Princeton in Mercer County, West Virginia — The American South (Appalachia)

McNutt House

Sole Survivor

By Paul Crumlish, August 21, 2010

1. McNutt House Marker

Inscription. This house, the home of physician Robert B. McNutt, is the only antebellum dwelling in Princeton. It survived the fire that Col. Walter H. Jenifer of the 8th Virginia Cavalry ignited on May 1, 1862, as he evacuated the town.
Jenifer was attempting to block the advance of Union Gen. John C. Frémont’s Mountain Army as it marched to the Shenandoah Valley to support Nathaniel P. Banks against Confederate Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson. Jenifer sent about 200 cavalrymen and militia of his 300-man command on the road north from Princeton under Lt. Col. Henry Fitzhugh. At Camp Creek, a branch of the Bluestone River, Fitzhugh’s force clashed with Frémont’s advance guard — Lt. Col Rutherford B. Hayes’s 23rd Ohio Infantry — the withdrew to Princeton. There, Jenifer gathered up all the supplied he could carry, set fire to the town, and marched south to Rocky Gap.
Frémont reported that “after the affair at Camp Creek …Hayes pushed and drove Jenifer, with 300 cavalry, through Princeton. Jenifer ser fire to the place, but 6 or 8 houses were saved by Lieutenant-Colonel Hayes.” One of the dwellings was the McNutt House, where Hayes — the future president of the United States – made his headquarters with his aide, Sgt. William McKinley, another future president.

[Right-hand Inset]

Wide view of the McNutt House Marker image. Click for full size.

By Paul Crumlish, August 21, 2010

2. Wide view of the McNutt House Marker

Walter H. Jenifer (1823-1878), a Maryland native, designed and patented a cavalry saddle while serving as a lieutenant in the 2nd U.S. Cavalry late in the 1850s. Confederate authorities adopted the saddle after the war began, but it soon proved unsatisfactory and saddlers attempted to modify it. Jenifer sued the Confederate government in 1863 for patent infringement and later settled out of court. After losing command of the 8th Virginia Cavalry after an 1862 reorganization, Jenifer served as a cavalry inspector for the duration of the war. Afterward he joined the Egyptian army in 1870, then resigned because of ill health two years later. He returned home to the Baltimore area and raised fine Arabian horses imported from Egypt until his death.

Erected 2008 by West Virginia Civil War Trails.

Marker series. This marker is included in the West Virginia Civil War Trails marker series.

Location. 37° 22.035′ N, 81° 6.146′ W. Marker is in Princeton, West Virginia, in Mercer County. Marker is at the intersection of North Walker Street and Honaker Street (U.S. 19), on the left when traveling north on North Walker Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1522 North Walker Street, Princeton WV 24740, United States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8

Dr. Robert B. McNutt House (1840) image. Click for full size.

By Paul Crumlish, August 21, 2010

3. Dr. Robert B. McNutt House (1840)

This National Register of Historic Places-listed building served as the headquarters of future Presidents Rutherford B. Hayes and William McKinley during the Civil War. It was the only structure to remain after town was burned by the evacuating Confederates in 1862. Today it has been restored and serves as the home of the Princeton-Mercer County Chamber of Commerce.

other markers are within 10 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Princeton (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); American Revolution Bicentennial Bell (about 500 feet away); Richard Blankenship (about 500 feet away); Battle of Pigeon's Roost (approx. 0.4 miles away); Mitchell Clay (approx. 3½ miles away); Elizabeth Kee (approx. 9½ miles away); Bluefield (approx. 9½ miles away); Andrew Davidson (approx. 9.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Princeton.

Also see . . .
1. Princeton-Mercer County Chamber of Commerce: The Dr. Robert B. McNutt House. (Submitted on November 10, 2010, by PaulwC3 of Northern, Virginia.)
2. Bluefield Daily Telegraph: Historical merit of Princeton house recognized. (Submitted on November 10, 2010, by PaulwC3 of Northern, Virginia.)

Categories. • War, US Civil •

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on November 9, 2010, by PaulwC3 of Northern, Virginia. This page has been viewed 1,296 times since then and 65 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 9, 2010, by PaulwC3 of Northern, Virginia. 3. submitted on August 24, 2010, by PaulwC3 of Northern, Virginia.