Barbour County. Formed from Harrison, Lewis and Randolph Counties in 1843. It is named for Philip Pendleton Barbour, distinguished Virginia jurist. The scene of opening hostilities on land between the armies of the North and the South in 1961. . . . — — Map (db m74912) HM
Marion County. Formed, 1842, from Harrison and Monongalia Counties. Named for hero of the Revolution, General Francis Marion. County was home of Francis H. Pierpont, leader in the formation of this State. The Monongahela River forms just above . . . — — Map (db m225918) HM
Named for early settlers. Here Colonel Johnson C. Fleming about 1867 made demonstration of the “glider.” Near here lived Thomas Allen, the messgenger of Wellington at Waterloo. He died here at the age of 107 (4 miles south). — — Map (db m74913) HM
Opened on this site in 1865 by Free Will Baptists led by local resident Rev. F. J. Cather. Chartered by the legislature June 26, 1868. Rev. A.D. Williams became the first president and served until 1870 when he resigned to become Superintendent of . . . — — Map (db m238019) HM
Civil War Dead
An estimated 700,000 Union and Confederate soldiers died in the Civil War between April 1861 and April 1865. As the death toll rose, the U.S. government struggled with the urgent but unplanned need to bury fallen Union . . . — — Map (db m176478) HM
First Mothers'-Day Service, May 10, 1908.
Founder - Miss Anna Jarvis.
Minister - Dr. H. C. Howard.
Church School Supt. - Mr. L. L. Loar. — — Map (db m176376) HM
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad reached Grafton on January 11, 1852 and thus a railroad town was born. During the Civil War, Grafton's importance on the supply line made it a target for Confederate troops although they were never able to hold it. . . . — — Map (db m180674) HM
Chartered 1827 to connect Baltimore to the Ohio River, the railway was completed to Wheeling in 1852. Used to move Union troops and supplies during the Civil War, its strategic importance made the B&O the target of destructive Confederate . . . — — Map (db m175612) HM
In 1911, the Baltimore firm of JD Walsh and Son was contracted to build a new Baltimore & Ohio Passenger Station on land donated by Colonel John T. McGraw
The station was dedicated on August 22, 1911 with a large crowd in attendance. . . . — — Map (db m176346) HM
Dominic and Columbia Bonafede lived in and ran an Italian fruit market and grocery store in this building, constructed adjacent to her family's properties in
1926. They were known for selling excellent Italian bread made in Clarksburg, West . . . — — Map (db m176940) HM
The Brinkman Block is a set of three Italianate buildings built between 1876 and 1879 by George Brinkman.
The German immigrant arrived in the United States penniless and speaking no English but in 1858 he established one of the most . . . — — Map (db m178024) HM
Joseph Cohen purchased this
section of the Luzadder plat
from Thomas J. McAvay on
July 12, 1922 for $30,000. What
was once the site of Grafton's
first financial institution, the
1870 Citizens Savings Bank, became a branch of the . . . — — Map (db m176216) HM
Henry Clay Colerider came to Grafton in
1875 and opened a shoe shop. He further
expanded into the leather and finding
business with partners Messrs. Duncan
and McClean in 1885 and in 1888
continued the enterprise alone after buying
their . . . — — Map (db m176669) HM
1861 - 1865
Dedicated to the memory of Thornsbury Bailey Brown, Co. B. 2nd Va. Vol. Inf. , first Union soldier killed in the Civil War. He lost his life on this spot May 22, 1861.
Erected May 16, 1928 by Betsy Ross Tent No. 10 West Virginia . . . — — Map (db m4547) HM
The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks formed Lodge No. 308 in Grafton on June 29, 1895. This building, erected on the former site of George and Charles R. Lilley's shoe shop, was built in 1913. A fine social affair was held on March 25, . . . — — Map (db m176166) HM
In honor of our military fallen, those who have served
and those still serving, we salute your sacrifices
and we will never forget. — — Map (db m164883) WM
Great dam built by the United States Government two miles south on the Tygarts Valley River River to control floods in the Monongahela Valley. It is 210 feet high and 1780 feet long. It forms a lake of over 4000 acres, 73 miles around. — — Map (db m75029) HM
Presbyterians first began meeting in the homes of members in Fetterman in 1855. The Presbyterian Church of Fetterman was officially organized through the Presbytery of Redstone on July 27, 1856.
In 1864 it was reorganized and renamed the First . . . — — Map (db m180938) HM
This and the two buildings to the right were built by the Forcellas, a family of Italian immigrants, in 1914. In Italy their marriages were traditionally arranged;
in the United States Columbia Forcella's union was also arranged. She married . . . — — Map (db m177195) HM
In earlier days, this was the site of the mayor's office, city council chambers and Edward Berbig's cobbler shop. Berbig connected Grafton to another
significant moment in history, having served in the French army under Napoleon in his youth. . . . — — Map (db m176389) HM
William Robinson preempted Buffalo Flast, site of Grafton, in 1773. Here is the only National cemetery in the State. Former home of John T. McGraw, financier, and Melville Davisson Post, author. Anna Jarvis, founder of Mother’s Day, lived here. — — Map (db m75020) HM
Grafton was a key transportation hub in Western Virginia. The Northwestern Virginia Railroad went to Parkersburg nearly 100 miles west. At Grafton, the Northwestern Virginia Railroad joined the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O). On the B&O, the . . . — — Map (db m175609) HM
The Civil War led to major changes in military medical facilities. In March 1862, the inadequate hospital at Grafton consisted of 5 tents and 2 small houses. Within a month, a pavilion-style military hospital, with ridge ventilation and similar to a . . . — — Map (db m176678) HM
A State Forged from War
On April 17, 1861, just days after President Abraham Lincoln's order to seize Fort Sumter in South Carolina, a convention of Virginia officials met to back a bill that would let Virginians vote on secession from the . . . — — Map (db m176375) HM
The Grafton Post Office was established on April 1, 1854 and was initially located in the Old Powell Tavern on Latrobe Street with William Powell as the first postmaster. The property for this building was ceded to the federal government via a . . . — — Map (db m177268) HM
(North Face)::
Dedicated by Reno Post No. 7 G.A.R. in memory of T. Bailey Brown of Co. B. 2nd W. Va. Vol. Inft. Capt. Geo R. Latham, Comdg. The first union soldier killed in the civil war at Fetterman, W. Va., May 22, 1861 by Daniel . . . — — Map (db m175697) HM WM
George Jolliffe was just 21 when he opened his first store, the American Bazaar, on the ground floor of the Blen Avon Hotel in 1895. He built this establishment on the site of George Brinkman's first bakery in 1899. After the move, the store was . . . — — Map (db m176488) HM
In the early days of Grafton, Latrobe Street was one of the main business thoroughfares. It first developed in the 1850s with the coming of the railroad and was, appropriately, named for Benjamin Latrobe the Baltimore & Ohio engineer who plotted . . . — — Map (db m177421) HM
William R. Loar was a topographical
photographer for the United States
government working primarily in the West when he retired to Grafton in 1891 to open a photography business. In 1896, he purchased the old Henry O'Leary property and used it . . . — — Map (db m176630) HM
The Merchants & Mechanics Bank was organized on May 21, 1891 and opened its doors for business on June 28, 1891. This building, which sits on the former site of early Grafton settler Eugene McClain's house and livery barn, was built in 1894. It . . . — — Map (db m177576) HM
Monongalia County. Formed, 1776, from District of West Augusta. All or parts of 21 other counties, including three in Pennsylvania, were carved from it. Named for the Monongahela River, bearing an Indian name, which means the "River of Caving . . . — — Map (db m225916) HM
About 500 graves of early Grafton
settlers, dating 1857-1917, are in
old cemetery located on land given
by Sarah Fetterman to St Augustine
Catholic Church. Headstones include
names of Irish and German emigrants.
Buried here is Thomas McGraw, . . . — — Map (db m75019) HM
St. Augustine was the first church built in Grafton,
to serve the many Irish Catholics who had come
to work on the railroad. The first church building
was built in 1857 on land donated by the heirs of
Wilford Fetterman. Reverend Father James . . . — — Map (db m176856) HM
The seat of Taylor County was moved
from Pruntytown to Grafton in 1878
whereupon construction began on this
courthouse built on property purchased
from the heirs of early Grafton settler
Michael Boland. While construction
was in progress, . . . — — Map (db m176122) HM
In honor of the men and women of Taylor County, West Virginia who served in the World War
1917 - 1919
And in memory of those who gave their lives for the cause of democracy
Floyd Barker · Earl W. Brown · Harry E. Cooper · Celba Bryan . . . — — Map (db m164882) WM
The Mighty Giant
The American chestnut tree was once one of the most important trees in our
eastern forest. The tree's native range extended from Georgia all the way to Maine and west to the Ohio River Valley. In the Appalachian . . . — — Map (db m180734) HM
West Virginia, born of a nation divided, was the setting for the first campaign of America's Civil War. Although still part of Virginia in 1861, many citizens of the west remained loyal to the Union, rather than the Confederacy. By late May, Union . . . — — Map (db m75013) HM
President Franklin Roosevelt implemented the New Deal programs to revitalize the nation's economy during the Great Depression. Recreation and infrastructure projects provided employment opportunities. More than 55,000 West Virginia men were . . . — — Map (db m180891) HM
Beauty spot six miles north of the boundary of Taylor and Marion counties where the Tygarts Valley River dashes through a mile-long gorge in a series of lovely falls and rapids. Included in the 1000-acre grant to Thomas Parkeson in 1773. — — Map (db m75017) HM
In honor of those who gave the
ultimate sacrifice in service to
the United States of America and
the families they left behind.
The sacrifice will not be forgotten. — — Map (db m175868) WM
Veterans of Foreign
Wars
Memorial City Post 3081
(Rear):
This monument dedicated to perpetuate the memory of our departed comrades VFW Post No. 3081 — — Map (db m176619) WM
Webster Station was located on the Northwestern Virginia Railroad. Webster was a major supply depot and many warehouses were located here. It also served as a staging area for troops. This was the southernmost station on the railroad. During the . . . — — Map (db m211558) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m176695) HM
In 1911, Colonel John T. McGraw contracted JD Walsh and Son to build a modern hotel adjacent to the passenger station being built by the same company. His promise to erect the hotel, along with the donation of the land for the station, was . . . — — Map (db m177574) HM
This is the site of the first Taylor County Jail. After the formation of Taylor County on January 19th, 1844, Pruntytown was named the county seat. A room in the home of Abraham Williams was leased for $1 a month and used as the first jail in . . . — — Map (db m74924) HM
The West Virginia Industrial School for Boys was established in 1889 by an act of the Legislature and was formally opened July 21, 1891 for the purpose of training boys commited to the Institution by the courts of West Virginia. — — Map (db m74923) HM
To the north stood the birthplace of John Barton Payne (1855–1935), Secretary of the Interior in the cabinet of President Woodrow Wilson. From 1921 until his death in 1935, he was chairman of the American Red Cross. — — Map (db m74933) HM
Settled by John and David Prunty about 1798. It was county seat, 1844 to 1878. Site of old Rector College. Birthplace of John Barton Payne, Secretary of Interior under Wilson, and head of the American Red Cross. — — Map (db m74929) HM
Here John Simpson, hunter and trapper, stopped in 1763. He moved on to Clarksburg in 1764. Harrison and Taylor Counties keep alive his memory in the names of Simpson Creek, the town of Simpson and Simpson District. — — Map (db m74915) HM
Born in 1832, in 1858 she organized Mothers' Day Work Clubs in Taylor County to improve sanitation and public health. After the Civil War began, Jarvis united women on both sides of the conflict to care for the sick and wounded. Postwar, she . . . — — Map (db m160691) HM
Anna Jarvis was born here, 5-1-1864. Through her efforts President Wilson designated in 1914 the second Sunday in May as Mother’s Day. She died 11-24-1948 and was buried in West Laurel Hill Cemetery, Bala-Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. — — Map (db m74918) HM