Historic Morgantown

Historic Morgantown Preserving the stories hidden in plain sight. Historic homes. Forgotten people.

Lost Morgantown.
đź“Ť Morgantown, West Virginia
Follow to rediscover the city you thought you knew.

05/14/2026

Let’s save the old buildings!

“This monument almost didn’t exist.” 🇺🇸On July 4th, 1867, just after the Civil War, the people of Monongalia County gath...
04/23/2026

“This monument almost didn’t exist.” 🇺🇸

On July 4th, 1867, just after the Civil War, the people of Monongalia County gathered at Oak Grove Cemetery overlooking the Monongahela River. Veterans stood among the crowd as speeches echoed, music played, and cannon fire rolled across the hills.

That day, they laid the foundation for a monument to honor their fallen.

And then… nothing happened.

For years, the project was abandoned. No monument. No tribute. No follow through.

By the late 1800s, community leaders were calling it out publicly. They said it plainly, it was a disgrace that Monongalia County had not honored its own sons who died preserving the Union.

So they tried again.

With renewed determination, and even cannons donated by the federal government, the people of this community finally made good on their promise.

This monument is not just stone. It is a second chance. A reminder that Morgantown refused to forget.

đź“Ť Soldiers Monument
🌳 Oak Grove Cemetery
đź•° Early 1900s postcard

🏛️ Before Evansdale… before modern expansions…the heart of WVU Law was shaped right here in Morgantown.🏡 This was the ho...
04/16/2026

🏛️ Before Evansdale… before modern expansions…
the heart of WVU Law was shaped right here in Morgantown.

🏡 This was the home of Thomas P. Hardman — Rhodes Scholar and longtime Dean of the West Virginia University College of Law from 1931 to 1956.

Built in 1928 on Grand Street, his residence overlooked the city and rolling hills, surrounded by pristine gardens and carefully crafted stonework that still define the character of South Park today.

Known to students as “Chappie,” Hardman helped shape generations of legal minds — all while calling this quiet hillside home.

A beautiful house… with a lasting legacy.

🏡 ”The Home of Good Plumbing.”That wasn’t just a slogan—it was Clyde Brand’s reputation.Known to friends as “Jerry,” Bra...
04/08/2026

🏡 ”The Home of Good Plumbing.”

That wasn’t just a slogan—it was Clyde Brand’s reputation.

Known to friends as “Jerry,” Brand started with nothing more than a job at a bottling works in Fairmont. He returned to Morgantown in the 1890s, learned the plumbing trade, and then left to sharpen his skills in larger eastern cities.

But like a lot of Morgantown’s builders… he came back.

By 1904, Brand had launched his own business.
Within a few years, his work was showing up in some of the finest homes in the city—many right here in South Park.

His advertisements promised quality.
His work delivered it.

And eventually, he built a home for himself to match.

Designed by Elmer F. Jacobs, this house reflects the same philosophy as his trade—solid, grounded, and built to last.

She built an empire from this hill.Long before women were allowed in the boardroom, Agnes Greer was running one.From thi...
03/31/2026

She built an empire from this hill.

Long before women were allowed in the boardroom, Agnes Greer was running one.

From this mansion overlooking Cheat Lake, she controlled:
• Steel companies
• Coal operations
• Morgantown’s newspapers
• And radio stations—including WAJR

When her husband died in 1948…

She didn’t step back.

She took over—and expanded.

By the 1950s, she owned controlling stakes across multiple industries and states. One of the most powerful business figures in West Virginia…

⸻

The mansion tells the story.

Built in 1929 from stone on the property, and designed by Agnes herself, it included:
• A ballroom
• An elevator
• Servant quarters
• A schoolhouse for her daughter

But the real statement?

The view.

Miles of rolling hills—chosen by a woman who understood power, scale, and presence.

⸻

📍Greer Mansion — Near Morgantown, W. Va.

He didn’t just write West Virginia’s history… he helped teach it.Hu Maxwell—who built and lived in this South Park home ...
03/29/2026

He didn’t just write West Virginia’s history… he helped teach it.

Hu Maxwell—who built and lived in this South Park home at 709 Park Street—was more than a historian.

Through his work with Acme Publishing Company in Morgantown, Maxwell helped produce some of the most widely used historical materials in the state.

In 1901, he co-authored The History and Government of West Virginia—a book printed right here in Morgantown that went on to serve as a classroom textbook for generations of West Virginia students. 

At a time when West Virginia was still defining its identity, Maxwell wasn’t just recording the past—he was helping teach it to the next generation.

But his life wasn’t limited to writing and publishing.

Maxwell was also an outdoorsman and explorer, spending time in the wilderness and even camping alongside Theodore Roosevelt, sharing in the early conservation spirit of the era. 

And through it all, this home in South Park was part of his story.

A house connected not just to history—
but to how West Virginians learned it.

Address

South Park
Morgantown, WV

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Historic Morgantown posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category