Charles Carter Lee who built the two-story cabin in 1800. According to Anderson, Light Horse Harry bought 17,000 acres along Howard's Lick and Cove Run Road in 1796 for speculative purposes but went into debt before he could develop the property. Rather than have it seized by creditors, he transferred the property to his four sons, including Robert and his elder brother Charles.

Charles is believed to have built the hand-hewn white oak cabin as a hunting-cabin but, sensing the opportunity presented by the existence of sulphur springs, built a two-story hotel and spa on the site. Lee ran the hotel until 1851 when it was acquired by entrepreneurs, who renamed it Hardy White Sulphur Springs. In the 1890s, H.S. Carr enlarged the hotel and called it Lee White Sulphur Springs. The hotel was destroyed by fire in 1910, but the original cabin and pavilion at the spring survived.

In 1934, the State of West Virginia purchased the property, including the cabin, to create the 3,712-acre Lost River State Park.

The Lee Cabin was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 30, 1974.

Open courtesy the WV Department of Parks.

Directions: Located on Lost River State Park Road, County Route 12 (Howard's Lick Road) four miles south of Mathias. Once in the park, follow signs for the swimming pool. Before the pool at a Y in the road, bear right up the hill. Parking is just beyond the cabin.

Cullers Run School is one of the most complete restorations of a one-room school in the nation. It is chock full of authentic memorabilia, including the original bell, pot-bellied stove, teacher's desk and student benches, lunch buckets, textbooks, papers and photographs. Built at a cost of $137, it was school to generations of children from 1898 to 1956, when it was closed.

That the school survives in pristine condition is a credit to Ken and Anne Shifflet, who bought an 82-acre farm that included the ground on which the school sits. Because the school was abandoned, the land - but not the building - reverted to the Shifflets as contemporary owners. A year later, they bought the building for $500 at a school property auction.

With warm memories of the one-room school he attended in Pennsylvania, Ken Shifflet organized volunteers from among alumni of the school and other area residents to restore the building and acquire authentic memorabilia. His wife Anne did the research to document the school's history. By the fall of 1989, the school was ready to be opened to the public for Heritage Weekend, and it has been a tour attraction every year since.

On Aug. 5, 2004, the Shifflets donated the school and a half acre of land to the Cullers Run School Association on condition that the association preserve and maintain the structure as it existed between 1898 and 1956 and that artifacts placed in the school be of that period and used in Hardy County schools.

Open courtesy of the Cullers Run School Association.

Directions: From WV 259, two miles south of Mathias, turn onto Crab Run/Cullers Run Road. Turn right on Cullers Run Road at Doves Country store. The school is four miles down the road on the left.

This year's tile house dates its history back to April 2, 1750, when young George Washington surveyed the land for Henry Westfall Frye. Mr. Frye, a magistrate and mill owner as well as a farmer, built the present house in 1825 after living in a much less grand home for a while. The large porches which add to the house's elegance, were added in the 1880s or 90s by his son John. The home has descended through the Frye family and they have adapted it to changing times and family needs. In "The History of Hardy County" by Richard K. MacMaster, he notes that in 1860, the Frye Farm was one of only a few farms in the Wardensville District listed as worth over $10,000. Corn was the primary crop.

Located on the Winchester-Moorefield Turnpike, just outside the then booming town of Wardensville, the house witnessed the passing of both Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War. The Fryes often welcomed guests and supplied food and forage to the Confederate Army. After the Civil War, the Frye family operated it as the Capon House for a time, offering overnight accommodations to travelers making the trek over North Mountain.

A printed Bill of Sale was recently discovered that indicated that the farm was scheduled to go up for action on March 28th, 1908. The sale was to settle the estate after John Frye's death. In the Bill of Sale, 221 acres and the house were being offered as a parcel. It indicated that the farm was "one of the most desirable homes in the County, the house having been thoroughly overhauled, rooms papered and painted." It also states that "there has never been offered for sale in this valley anything to compare with it." It is unclear whether or not the auction took place. What is known is that Laura Baker Frye intervened in some manner and settled the estate. This unique property, therefore, has always been cared for by Henry W. Frye descendents.

The current restoration began in 1995 and continues today. All nine fireplaces have been restored and are usable. Cooking was originally done in the huge fireplace located in the basement of the house. The house retains the original hardware and wood-grained doors. Much of the furniture has been handed down through the family.

In addition to the house, visitors are invited to tour the butcher shop where hams and slabs of bacon were preserved for the winter, and the restored ice house. The Heishman's recently added a two level barn on the site of the original barn, and have developed a pond along side the driveway. Be sure and take a peek at the charming garden house.

Light refreshments will be served, and other activities are planned on the grounds.

Open through the courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Irvin Heishman. Mr. Heishman is the great great grandson of the original owner.

Directions: North on Rt. 259 through Wardensville. Bear right on Rt. 55. The driveway is immediately on the right.

In early 2005, R.J. Turner, Principal Broker of Turner Real Estate, LLC, headquartered in Virginia, had a vision to convert a vacant 1880s Wardensville building into his West Virginia office. The free standing wood structure he choose has approximately 1000 square feet on its two floors. It was used for years as the Wardensville Liquor Store, and is still known by that name by locals. The store closed in 1990.

The building is unique in its balloon framing. Today, buildings are constructed from the bottom up. But in balloon framing, all the walls of the building were constructed, and then the floor was hung. Another unique feature are large wooden hand made nails visible in the construction on the second floor. Also, look for the intricate original carved wood near the rooftop on the front.

After completing the renovation, the Turner's furnished the office with items that give it an early 1890's feel. Of special interest are a Blickenderfer wood case typewriter circa 1897-1904, an original Western Electric telephone, and wonderful horse hair couches. Children will enjoy seeing the antique toys on display. Mr. Turner also added three apartments on the second floor to fully utilize this notable site.

Open courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. R.L. Turner.

Directions: 135 Main Street, Wardensville

Visitors to the Claggett House and Reyman farm will be treated not only to a tour of this Tidewater-style plantation home but also will be taken on tours of this cutting-edge farm operated by the West Virginia University Agriculture Extension Service. Tours of an experimental fish hatchery - breeding trophy-sized brook trout - and the barns will be conducted by hayride Saturday and Sunday at 10 am and 2 pm. Docile animals will be available for children to pet. This is an educational and entertaining family outing.

Hezekiah Claggett and his wife Louisa Baker built this Greet Revival home between 1840 and 1850 on farm land inherited by Louisa. Claggett became one of the largest landowners and hog and cattle farmers in Hardy County.

The Claggett family sold the property to H. Riley Orndorff in 1900, and he sold it in 1911 to Anton Reymann, an industrialist from Wheeling who had a summer home at Capon Springs. Reymann raised pure-bred Ayshire cattle and made several improvements, including drainage ditches under 300-400 acres of the land.

On Dec. 30, 1916, Reymann gave the 962-acre farm to the West Virginia Agricultural Experimental Station with the goal of making West Virginia "known as the hope of Ayshire in this country." That didn't happen, and the herd was moved to a farm near Morgantown in 1937. WVU continues to use Reymann for livestock, poultry and crop research and recently as an experimental fish hatchery.

The house with its distinctive red bricks, gable roof, curved stairway, fireplaces, pine flooring and high ceilings was renovated in 2001 after being uninhabited for 17 years.

Open courtesy of Jerry Yates, manager, Reymann Memorial Farm.

Directions: Traveling north of Wardensville on route 259, it is on the left.