C r a i k - pa t t o n h o u s e n e w s
A Newsletter of Craik-Patton, Inc.
Winter 2016
Letter from The President
Winter is here
(sort of! or at
least from time
to time!) and
the CraikPatton House
is doing very
well. The
house had a
face lift this
fall. The
exterior of the house and carriage
house were painted. The color is
the same but the house has a fresh
clean appearance. We all need an
update from time to time. When
you come by you will be pleased
with the fresh appearance.
This fall the Craik-Patton family
faced some personal challenges but,
fortunately, all has been resolved in
a very happy and positive way. Our
Executive Director, Paul, and his
wife, Abigail, became the proud
parents of identical twin boys,
Arthur and Francis. They faced
some serious challenges during the
time of pregnancy but with the help
of excellent medical staff and good
fortune, both boys are healthy and
thriving. However, Paul had to
spend the majority of his time away
from the office.
My son, Michael, a graduate of the
University of Virginia was able to
fill in for Paul until the end of the
year. Michael did a wonderful job
by Jessica Graney
hosting tour groups and giving
individual tours and generally
keeping the lights on for us. Now
that Paul is back full time, Michael
has accepted a position teaching
English in Xian, China in a
university. He departs in February
and I know we will miss him at Craik
-Patton.
This time of year there are many
requests for financial support from
many worthy organizations and Craik
-Patton is no exception. In
December, a letter was mailed to
some members of the community
asking for support for the CraikPatton Foundation. The response
was wonderful and the Craik-Patton
House will benefit directly from the
generosity of Foundation donors over
the life of the house. Thank you for
your support.
In the coming weeks, the Friends of
Craik Patton will send out a letter
asking you to join or continue your
membership as a Friend for 2016.
The Friends is our only community
wide appeal each year. We depend
on the support of the Friends to keep
our doors open and continue to offer
programing such as our historical
speaker series, celebration of
important West Virginia holidays and
offering tours to school groups,
interested tourists, and people who
enjoy learning about history and the
life during the early 1800s.
1
In this issue:
Letter from the
President
1
2016 Events at Craik 2
- Patton.
2016 Events at Craik 3
- Patton.
Rent our Facility
3
What is it?
4
New Additions
4
Construction
4
Ruffner Log House
5
2015 Open House
6
Volunteers
6
The Read Family
7
Knock on the door to 7
history!
2016 Events at Craik-Patton
January 29, 2016 — WV History Day
The Craik—Patton House will participate in WV History Day at the WV State Capitol. Come and visit our table!
February 2016 -- “Hail to the Chief” Presidential visits to the Mountain State.
The Craik Patton House will present an exhibit on Presidents who visited WV. It’s sure to be a memorable exhibit.
All February 2016. Craik - Patton Conference Room
April 23, 2016-- 400th Anniversary of Shakespeare’s death
Join Mr. Bob Harrison for an in-depth look at William Shakespeare. On display will be an original
portfolio of Shakespeare’s works.
Free Event! Time TBD Craik - Patton Conference Room.
May 7, 2016 -- Kentucky Derby Party
Enjoy the race from the Craik - Patton House! Mint Juleps and raffle tickets for your favorite horses!
Games on the lawn!
Proceeds to Benefit the Craik - Patton House. Time TBD. Craik - Patton Conference Room.
May 21, 2016 -- Mary Todd Lincoln Tea
Listen to Mary Todd Lincoln from the WV Humanities Council as she recounts the life of her late
husband. Tea and light refreshments provided.
Free Events! Time 2pm Craik - Patton Conference Room.
June 14, 2016 — Flag Day at Craik Patton.
Celebrate flag day with the Museum and the NSCDA– WV. Tours and the Parade of Flags program to be held.
Light refreshments.
Free Event! Tours at 1pm. Parades of Flags Program begin at 2:00 pm. Craik-Patton House
June 20, 2016 — Happy Birthday West Virginia!
Come and celebrate the 152nd Birthday of WV! The museum will be open for tours and a Birthday cake will be
shared in the conference room.
Free Event! 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm Craik –Patton House.
July 4, 2016 — Independence Day— Museum Closed.
July 9, 2016 — Native American Encampment
Learn about Native American life in the late 18th century.
Free Event! Time TBD. Craik-Patton House Grounds Conference Room.
August, 2016 — Friends Appreciation Picnic at the Craik Patton House
The Craik-Patton House will again be honoring our supporters with an appreciation picnic. Hear the newest
member of the West Virginia History Alive Program Benjamin Franklin! Invitations to follow.
Time TBD. Craik-Patton House Grounds.
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September 5, 2016 — Labor Day — Museum Closed.
September 2016 — Annual Cocktail Reception.
Join us for our Annual Craik-Patton Cocktail Reception. Invitations to follow.
Time and location TBD.
October, 2016 — Mourning in the 19th century
The Craik - Patton House will be draped in mourning all of October. Visit the museum and learn about the culture of death in the 19th century.
All of October. Craik Patton Museum.
November 2016 — Docent Training.
Anyone interested in being a guide at the Museum is encouraged to attend this hour long training session.
Date TBD. Craik– Patton Conference Room.
November 24 and 25, 2016 — Thanksgiving — Museum Closed.
December 3 and 4, 2016 — Holiday Open House at Craik Patton.
Join us for hot cider and Christmas cheer! Visit the Museum to see period decorations and a little bit of history
too! Light refreshments provided.
Free Event! Saturday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and Sunday 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Craik-Patton
House.
December 23 and 26, 2016 —Christmas— Museum Closed.
January 1, 2017 —New Year’s Day— Museum Closed.
Rent our Facility!
The Craik-Patton House offers a beautiful conference room, gardens and grounds perfect for weddings, parties, showers and business meetings. Rental fees include the use of tables and upholstered
chairs within the conference room. Non-profit rates are available. Call us today to schedule an appointment to view our space!

Ability for Conference Calling.

Warming kitchen.

Projectors and screen.

Wifi available.

Tours of the museum upon request.
 Much more!
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From the President… Continued from page 1
From the collection - What is it?
Left - This item
hangs in the recreated winter kitchen
under the house.
What is it?
I hope you will again consider being our Friend.
When you come to the House, undoubtedly you
will notice the construction going on all around
us. We are open! Our neighbors, the Buckskin
Council Headquarters, is under renovation and
the State of West Virginian is updating utility
lines and adding a bike path. For a few months
we will be in a construction zone but we will
benefit from the improvements. Don’t let the
chaos deter you! WE ARE OPEN!
Right - This item
would have been
very useful at the
table. It also can be
found in our winter
kitchen. What is it?
Please come by and see us. There are many
activities planned for 2016 and every time we
see our Friends it lets us know we are doing
what you want us to do. And don’t forget to
bring your friends with you!
Brian with one of the 1830’s rugs.
Jessica Graney
Answers on Page 7.
Paul’s New Additions
As Jessica mentioned in her letter, last fall my family and I faced
some serious challenges as we were expecting twin boys. I was regrettably away from the office from the first of September through
the end of October. Our sons Francis Robert and Arthur Michael
were born October 2, 2015 at 29 weeks and went straight into the
NICU first at Magee Women's Hospital in Pittsburgh and eventually CAMC Women and Children’s. The wonderful staff at CAMC in
Charleston took such great care of our sons. Arthur was released
after 40 days in the NICU and Francis after 55 days. Thank you for
all your support and prayers for my family during this difficult
time. All five of us are home and doing well!
L to R - Francis, Big Brother Paulie, and Arthur
Construction
The Craik - Patton House is in the midst of construction all around us.
Imagine the change that our house experienced throughout its 182 year
history! Today is no exception and anyone visiting the museum recently can tell you that there is a lot of action in our neighborhood. The
Midland trail or Kanawha Blvd E. is adding a bike trail that will link
up with the current trail under the 35th street bridge and the BSA office
next door is getting a face lift. If you would like to visit the museum,
please call ahead to make sure the house is open! 304-925-5341
4
The mystique of the Ruffner Log House
By Paul Zuros
Very often, those who visit the Craik– Patton, are struck with two things; first
they are impressed with the beauty of the Craik Patton House and secondly, they want to
know what the deal is with the log house? The Ruffner Log House is not typically on the
museum tour but if visitors show a lot of interest, we will kindly allow them a behind the
scenes view. The Craik - Patton House property includes one of the oldest surviving structures in the Kanawha Valley. The Ruffner log house was moved to our site in 1976. It was
built by the Ruffner family between 1797 and 1800 on the 1500 block of Kanawha Blvd, at
that time part of the Historic Midland Trail. The Ruffner family came to the Kanawha Valley from the Shenandoah Valley about 1795. Joseph Ruffner purchased around a thousand
The Ruffner Log House
acres of land and virgin timber on that land was plentiful. He built our log house to serve
as a sawmill and office for his business, but by the 1820’s larger more profitable sawmills had been built, and the need for a
hand powered sawmill was not needed. At this point, Joel Ruffner the grandson of Joseph was living in the log house and
upon his marriage in the late 1820’s and early 30’s, the old log house was renovated. First,
more rooms were added to the dwelling outside of the log structure. Secondly, the logs were
covered with clapboard siding. Third, and most interestingly, a 25,000 gallon stone lined
cistern was dug adjacent to the house. This would have been filled with fresh rain water
from the roof of the building providing a clean water source for the family instead of the
dirty Kanawha River that was being polluted from early industry. The Ruffner’s called the
newly refurbished home “Rosedale.” The family raised 12 children in the house. An inter“Rosedale”
esting Ruffner family tradition recounts that the Ruffner’s would plant a holly tree upon the
birth of each child. Thus on old Ruffner property in the valley, one will see many ancient holly trees still surviving.
“Rosedale” stood quietly as the town grew up around it. By the 1860’s Charleston, like many other towns in what
is today West Virginia, was thrust into the sectional conflict. In the summer and fall of 1862, Charleston was in Union control with the Confederates in pursuit. The valley was exceptionally important to both Union and Confederate Armies as salt (so prevalent in the area) was needed for preservation of food. During the Union occupation, “Rosedale” became the headquarters of then Colonel, later General, Joseph Lightburn
of the 4th (West) Virginia Infantry. Substantial earth works were built around the building. On September 13, 1862 Charleston was evacuated by the Union Army in the face of advancing Confederate
troops. “Rosedale” suffered heavy action and actually was stuck with several cannon balls. The building did survive the Civil War during both Union and Confederate occupation and passed from generation to generation until the late 1960’s when the last Ruffner descendant passed away and “Rosedale”
passed out of family hands.
In the early 1970’s, the house and land had been purchased for development and the new
Col. Joseph Lightburn
owner hoped that the old building could be saved off site as it had been discovered that the original
log structure was still in existence. Around this same time, the Kanawha Valley Historical and Preservation Society appealed for funds from the City of Charleston and money was allocated from the
mayors discretionary fund to remove the logs and store them until such time as funds
and a location could be secured for the reconstruction. In 1975 several Women’s
clubs in Charleston: The Altrusa Club, Pilot Club, Quota Club, Soroptomist Club,
Zonta Club, and Quota Club of South Charleston formed a Bicentennial Association
aimed at preserving local history in the Valley. These groups worked closely with the
Kanawha Valley Historical and Preservation Society to secure funding for the restoration of the Ruffner Log House. Some of the original logs had been destroyed in the
demolition of “Rosedale” and other logs were donated from Mr. and Mrs. Carlos
Thomas from another historic log structure owned by
Ruffner log House restoration.
John Hoffman on Dutch Ridge. At the same time the CraikPatton House, moved in 1973 to Daniel Boone Park, was being restored by the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of West Virginia. The land was then
owned by the City and it was thought that the Craik– Patton complex would greatly benefit
from another greatly historic building on the site. On October 31, 1976 the Women clubs
dedicated the Ruffner Log House to the National Society of the Colonial Dames in America in
the State of West Virginia presenting it to then NSCDA-WV president Mrs. Joe Witcher
Dingess. In the early 2000’s the city of Charleston turned over the Craik - Patton House, the Inteior of the Ruffner Log House.
Ruffner Log House, and the property to Craik - Patton Inc. The mission of the Craik - Patton House is to preserve and to
promote the history and culture of the Kanawha Valley and the State of West Virginia and with the Ruffner Log House, we
are excited to do just that. Hopefully we can help preserve the building for another 219 years!
5
2015 Holiday Open House
L to R. Otis Laury, Marie
Nesius and Sara Gaskins
put the finishing touches on
the garden urn.
The front door of the Museum
decorated by Mr. Otis Laury.
Train display provided by
the Kanawha Valley United
Model Railroaders Association.
Detail of the decorations on the
exterior of the Ruffner Log
House.
The Craik-Patton House is seeking Volunteers!
Docent: The Craik - Patton House is full of history and part of our commitment to the public is the
quality tours and events we offer. The docent will give descriptions of each room in the museum in
the context of the history of the house and in the context of American history. Not sure if you can
remember all the detail? No Problem! We offer “Cheat Sheets” in each room to help out.
Collection‘s Committee: The museum seeks to fill the museum with period appropriate decorative
arts. The Collections committee decides on the content of the museum and how we can fill our important mission. Interested in antiques? This is the committee for you!
Gardens and Grounds: The grounds of the museum are very picturesque. We host many events in
our gardens and our committee takes great pride in it’s natural beauty. The Gardens and Grounds
committee is devoted to making sure the garden is in tip top shape! If you have a green thumb, this
committee is for you!
For these and all of the volunteer opportunities available at the museum, please contact Paul at 304925-5341 or by email [email protected].
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The Read Family (Part one)
By Hayes Strader
The Craik family built “Elm Grove” in 1834 in Charleston, Virginia and resided here until 1844. The Patton family purchased “Elm Grove” in 1856 and sold it in 1865. Between 1846 and 1856 the house did not sit vacant. The second
occupants of the house came from a prominent and historically significant family from Charlotte County, Virginia. The
Read family is somewhat obscure and almost forgotten when we discuss the house. Often it was the Read women that
maintained the family estates and plantations after the men died expectantly. The Read males were loyal to the United
States and Virginia and fought in the American Revolution, War of 1812, and the Civil War. There are no local or military
monuments dedicated to any of their family members, yet they were an important part of early United States history. This is
a brief introduction to members of that family and how they had “ties” to both the Craik and Patton families either through
marriage or military service.
Colonel Isaac Read was born in 1739 in colonial Virginia. He was a man of many talents and skills. He was educated at William and Mary College and obtained a law degree, worked as a surveyor for the crown, served in the House of
Burgesses, was a successful tobacco planter, and bred horses. Colonel Read married Sarah Embra in 1771 and had three
children: Clement, Priscilla, and Isaac II. His home plantation, “Greenfield”, was constructed in 1771 and is currently the
oldest surviving two-story frame dwelling in Charlotte County, Virginia. Colonel Read was a member of the Virginia Convention of 1774. Member of the delegation proposed Independence from England. He and his brother served on the committee to frame a declaration of rights and government plan for Virginia. He was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel of the 4th
Virginia Regiment and served at Valley Forge. He later died in Pennsylvania in 1777 after being wounded. He was buried
with military honors in Christ’s Churchyard.
Isaac Read II was born in Charlotte County, Virginia in 1777 and was the youngest of the three children. He studied law, but never practiced nor did he serve in public office like his father. He concentrated his time to the family plantation at Greenfield where he raised a large family that included nine children. When the War of 1812 broke out he enlisted in
the 4th Virginia regiment, the same as his father, as a 1st Lieutenant. He fought in battles around Washington, D.C and was
wounded in battle just like his father. The war took its toll on his health with a variety of digestive disorders and he died in
1823.
Isaac Read III was also born on the family plantation Greenfield in Charlotte County, Virginia on September 24,
1807. Isaac Read III’s father Isaac Read II died when Isaac Read III was sixteen years old. He graduated from HampdenSydney College in 1825 and graduated Harvard in 1828 with a law degree and moved to Prince Edward County where he
served as prosecuting attorney. On June 7, 1832 he married Susan Mary Nash in Hillsboro, North Carolina. In 1834 he ran
as a Whig candidate for United States Senator but was defeated. After this he and his wife settled in Kanawha County, Virginia “in a beautiful house with the finest library west of the mountains.”
Susan Nash was also educated and came from a wealthy Virginia family. Susan’s father was Frederick Nash, Chief
Justice of North Carolina’s Supreme Court. Isaac was described as a well-built handsome man and Mary was a blonde
haired and blue eyed beauty. Isaac and Mary had eight children; seven sons and one daughter who died from scarlet fever at
the age of six. One son, Clement Carrington Read II, was born in Kanawha County on January 10, 1837. All seven sons
served either in the Confederate Army or Navy during the Civil War. (Stay tuned for part 2 in our next edition!)
Knock on the door to History!
By Paul Zuros
Staff at the Museum made a very interesting discovery
recently in storage in the Ruffner Log House. In a pile of
scrap timber, we found what appears to be the original
1834 door to the Craik - Patton House (left). When the
house arrived here in pieces in 1973, this door was still on
its hinges. At some point during the restoration, this door
was copied and reproduced as one can see at right. We
are so thankful the original door was saved as we can
study paint, construction techniques, door hardware and
so much more! We are truly knocking on the door to history!
Answers to page 4 – 1830’s chandelier & Butter Mold.
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How to support and stay connected with Craik—Patton House
page, you will see Craik—Patton House
as your organization. Do you use your
phone number at the register? Call 800-576-4377, select option 4
to get your Kroger Plus card number.
Hours of Operation
We have new hours of Operation at the
Craik-Patton House.
Open Monday thru Friday
10 A. M. to 12 P.M. And 1 P.M. to 4 P.M.
Craik-Patton is now registered on
Amazon Smile! Amazon will donate
0.5% of the total price of qualified
purchases on their website to our
organization! All you need to do is
register at Amazon.com with an
account, go to “smile.amazon.com”
Log on and pick your charity as CraikPatton, Inc. It’s that easy! Sign up
today.
Weekends by Appointment.
Call 304.925.5341 for more information.
Like us on Facebook!
Tel: 304-925-5341
Website: www.craik-patton.org
E-mail: [email protected]
Paul Zuros, Executive Director
PO Box 175
Charleston, West Virginia 25321
Craik-Patt on, Inc .
Craik –Patton
is now a recipient of the
Kroger Community Reward’s program.
The program
will be linked to your personal Kroger Plus Card. To sign up to give
to Craik-Patton, visit
krogercommunityrewards.com; sign in
or register your card and complete the
steps to activate your account. After
logging in, choose Edit Kroger Community Rewards information and input
your Kroger Plus card number. Enter
NPO number 83964 or name of organization, select organization from list and
click on confirm. On your information
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