WVWC - The Seminary and Ladies' Hall; A Vintage Buckhannon Exclusive Presented by Mountaineer News

August 23, 2022

Mountaineer News

Vintage Buckhannon

This week, we welcome back West Virginia Wesleyan College students with another #ThrowbackTuesday exclusive straight out of the Vintage Buckhannon Vault:

Photo 1: [Sigler, 1904]

The Seminary

Wesleyan University of West Virginia (WVWC)

The first is an extremely rare image depicting the south facing wall of the old Seminary Building of WUWV in 1904; The building was destroyed by fire within a year of the camera's shutter closing on the image.

The Board of Trustees changed the institution's name to West Virginia Wesleyan College (WVWC) on Alumni Day, June 5th, 1906.

Photo 2: [Sigler, 1903]

The Ladies' Hall

Wesleyan University of West Virginia (WUWV) | West Virginia Wesleyan College (WVWC)

The second is a rare image depicting the 'Ladies' Hall' facing Meade Street in 1903; Notice the horse-drawn buggy at the bottommost right; The south-facing corner of the old Seminary Building can be seen on the left.

Built in 1895, this building was known as 'The Ladies Hall' until it was renamed the Agnes Howard Hall in 1920 for Agnes Howard, a student who died of rheumatoid arthritis. An addition was completed in 1929 and extensive renovations occurred in 1952. The building is on the National Historic Register.

More in-depth stories regarding Agnes and her family coming soon...

CLICK HERE or on the image above for the Vintage Buckhannon: A West Virginia Wesleyan College Exclusive featured on July 12, 2022.

A first-hand account of the Seminary Building fire is included with rare and exclusive photos - including an authentic Wesleyan University of West Virginia (W.V.W.U.) invitation to the June 5th, 1906 Alumni Day when the board of trustees permanently changed the institution's name to West Virginia Wesleyan College (W.V.W.C.) - and an eye-witness account of the fire.

If you haven't taken the virtual online tour inside the Upshur County Courthouse Clock Tower, you can watch the full feature now by following this link: INSIDE THE UPSHUR COUNTY COURTHOUSE CLOCK TOWER

CLICK HERE to watch a video about FDR's Filmmaker, Pare Lorentz... one of Buckhannon's own. Two of his documentaries are fully viewable here as well.

Revisit us here every Tuesday to see new additions as we continue to build this virtual online pictorial for our community featuring the landmarks and people of Upshur County's bygone days. Stay tuned... it's about to get interesting.

*Updated August 23, 2022 | Next Update - August 30, 2022