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In the 1780s, Charleston's first settlers built log houses using trees from the Kanawha Valley. As time went on, wealthier residents started building larger, more impressive homes, often as the centerpiece of a large plantation. The city grew slowly during its first 50 years, but by the 1830s, Charleston had several large homes, especially along the Kanawha River. The plantations are no longer around, but some of the houses from that time still remain.
Holly Grove mansion was built in 1815 by Daniel Ruffner, who made salt for a living. It was part of a large plantation that covered the East End and much of downtown. Ruffner allowed travelers to stay in his home, including famous people such as H...
This house, located at the eastern end of Charleston's Kanawha City, was built between 1829 and 1831 for Colonel Henry Hewitt Wood (1810-1883), a prominent salt merchant, and his wife, Ann Ruffner Reynolds. The house is across the river from Malde...
This house, located at 1506 Kanawha Boulevard, was built in 1834 as a farmhouse for Augustus Ruffner, a farmer and lumberman, and his wife, Mary Elizabeth. Augustus was the son of Daniel Ruffner, a well-known saltmaker who built Holly Grove. The h...
The Craik-Patton House was built in 1834 on Virginia Street by James Craik, a lawyer who later became a clergyman at St. John’s Episcopal Church. In 1858, George S. Patton, who founded the Kanawha Riflemen and became a Confederate colonel, bought ...
The MacFarland-Hubbard House, located at 1310 Kanawha Boulevard, was built in 1836 by Norris Whitteker for Isaac Noyes. This house is an example of Greek Revival architecture. It was first lived in by Henry and Julia MacFarland and later by the Ru...
The Littlepage Stone Mansion, located at 1809 Washington Street West, was built in 1845 for Major Robert Thornton by local builders Harrop L. Joy and J. Carson, whose names are carved into blocks at both ends of the house. The mansion was made fro...
Glenwood, located at 800 Orchard Street on the West Side, was once owned by three of the most important families in the Kanawha Valley. In 1852, James Madison Laidley, a newspaper editor and member of the Virginia legislature, hired builder and st...
Other Historic Charleston Houses
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