Choose from two guided tours. The first visits the MacFarland Hubbard House and The Governor’s Mansion. The second stops at Glenwood and the Craik Patton House. Hop aboard a KRT trolley bus and experience Charleston’s past first-hand as you visit some of the Capitol City’s most historic homes. Each tour leaves from the east end of the Town Center Mall at 1 and 1:30 PM.
Each bus will include an historian to inform you during the trip and a docent will guide you through each house. Refreshments will be served on each tour and at the end of each there will be a stop at BB&T Bank where sculptures will be on display with the sculptors on hand to discuss their work (see Sculpture Tour). Tickets to the tours are free but must be picked up at the Town Center Mall service booth on the first floor starting June 1. If ticket holders do not show up on time, stand by’s will be let on. The Hubbard/Mansion tour is handicapped accessible but the trolley bus is not. Those who are handicapped can drive to the venues and will be admitted if they have a ticket.
Tour One
The Governor’s Mansion was designed by Walter Martens, a Charleston architect. Construction started on the Georgian Colonial style home in 1924. Governor Morgan and his wife moved into the new Executive Mansion in 1925. When completed, the mansion was reported to cost just about $200,000. The first floor state rooms are open to the public by guided tour. The tour includes the Reception Hall with its splendid dual Georgian staircases; the Living Room, furnished with antiques; the Library, paneled in butternut wood from Randolph County, WV; the State Dining Room, with a 14-foot banquet table that seats 22 guests; the Ballroom, featuring a mantel acquired from an Irish castle; and the second floor Alcove, featuring the First Ladies Gallery.
The MacFarland/Hubbard House was built in 1836 by Charleston builder Norris Whitteker on land purchased from Isaac Noyes. The first owner was Henry Devol MacFarland until 1845; second owners were the Ruby family. During the Civil War, the Rubys left Charleston and the house was used as a hospital for federal troops. In 1921, the Rubys sold the house to the Crowleys who undertook substantial renovations. In 1941, the Crowleys sold the house to the Hubbard family who added a second story bedroom area to the back of the house. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in December of 1979. Elizabeth Hubbard died in 1997 leaving the house to the First Presbyterian Church of Charleston. In late 1998, the West Virginia Humanities Council acquired the property. With the support of the Kanawha Valley Historical and Preservation Society, the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and scores of individual, foundation, and corporate contributors, the property was renovated to high historic standards in 1999-2000. The Humanities Council moved into the house in 2000.
Tour Two
Glenwood is one of West Virginia’s finest examples of classical Greek Revival architecture. The house was built in 1852 for James Madison Laidley, a lawyer and politician from Parkersburg. Laidley invested in the Kanawha Valley salt industry and was editor of the Charleston newspaper, The Western Register. In 1857 Laidley sold the house and 366 acres to George Summers, II. Summers was an active politician and served in both the Virginia Legislature and the U.S. House of Representatives. He participated in the Washington Peace Conference in 1861 which sought to stem the tide of conflict rising between north and south. Summers married Amacetta Laidley of Cabell County and of their 13 children two survived to adulthood. Lucy Quarrier, great-granddaughter of George and Amacetta Summers, lived in Glenwood until her death in 1983. She wished to preserve her cherished home and in 1978 deeded the 12 room house and property to the Historic Glenwood Foundation.
The Craik-Patton House, built in 1834 in the Greek Revival style, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and has been faithfully restored and furnished as a home representative of the Kanawha Valley in the early 19th Century. The collection includes Daniel Ruffner’s sideboard inscribed with the date 1823, a beautiful French chandelier, two recamier sofas that descended from the Craik family and many more treasures.
Cost: Free (tickets must be picked up at the information desk of the Charleston Town Center Mall)