Welcome To Historic Grafton West Virginia

Welcome To Historic Grafton West Virginia. Preserving the Past - Embracing the Future. Taylor County Points of Interest, International Mother's Day Shrine, On May 10, 1908, the first official Mother's Day service was held at the Andrews Methodist Church, now known as the International Mother's Day Shrine. Anna Jarvis founded Mother's Day in honor of her own mother, Ann Reeves Jarvis, who died on May 9, 1905. Anna Jarvis credited her inspiration for Mother's Day as coming from hearing her mother pray after a Sunday School class on Mothers of the Bible, National Cemeteries, The first National Cemetery in Grafton opened in 1868 in order to provide a burial ground for Union soldiers who died in West Virginia's military hospitals and battlefields. By the 1960's it was apparent that more space would be needed and although construction was incomplete, the second National Cemetery was dedicated Sept. 27, 1987, and opened for interments the following day., Tygart Lake and Dam, Authorized by the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1935, Tygart Dam was built during the Great Depression as part of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, its construction justified by both flood and drought. Tygart Lake State Park, located on the lake's eastern shore, offers a lodge, restaurant, cabins and camping, and a range of recreational opportunities., B&O Depot and Willard Hotel, The Grafton B and O Railroad Station and Willard Hotel were the hub of activity in the early 1900's. The railroad was a fundamental part of Grafton's economy for nearly a century and kept the passenger station busy. In 1907 John T. McGraw offered to provide land and build a hotel if the railroad would construct an adjoining passenger station. The business deal was completed and construction began. At one time there were 33 passenger trains arriving and departing daily., Civil War Monument, On May 22, 1861, in what's generally regarded as the first Union combat fatality of the Civil War, Pvt. Thornsbury Bailey Brown was shot and killed by a Confederate soldier at Fetterman Bridge in present-day West Virginia., Anna Jarvis Birthplace, Birthplace of the Founder of Mother's Day, this house was the first field headquarters of General George McClellan. The house serves as a museum to Anna Jarvis with one room devoted to McClellan memorabilia.