The Hardy County Tour & Craft Association is proud to announce the 2022 Tile as Duffey Memorial United Methodist Church. This beloved fall event is coming back after two long years away due to the pandemic. In addition to honoring this year’s tile building, the 2021 Tile House, The Jacob Teets House in Lost River, and the 2020 Tile Barn, Buena Vista Barn in Old Fields, will also be honored.
“It is an honor to showcase such a beloved church in our community as this year’s tile,” said Elaine Davis, 2022 Heritage Weekend chair.
Duffey United Methodist Church has been an icon on Winchester Ave since it was built in the 1920. However, the history of the church is rooted deep in the area and in the history of the Methodist religion in WV. In 1801, Christians of several denominations, including the Methodist Episcopal Church, came together to build a meeting house in Moorefield. “We have a sketch of that building on the wall in the hallway which connects our sanctuary with the new addition,” said Rev. Mark Flynn, current pastor of Duffey. The Methodists then established the Moorefield Circuit in 1815. “Our congregation built a building of its own, on the site of our present building, in 1850,” said Flynn. In 1869, the pastor of this congregation served the following churches: Petersburg, Waugh Chapel, Andrew Chapel, Oak Grove, Bean’s Settlement, Moorefield, and Old Fields. Moorefield had the largest congregation, with 130 members.
In 1919, the original church building was torn down in order to make room for a more modern building. During the construction of the new building, the congregation worshipped in the court house and moved into the new building in the spring of 1922, even though it was not yet finished. The Rev. Walter White preached the first sermon in the new building and the current building was finished in 1927, under the leadership of the Rev. R.B. Claggett.
“We at Duffey Memorial are delighted that our much-loved gathering place has been chosen for the 2022 Heritage Weekend tile,” said Flynn. Church members gather every Sunday morning for Sunday School at 9:45 and worship at 11:00. They have an evening service at 7:00 and live-stream their morning service on their Facebook page. Additionally, they have a radio program on WELD-FM on Sundays at 10:30AM, an AWANA program for children on Tuesday evenings, a youth program for young people in grades 7-12 on Monday evenings. The church welcomes the community to join them, not only for the 2022 Heritage Weekend, but anytime throughout the year.
The first Heritage Weekend tile was created in 1972 and featured the Moorefield Presbyterian Church. The tiles have been created by Conrad Crafters of Wheeling, WV since the very beginning. Since 2018 the sketch of the building that is used to create the tile has been drawn by Moorefield resident and long-time HCT&CA board member, Kriston Strickler. Strickler, and the artists before her, use a photograph of the home or building, that is typically captured by a local photographer, to complete their sketch.
The 2022 tile will be on sale at the Hardy County Public Library this week. Any available tiles from previous years are also available for purchase at the library. During Heritage Weekend, tiles will be available at all welcome centers.
In November of 2021 the HCT&CA released a set of 5 ornaments also created by Conrad Crafters that featured the first 5 tiles (1972-1976). The second set of ornaments will be released soon and will be for sale at Heritage Weekend. The second series will feature the tiles from 1977-1981 and will be closely matched to their original color. The tile homes for these years are; Fort Pleasant 1977, Ingleside 1978, Hickory Hill 1979, Sunnybrook Farm 1980, and The Noah Snyder Farm 1981. Keep an eye on the Hardy County Tour & Craft Association Facebook page for the release of these ornaments.
All proceeds from the sale of the tile and ornaments go to the ongoing efforts of the HCT&CA and helping make Heritage Weekend an enjoyable event for the community. The 2022 Hardy County Heritage Weekend will take place September 23rd -25th throughout Hardy County. More information and a detailed schedule of events can be found on their website www.heritageweekend.com and on Facebook.
