Collections

Start Over Places Elkins (W. Va.) Level Collection

Brown and Parsons Families Papers, 1846/1960 0.4 Linear Feet Summary: 5 in. (2 documents cases, 2 1/2 in. each)

Papers of the Brown, Parsons, and other West Virginia families and residents. Includes correspondence sent to J. Slidell Brown, a Democratic state senator from Elkins (1916-1935); announcements and programs for reunions of the Brown family of Preston County (1913-1930); a deed and copies of maps of land in Springfield Township, Pennsylvania (1846-1893, undated); financial documents, mainly tax receipts, of the Lilley family of Mercer County (1873-1910); correspondence sent to members of the Reckart family of Preston County (1910-1928); financial documents of W. G. Cambric of Harrison County (1895-1921); wedding announcements and other event invitations (ca. 1890-1920); holiday cards (ca. 1900); and other material.
  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

Charles Carpenter, Collector, Papers, 1892/1938 2.1 Linear Feet Summary: 2 ft. 1 in. (5 document cases, 5 in. each)

Carpenter, Charles, 1889-1975

Manuscript and printed materials relating to the development of railroads in West Virginia, including contracts, letters, wage agreements, monthly situation reports, construction profiles, maps, and speeches. Most of these pertain to the business of the Coal and Coke Railroad Co., Elkins W.Va. Railroad companies represented include Baltimore and Ohio; Charleston, Clendenin and Sutton; Coal and Coke; Greenbrier, Cheat and Elk; Hampshire Southern; Nicholas, Fayette, and Greenbrier; Roaring Creek and Belington; Western Maryland; West Virginia Midland; and West Virginia and Pittsburgh.

  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

Cirkut Photograph of Annual Pilgrimage, Odd Fellows Home, Elkins, West Virginia, 1932 0.01 Linear Feet Summary: 1 item (1 photograph in 1 flat storage box)

One large cirkut photograph of "Annual Pilgrimage, Odd Fellows Home, Elkins, West Virginia, September 4, 1932. This photo includes a large crowd of people posing in front of a large multi-story building with a wrap-around porch. In the front of the crowd are members of a band holding their instruments, including a bass drum with an inscription on the head reading "Odd Fellows Home Band, Elkins, W.Va." There are trees and automobiles in the background.
  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

Howard Sutherland, U.S. Senator for West Virginia, Correspondence, 1914/2022 4.79 Linear Feet 10 document cases, 5 in. each; 3 document cases, 2.5 in. each

Sutherland, Howard, 1865-1950

Includes letters, postcards, and other correspondence retained from Sutherland's daily activities as U.S. Senator. This includes constituent mail and correspondence with other politicians. Much of the correspondence deals with appointments and patronage. Other subjects mentioned are federal and West Virginia legislation, state Republican Party affairs, the West Virginia coal miners' march on Logan County, prohibition, disarmament, bonus claims, immigration, West Virginia primary election law, the Armenian Genocide, the prosecution of World War I deserters from West Virginia, the potential sale of Monticello to the federal government, and more. The letters are organized alphabetically by the name of correspondents.

A 1980 addendum to the collection includes correspondence from individuals and organizations regarding women's suffrage. There is a mix of pro- and anti-suffrage sentiment. Primary topics of discussion include the Bristow-Mondell House Resolution, considered in Jan. 1915, and the Susan B. Anthony Amendment, voted upon 5 June 1919. This material is located in box 10.

A more thorough inventory of the collection is available upon request.

  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

Melvina Beauty Shoppe Business Ledger, 1926 0.1 Linear Feet Summary: 1 1/4 in. (1 folder)

Business Ledger for the Melvina Beauty Shoppe of Elkins, West Virginia for the year 1926 (368 pages; 8 3/4 in. x 6 in. x 1 1/4 in.). The business was operated by Harold E. and Melvina Mouse. The ledger includes records of customers, services rendered, and prices. Many customers requested the "Marcel", or Marcel Wave, a popular style of the era. Weather conditions and unusual events were also occasionally recorded in the ledger.
  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

Richard Duez, Collector, Photographs of Northern West Virginia, 1900/1940 0.02 Linear Feet 0.25 in. (1 folder) 30.35 Gigabytes 1017 .jpg, .png, and .tif files

Digital files of photographs collected by Richard Duez of images of subjects located mostly in northern West Virginia, although there are some items featuring subjects located in Charleston and other places in the state. Locations include Clarksburg, Elkins, Fairmont, Mannington, Parkersburg, St. Marys, etc. Subjects include city views, street scenes, buildings, businesses, and transportation, among others.
  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

Stephen B. Elkins Papers, 1841/1955 9.52 Linear Feet 9 ft. 6 1/4 in. (15 document cases, 5 in.); (8 large flat box cases, 3.5 in.); (2 small flat storage boxes, 3.5 in); (1 large flat storage box, 1.5 in); (1 oversize folder, 1/4 in,); (1 reel of microfilm and 1 partial reel of microfilm shared with A&M 0591, 1.75 in. each) This collection shares a microfilm reel with another collection, A&M 0591. The extent of that reel is record in this collection, not A&M 0591.

Elkins, Stephen B. (Stephen Benton), 1841-1911
Stephen Benton Elkins (b. 1841) represented West Virginia in the United States Senate as a Republican from 1895-1911. Prior to his Senate service, Elkins served in the Union Army during the Civil War as a captain in the Kansas Militia. He practiced law in the Territory of New Mexico in 1864 and served as a member of the Territorial House of Representatives, 1864-1865. He was the district attorney for the Territory from 1866-1867, and the United States district attorney for the Territory from 1867-1870. Around 1890, he founded and moved to the city of Elkins, WV. President Benjamin Harrison appointed him Secretary of War, 1891-1893. He died during his third Senate term in 1911 in Washington, DC. The Stephen B. Elkins collection includes speeches, maps, reports, photographs and other materials related to his political, business, and family affairs.
  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

Stephen Benton Elkins, Letter Copy Book, 1875/1878 0.1 Linear Feet Summary: 1 in. (1 folder)

Elkins, Stephen B. (Stephen Benton), 1841-1911
Letter copy book kept by Stephen Benton Elkins, a politician and businessman who would later become a prominent citizen of West Virginia. The book was kept from 23 October 1875 to 1 May 1878. It contains roughly 150 letters as well as a partial index of recipients. During the time this book was kept, Elkins resided in Santa Fe, New Mexico, practiced law, represented the territory in Congress, and acted as president of the Maxwell Land Grant Company. Letters concern political and business topics, including Elkins's involvement with the Santa Fe Ring, an illegal land speculation group. Please see "Scope and Content Note" and "Historical Note" for further information.
  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

Sutton Critchfield Papers regarding the Mountain State Forest Festival, the Upper Monongahela Valley Association, and Other Material, 1933/1941 0.33 Linear Feet 4 in. (1 document case, 2.5 in.; 1 flat storage box, 1.5 in.)

Papers regarding the Mountain State Forest Festival (Elkins) and the Upper Monongahela Valley Association. Includes clippings, news releases, letters, publications, and newspapers pertaining to the Forest Festival, and the involvement of the Upper Monongahela Valley Association in the Festival, during the years 1933 to 1941. Topics discussed include the coal and glass industry, rural electrification, and the representation of West Virginia industry at the Festival.

  1. West Virginia and Regional History Center

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