Webster near Grafton in Taylor County, West Virginia — The American South (Appalachia)
Home Turned Headquarters
Gen. McClellan Arrives
| | West Virginia Civil War Trails | |
Photographed by Mark Parker, July 17, 2026
1. Home Turned Headquarters Marker
On June 22, 1861, Webster pulsed with activity. Trains brought thousands of Union soldiers to the Northwestern Virginia Railroad station across the street. Shouted orders filled the air, and telegraph wires hummed with news.
Ohio and Indiana soldiers scrambled about the surrounding hillsides to establish campsites. Some fell asleep on the hillside and awoke at the bottom.
"The hill being so steep that not even the tents will stop them when they start to rolling," a reporter wrote in the Daily Intelligencer, Wheeling, Va., on September 4, 1861.
Gen. George B. McClellan had arrived to establish his first field headquarters in the stately home of Granville and Ann Jarvis. From this house and his base of operations at nearby Grafton, McClellan developed a plan to drive Confederate troops out of Western Virginia and secure the strategic Baltimore & Ohio Railroad.
McClellan's victories at Rich Mountain, Laurel Hill, and Corrick's Ford eliminated Confederate threats in Northwestern Virginia and propelled McClellan to command the Army of the Potomac. The frontlines soon moved on, but Webster remained a vital military
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"Then we went through Rebel-occupied territory to Webster and pitched a field-camp under Rebel eyes... Rebels swarmed about us continually, disappearing as fast as they appeared astonishing us with their mobility...."
From We Were the Ninth: A History of the Ninth Regiment, Ohio Volunteer Infantry, 1987
[Captions:]
Anna M. Jarvis was born in this home on May 1, 1864. Following her mother's 1905 death Anna held a memorial ceremony that laid the groundwork for the official observance of Mother's Day signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson in 1914.
Courtesy West Virginia & Regional History center
Union soldiers anxiously wait as mail is distributed from the Jarvis House.
Courtesy U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center
Erected by West Virginia Civil War Trails.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Notable Buildings • War, US Civil • Women. In addition, it is included in the West Virginia Civil War Trails series list. A significant historical date for this entry is June 22, 1861.
Location. 39° 17.669′ N, 80° 2.653′ W. Marker is near Grafton, West Virginia,
Photographed by Mark Parker, July 17, 2026
2. Home Turned Headquarters Marker across from the Jarvis house
Regionally, this marker is in North Central West Virginia. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Northern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Ann Reeves Jarvis (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Anna Jarvis' Birthplace (about 300 feet away); Tygart Dam (approx. 1½ miles away); The American Chestnut (approx. 1½ miles away); John Simpson (approx. 2.9 miles away); Veterans Memorial (approx. 3 miles away); Grafton National Cemetery (approx. 3 miles away); A National Cemetery System (approx. 3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Grafton.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Webster (was about 300 feet away but has been permanently removed).
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 20, 2026. It was originally submitted on July 17, 2026, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. This page has been viewed 10 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 17, 2026, by Mark Parker of Hickory, North Carolina. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
