Entries on This Tour
- 1. McKinley Middle SchoolThe building was built in 1932 as a school for African-American students. The school has had many different names over the years. First known as Stop 16 and then Carter Woodson Jr. High School. When the schools became integrated to host all races the name became McKinley Junior High (now McKinley Middle School) in honor of President William McKinley. 2. Ordnance ParkOrdnance Park was built in 1941 to provide housing for a growing population of wartime workers in West Virginia's Kanawha Valley. As part of the Navy's new low-cost defense housing program, the Navy's Bureau of Yards and Docks was responsible for overseeing its construction. The development could house up to 450 families after completion, with priority initially being given to workers and their families employed at the Naval Ordnance Plant 7.5 miles away in South Charleston. Police and firefighting services were supplied by the Ordnance Plant's Marine garrison until after the war, when rentals were discontinued and the houses were sold to returning veterans. Many of the original duplexes remain, and many more have simply undergone structural modifications, leaving Ordnance Park as a unique window into defense housing projects of the era.3. St. Albans Archaeological SiteSt. Albans Archaeological Site was discovered in 1963 when Samuel D. Kessell found artifacts on the Kanawha River bank. This site along the Kanawha River shows 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.4. Chuck Yeager Memorial RocketOctober 14, 1947: pilot Chuck Yeager becomes the first pilot to break the sound barrier at a speed of 700 mph (Mach 1.06). The innovative Bell XS-1 with its rocket-powered engines propelled the West Virginia born pilot to a height of 43,000 feet where he became the first man to fly faster than the speed of sound. Years later, in December of 1953, Yeager topped the new record by flying at 1650 mph, twice the speed of sound. This monument stands to honor his achievement on that day in 1947.5. St. Albans Roadside ParkThe Saint Albans Roadside Park was constructed in 1948 and offers a great combination of recreation and history in one convenient location for the citizens of the community. The lower boat dock and parking area was once the city base/soft ball field for city leagues.With several historical markers located in the park, visitors can be connected with the history of Saint Albans while they enjoy their time outdoors. A marker telling of George Washington’s connection to the city, a marker dedicated to the old Saint Albans – Nitro Bridge (1934-2013), a monument honoring Chuck Yeager, and a new Rosie the Riveter Memorial Park are all located within Roadside Park.7. St. Albans Main Street Historic DistrictSt. Albans Main Street Historic District is a small part of the town of St. Albans, West Virginia with shops and restaurants. It was added to the National Register in 2000, and it contains 22 structures dating back to 1906, when two fires destroyed some of downtown St. Albans. 8. College Hill/Thompson CemeteryOne of the oldest cemeteries in St. Albans. The site of St. Albans founder, Philip Rootes Thompson's grave. 9. Huntington-Skinner House (also known as "The Beeches")Construction of this historic mansion began in 1873. The following year, it became the home of Henry Edwards Huntington, the nephew of railroad magnate Collis P. Huntington. The Huntington family named their estate "The Beeches" and it later became known as the Huntington-Skinner House. The property changed hands several times in the 20th century and served as the home of the Woman's Club of St. Albans for many years. 10. St. Albans Junior High and High SchoolThis school building was finished for the 1924-25 term of students from 8-12th grade with Mr. John E. Hughes as first principal. The building contained fourteen large well ventilated and well lighted rooms. Equipped with a modern hot air heating plant and clock system, the school was also equipped with a commercial department and chemistry laboratory. A gym was added in 1927. When a new high school was opened in 1954, this became the junior high. It closed in June, 1990, as a junior high and is used today as a restaurant warehouse. The school closed in 1990.11. St. Francis of Assisi Catholic SchoolSt. Francis of Assisi Elementary School was built in 1927, with additions in 1941, 1953, 1963, and a new gymnasium in early 2000.12. Hansford Elementary SchoolHansford Elementary School in St. Albans, WV was built in 1919. After opening in 1920, the elementary school became part of massive, violent protests that swept through the county and made national headlines in order to censor books that today are common reads. In an era of conservatism where sex education was frowned upon and racist ideals were widely accepted, authors such as Malcom X, George Orwell, and Sigmund Freud caused disruptions within the Kanawha County education system that lasted for years, garnering involvement from groups such as the KKK and causing shootings and bombings. The chaos ultimately led to the school board submitting to the will of angry parents in a time when women’s and anti-racism movements had not yet affected the entire country. The Kanawha County Board of Education succumbed to the damage of protests and loss of attendance, and consolidated schools in 1977, around the end of the protests, at which time Hansford Elementary was closed. Only a portion of the original school stands today. It is currently the Hansford Center, a senior citizen center owned and operated by the city of St. Albans.13. Ravenswood HouseRavenswood (ca. 1833), McQueen Blvd.. Georgian (Classic Revival) style house built by Phillip Thompson for his son and is the third oldest house in St. Albans, WV. 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 basem*nt. Featured on Home and Garden TV in 2004.14. Birkett Davenport Fry Highway Historical MarkerA veritable jack-of-all-trades with an insatiable thirst for adventure, Birkett Davenport Fry (1822-1891) practiced law, fought in the Mexican War, participated in a filibuster expedition, manufactured cotton textiles, and served as a colonel and brigadier general for the Confederacy during the American Civil War. Most notably, he was wounded several times during the conflict and partook in Pickett’s Charge at the Battle of Gettysburg. 15. Bangor CemeteryLocated along Kanawha Terrace at the bottom of South Walnut Hill, this cemetery predates the city of St. Albans. It originally served as the burial grounds for the congregation of Bangor Episcopal Church, the first church constructed on the eastern side of the Coal River. The land upon which the cemetery is situated was part of a 1,311 acre parcel of land willed to descendants of George Washington.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
Historical Tour of Saint Albans, West Virginia
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Description
This tour takes residents and visitors to Saint Albans to many different historical landmarks including the Ravenswood House, the Chesapeake and Ohio Depot, and the Chuck Yeager Memorial Rocket. The tour also includes several historical markers, cemeteries, and historic homes and buildings.
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