The Craik-Patton House

10/22/2026

Take a closer look . . . 👀

This is a late Quing Dynasty celadon dish in the highly popular export pattern "Flower Sprigs and Insects," or "Celadon Rose Canton"

During the 1840s, Chinese artisans painted these beautiful elements not just for decoration, but to convey wishes of good fortune, longevity, and joy.

🐦‍🔥 Birds: Most commonly featured are pairs of pheasants, phoenixes, or small songbirds perched on flowering branches. They symbolize high social status, grace, and happy partnerships.

🦋 Butterflies: A dominant motif representing joy, summer, and conjugal bliss. Because the word for butterfly sounds like the for for "70 years of age." they also symbolize a long life.

🦗 Insects and Beetles: Look closely at the foliage, and you will often find finely detailed, crickets, grasshoppers, cicadas, or small beetles. Crickets symbolize good luck and a large family while beetles represent good fortune and prosperity. They are even used to ward off negative energy.

🏵️ Flowers: The wildlife is almost always interspersed with traditional flora, such as peonies - wealth and honor, chrysanthemums - autumn and longevity, and pomegranates or melons - fertility.

10/18/2026

The annual Friends of Craik-Patton House picnic is one way we say thanks to our Friends members by sharing great food, exciting music, and grateful connections. This year's picnic was held on October 3rd.

Many thanks to all of our Friends for joining together to support the Craik-Patton mission.

Special Thanks to:
Connie Sheets for all the delicious homemade treats!
Peddlers Glory for fantastic music
West Virginia Humanities Council History Alive! program and the incredibly talented Karen Vuranch for a very special portrayal of Pearl S. Buck

10/14/2026

Meet Jazzmin Jackson, the newest addition to the Craik-Patton team! Joining us as a Social Media Intern, Jazzmin is a 20-year-old Houston, Texas native who brings a vibrant energy and a passion for storytelling to our beloved house. She is currently a student at the University of Charleston studying Communications, with bright aspirations of becoming a news anchor and reporter in the future.

Jazzmin is no stranger to dedication and teamwork. She has been playing lacrosse for 13 years and originally attended UC on an athletic scholarship before successfully transitioning to an academic scholarship this year! When she isn't busy crafting engaging content or learning new things for the museum, Jazzmin loves to read, hike, paint, and work out. Back home in Texas, she is supported by her three brothers—including a twin!—and her two adored German Shepherds. We are thrilled to have her on board, so please join us in giving Jazzmin a warm welcome!

10/05/2026

It's made of what?!

This wreath is a visitor favorite.
What do you think - would you display one in your house?.

09/29/2026

Behind every page is a process, here is ours...


Conservation, preservation, and restoration are all distinct and important processes in any museum. At Craik-Patton, our museum collections staff and volunteers assess each item before deciding how best to protect it for future generations.

Here, we are using a combination of preservation and conservation in repairing these 19th century books.
1) A few books selected for minor repair.
2) In order to replace the missing spine, I needed to remove the covers and prepare them to be reattached with new book cloth.
3) Applying a wheat past glue to the spine.
5) Applying a piece of archival Bristol board over a stiff net-like fabric on the spine to allow both flexibility and stability.
7) In the process of reattaching the covers and wrapping the new book cloth around the spine.
8) The covers are reattached to a new spine cover.
9) We press the book overnight.
10) The remaining parts of the original spine are glued to the new cloth backing.

08/11/2026

Colonial Dames are responsible for saving the Craik-Patton House and played a major part in the preservation of the historic Ruffner Cabin

08/11/2026

The Craik-Patton House is excited to announce their donation of the historic Ruffner Log House to Friends of Malden Village! Here you see the crew of Antique Cabins and Barns (Mark Bowe / Barnwood Builders) gently removing each log for the move to Malden.

06/25/2026

Tune in to WCHS Eyewitness News channel 8 tonight at 5:00 or Channel 11 at 10:00 for a very special Road Trippin' to Craik-Patton House with Terry Burhans!

06/10/2026

This is Scotchtown, the home of Patrick Henry from 1771 - 1778. Here is where he envisioned his most influential and revolutionary ideas including the celebrated "Liberty or Death" speech. You can see a creative interpretation of Patrick Henry, portrayed by the American Historical Theatre's Robert Gleason at our America 250 Celebration on June 27th. Link in bio.

06/09/2026