Judge Muntzing House

Built in mid-1800s as a four room log cabin and enlarged circa 1877 by Hanson Maslin and his wife Martha, this home has been an imposing piece of Victorian Architecture in downtown Moorefield. Hanson Maslin purchased the home in 1876 from Howard and Martha Scott of North Carolina and Eliza and Nancy Scott of Virginia and Joseph VanMeter of Hardy County. G.A. Williams had conveyed the property to A. Howard Scott in 1860 for the sum of $1,500.00. Prior to that time the home was occupied by a Mrs. Ann Kuykendall.
Hanson Maslin was the son of Thomas Maslin, who built and owned the Maslin-Gamble Mansion on the south end of Main Street. One of windows in the Presbyterian Church is dedicated by Hanson to his wife, Martha. The Maslins owned two of the signature homes on Main Street, the Beaty House and the Maslin Home.
Mr. E. C. Beaty and wife Stella, originally from Fairmont, bought the home in 1902 and lived there until 1930 when they sold it to Robert S. Kuykendall and his wife, Mary, for a total of $5,200.00 for the dwelling, lot and outbuildings. During this time, it became known as the Beaty House.
The Kuykendalls only owned the home for a year before selling it to a young lawyer, H. Gus Muntzing, in 1931. This young lawyer became an imposing figure in Hardy County and soon it was known as the Judge Muntzing Home. The home has remained in the Muntzing family for 86 years.
In 1850 it was an airy four room log cabin with tall ceilings and generous windows. It remains as one of the only original log structures left in the town. The logs can be seen from the basement area of the house. The tall structure of the home is particularly interesting. The “hip roof” has four gables – gables being every peak in the roof that has a window. Houses with four or more gables are rare and there is “fish scale detail” in each of these gables, adding even more charm.
The hip roof supports high chimneys and three floors of rooms with crafted windows and detailed woodwork. The woodwork changes throughout the house depending on the time of building and the purpose of the rooms. The front and more formal rooms have the bullet molding on the corners of the doors and there is detailed dental molding throughout. The front staircase is impressive, while the back staircase is plain in design as it would have been used by domestic help coming and going to the kitchen and backyard areas.
The front staircase was reserved for visitors and guests entering the home from Main Street. Before the street was widened over the years, there was a small front yard and a larger porch.
The home remains much as it did in the 19th century with the exception of modern plumbing, a renovated kitchen and heating. The historic rear outhouse, designated with the sunshine emblem, is no longer an allowable addition, and therefore, creates additional charm going back to the 1800’s.
During Heritage Weekend there will be a special presentation and exhibits will be offered by Moorefield High School students. US Cellular will be presenting information and offering promotional items.
Open curtesy of Mrs. Manning Muntzing and her daughters.
Directions: 136 Main Street, Moorefield
Photo by Albert Mach