Historic Edmiston-Ralston Building

Historic Edmiston-Ralston Building. Erected 1879. , Constructed in 1879, two years after the original structure burned this is the oldest business building in Weston. Originally built as a joint venture between jeweler Er Ralston and attorney Matthew Edmiston, this location has been home to a wide variety of business. The building originally consisted of four storerooms that housed the John A. Barnes dry goods store, Mr. Ralston's jewelry business, the J.B. Finster newsstand, and the Adolphus Greenstein haberdashery. In 1885 Weston's first telephone exchange was installed in the rear of Finster's newsstand, with four initial subscribers: The Weston State Hospital, the West Virginia and Pittsburgh Railroad depot, the Rhul-Koblegard wholesale grocery Company, and the Weston flouring Mills. Later, one of the storerooms held Adler's Store, T.P. Wright Bookstore (later encompassing all the present building), Smith's Jewelry Store, and Heritage Antiques and Collectibles.