National Register Properties in St. Albans

and Washington’s Lands

Brief history on the beginnings of St. Albans

Washington Lands

George Washington originally owned the land where St. Albans is now located. It was granted to him for his military service during the French and Indian Wars. His great niece, Elizabeth Spotswood, inherited 2,000 acres, along with her husband Alexander Spotswood, after Washington’s death in 1799. Elizabeth’s father, Samuel T. Washington, also lived in Coalsmouth and is buried in the Bangor cemetery in town.

Several of George Washington’s nieces and nephews left their aristocratic life in eastern Virginia to settle on their inherited land in the KanawhaValley. Laurence Washington lived at Red House and his cousin Howell Lewis lived at Eleanor. He was a nephew who was president Washington’s recording secretary. Cpt. Samuel Washington lived at “present day” Dunbar. Laurence Washington writes about arriving by way of Ft. Pitt and then by flatboat to Pt. Pleasant and poling it to Red House where he had arranged for his house to be pre-built in 1811.

Half of Washington’s land was later purchased by Morris Hudson and the remainder of Washington’s 2000 acres was purchased by Phillip R. Thompson. These two families came from Virginia in 1817. Phillip Thompson owned much of Coalsmouth in the early 1800’s and he laid out a few lots and dirt streets.

Only a few dozen families lived here in this wilderness area in the 1830’s to 1850’s. Although known by most people as Coalsmouth, Mr. Thompson called his town Phillipi. John Cunningham bought land beside Thompson and also laid out streets and lots shortly before the Civil War and named it Jefferson. Both towns were combined in 1868 and incorporated as the Village of Kanawha City and finally St. Albans in 1872.

National Register Properties in St. Albans

Let’s look at some of the National Register properties in St. Albans. There are 10 individual and 2 Historic Districts on the National Register in St. Albans. The (date) in parentheses is when the property was placed on the Nation Register.

  1. St. Albans Archaeological Site (1974) Discovered in 1963, this site along the KanawhaRiver show that Native Americans lived here in 7,900 B.C. This is one of the oldest recorded sites in North America. It has been said to be the oldest continuously inhabited area in North America. Charcoal was found 45’ deep. Someone has lived here continuously for ten thousand years.
  1. St. Marks Episcopal Church - c. 1847 (1977). This gothic style church was built after fire destroyed the original church. It was occupied by Federal troops and their horses during the Civil War and was almost destroyed. The bell is from the original church which burnt in 1845 and was located across town where the BangorCemetery is, near Walnut St.. The Samuel Washington families were members in town when the church was founded, as well as the Morris Hudson and Phillip Thompson families, the first settlers in Coalsmouth.
  1. Chilton House - c.1857 (1977). This fine Gothic Revival style house is where Wm. E. Chilton was born, who later became a U. S. Senator in 1911. This house was to be torn down in the 1970’s to make way for a new Post Office. It was saved by the St. Albans Historical Society and moved to its present location along CoalRiver. It is still open today as a restaurant and caterer.
  1. Skinner House/The Beeches Club - c.1874 (1979). Constructed by railroad tycoon Collis P. Huntington for his nephew Henry Huntington while he supervised C&O’s

construction through here. Henry Huntington came here when only 24 years old to run his uncle’s saw mill and while here he served on city council and was active in community affairs. Henry later inherited the Southern Pacific Railroad in California from his uncle and became one of America’s first billionaires. This 2-story frame home is an excellent example of Italianate architecture. It has been the home to the St. Albans Woman’s Club since 1947 when donated to them by John Skinner, a prominent railroad and lumber businessman.Now a private residence (2014)

Note: Henry Huntington established the 1,100 mile streetcar system in Los Angeles and acquitted much real estate. Receiving a huge fortune willed him by Collis Huntington when he died in 1900, the already wealthy Henry Huntington turned his attention to establishing the legacy for which he is perhaps best remembered -- the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, Calif. Henry later married Collis’ widow, Arabella.

  1. Wm. Mohler House - c.1900 (1983). Also known as “Hill Grove”, this 3-story mansion

was built for the prominent lumberman and civic leader who also owned the Mohler Lumber Co. and built the first water works in town. This house is the only Queen Anne style house in town with its rounded turret and elaborate chimneys setting it off. During World War II, up to 95 women were housed here that worked in the Naval Ordinance Plant in South Charleston.

  1. Bank of St. Albans/St. Albans City Hall - c.1907 (1988). Located within the Historic District on Main St., this bank building it was also used as the City Hall. Built by prominent businessman C. A. Zerkle. It is a finely detailed columned 3 story masonry structure located on old Main Street and was built after the “great fire” in 1906 destroyed much of Main Street. Now a private residence.
  1. St. Albans Post Office/Chapman Technical - c.1937 (1994). This is a handsome Colonial-Revival brick building typical of Post offices built in the 1930’s. A belvedere sits atop the metal hip roof. This was the first post office built in St. Albans to specifically house that facility, previously being in a bank, a tavern and a lodge. Chapman Technical acquired it in the late 1980’s and has done much restoration.
  1. St. Albans C&O Depot - c.1907 (1997). This restored depot is fronted by St. Albans last remaining brick street. The numerous tall windows, high ceilings and extended overhangs on the roof make this one of the more architecturally detailed depots in the state. So many depots have been destroyed over the years. Currently used as a museum and for meetings and receptions. The Fall New River train stops here for passengers.
  1. CoalRiver Locks and Dams and Log Booms (Historic District) - c.1855 (1997). With the discovery of coal in BooneCounty in the 1850’s, a series of locks and dams were built on CoalRiver from Coalsmouth to Peytona. Cannel coal was shipped by steamboat to Cincinnati where the greasy coal was refined to make fuel oil for lamps (coal oil). Passengers also traveled the packet boats daily. The CoalRiver could be traveled nearly 30 miles up stream to Peytona. A record flood in 1861 nearly wiped out these stone and log locks. Today, only one complete dam remains at Tornado. It was rebuilt to operate a gristmill. The lockmaster’s house, built in 1855, remains in town near lock one, but the lock is now under water.
  1. St. Paul’s BaptistChurch - c.1921 (1998). This Gothic-Revival church with a bell tower has Czechoslovakian stained glass windows. The bronze exterior doors were sculptured by local artist Cubert Smith and have panels of religious symbolism to follow the theme of the windows. The 1st church for black residents was built in 1872 before this current one was built.
  1. Main Street Historic District (27 bldgs.) (2000). Located on MainStreetPlaza (formerly the old James River and Kanawha Turnpike). With 27 buildings, this area has been declared a Historic District in 2000. Very few buildings have changed on Main St. in the past one hundred years, with all of them being of masonry construction, which replaced the original frame structures burnt after the 1906 fire. Two separate fires occurred here in 1906. Both times, since the town had no fire department, they had to telegraph Charleston for help. By the time they loaded the fire wagon onto a train and traveled to St. Albans and unloaded it, it was too late. Some larger buildings include the Ivanhoe Lodge, Old Bank of St. Albans and 1st National Bank built in 1910). Everyone from St. Albans remembers going to the Alban Theater or the 5 & dime store.
  1. James Weimer /DolinHouse - c. 1917 (2004). This 3 story buff brick house on 8th Ave. has a gambrel style red tile roof with a full basement and was built by James Weimer, son of Weimer Lumber company owner George C. Weimer, later Lantz Lumber Co. The first floor has walnut woodwork , 12’ ceilings and large picture windows, which look out onto the large front porch with its massive limestone columns. The second floor has 10’ ceilings and the third has 8’. This house still uses the original hot water heat.

Historical Properties in St. Albans not listed on the National Register

There are several homes in St. Albans eligible for the National Register but not listed. Here are just a few. If these properties were not separated by distance, it would be much easier to include them in a Historic District.

Rosedale (c. 1818, Kanawha Terrace) Located on the old James River & Kanawha Turnpike, this (was) the oldest house in St. Albans. Morris Hudson purchased this land from George Washington’s niece, Elizabeth Spotswood, who had acquired it from her great uncle George Washington. Hudson’s son Samuel Hudson built this house in 1818 originally where the High School now stands and it was moved in 1954. The front porch step is from the fireplace of the original separate kitchen outbuilding. Burnt severely in 2013 and demolished 2015.

Note: Some family connections: Morris Hudson, St. Albans first settler, his grand daughter Wilhemina, married Samuel T. Washington, Jr., George Washington’s great nephew and they lived in Coalsmouth. Samuel’s daughter was Elizabeth Spotswood, who inherited this land from George Washington in 1799. Samuel inherited George Washington’s revolutionary War battle sword and Ben Franklin’s gold-headed cane and donated them to Congress, now in the Smithsonian.

Turner House (c. 1832, B - St). Located on B - St. which once lead to the KanawhaRiver wharf, this house was built by John Turner. This one and a half story Gothic Revival clapboard sided house is located on a former brick portion of B - St. and is St. Albans’s oldest house. Noted for it’s decorative bargeboards and bracketed columns. This house has 9 rooms and 3 baths with 7 outside doors.

Ravenswood (c. 1833, McQueen Blvd.). Georgian (Classic Revival) style house built by Phillip Thompson for his son and is the secondoldest house in town. Judge J. B. Drew, one of its owners, invented the story that Poe had written the “Raven” there. Also called Raven’s Court. A dairy was once run from the basement. Featured on Home and Garden TV in 2004. Owned by the D’Antoni family

Note: The Poe family did indeed know Judge Drew and may have visited there as it was an Inn along the James River and Kanawha Turnpike, but the Raven was not written there.

Morgan’s Kitchen (c. 1846, MacCorkle Ave.). This is a typical log structure used during its period and was originally located at Morgan’s Plantation near the present John Amos Power Plant. It was used to serve meals and treat wounded Union soldiers during the battle of Scary Creek nearby. The kitchen was moved to this site in 1972 and is maintained by the St. Albans Historical Society. Open for groups by appointment and Sundays in the summer. The St. Albans Historical Society was started in 1972 to care for this cabin, as they still do today.

SheltonCollege (c. 1874, College Dr.). Located on College Hill with a panoramic view of the valley, this brick structure was named for T. M. Shelton, who help to fund it. Originally called CoalsmouthHigh School, Senator Wm. E. Chilton attended there as well as two WVU presidents. In the 1940’s, after being abandoned for many years, Dr. Russell Hamrick removed the 3rd floor and created a beautiful residence, distinguished by its tall windows and 15’ ceilings. Owned by the Delaney family.

Zerkle House (c. 1905, Eighth Ave.). This house was built by C. A. (Doc) Zerkle who founded the Bank of St. Albans in the back of his drug store in 1900, hence “Doc”. He was also Mayor. This large 2 ½ story Victorian house has been restored and retains much of its original appearance. It originally had gaslights and pipes to the house from a nearby spring supplied the water. Owned by the Bournes.

Campbell House (c. 1921, Eighth Ave.) This large 2 ½ story red brick Colonial Revival house with a basement was designed by prominent local architect H. Rus Warne, who also designed CharlestonCity Hall, the Boone Co. Courthouse and the MasonicBuilding on Virginia St.. This house was built by the Flournoy family and later owned by Myron Campbell from 1923 to 1936. It has been carefully preserved with little change. The house also features Beaux Arts detailing on the multi-columned front porch and a carport, called “porte-cochere”, under the west wing with an entrance to the lower level. The interior features French doors and original woodwork and a front and rear staircase.

Hansford House (ca. 1839). Located across CoalRiver on Riverside Dr. & Rust St. near the RailroadBridge. This brick house is called the John Hansford House and, according to family tradition, this house was partially destroyed by fire sometime before the Civil War. The foundation and possibly some of the walls were salvaged and rebuilt almost as it was before. Mollie Hansford and her family moved here after floating down from UpperKanawhaValley on a flat-boat in 1839. In her memoirs, Mollie said,” It was (located) on a beautiful situation with a large lawn sloping down to the river”. It is said that a wounded soldier from the Battle of Scary Creek lay on the floor and his blood stained the floor for many years.

As you can see, St. Albans is rich in history. The St. Albans Historical Society has two homes tours each year (one during Founders Day in May and one at Christmas time which takes visitors inside the homes) and has printed several books and recently made a 40-minute video about the history of St. Albans for the local schools. A Historic Homes Walking Tour Guide is also available from the group and a web page is located at

Our Sidewalk Historic Homes Tours is held on the 2nd Saturday of May at noon, starting on Main St., and is free, and the Christmas Historic Homes Tour, which showcases the inside of several historic homes, is always the 1st. Saturday of December from 6-9 p.m.

National Register Properties:

  1. St. Albans Archaeological Site
  2. St. Marks Episcopal Church
  3. Bank of St. Albans/St. Albans City Hall
  4. Chilton House
  5. Skinner House / The Beeches
  6. Wm. Mohler House
  7. St. Albans Post Office/Chapman Technical
  8. St. Albans C&O Depot
  9. CoalRiver Locks and Dams and Log Booms (Historic District)
  10. St. Paul’s BaptistChurch
  11. Main Street Historic District (27 bldgs.)
  12. James Weimer /DolinHouse

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