place

Altona (West Virginia)

American Civil War sites in West VirginiaAmerican Foursquare architecture in West VirginiaFarms on the National Register of Historic Places in West VirginiaFederal architecture in West VirginiaHouses completed in 1793
Houses in Jefferson County, West VirginiaHouses on the National Register of Historic Places in West VirginiaJefferson County, West Virginia in the American Civil WarNational Register of Historic Places in Jefferson County, West VirginiaPlantation houses in West VirginiaPlantations in West VirginiaSears Modern HomesSlave cabins and quarters in the United States
Altona, West Virginia
Altona, West Virginia

Altona, near Charles Town, West Virginia, is a historic farm with an extensive set of subsidiary buildings. The original Federal style plantation house was built in 1793 by Revolutionary War officer Abraham Davenport on land purchased from Charles Washington. The house was expanded by Abraham's son, Colonel Braxton Davenport. During the Civil War the farm was a favored encampment. Generals Philip Sheridan and Ulysses S. Grant both used the house as a headquarters and meeting place. The farm was sold out of the Davenport family in 1906, but repurchased in 1936. In the interim, a Sears, Roebuck house was added to the property.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Altona (West Virginia) (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Altona (West Virginia)
Old Altona Lane,

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address Nearby Places
placeShow on map

Wikipedia: Altona (West Virginia)Continue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 39.29 ° E -77.8825 °
placeShow on map

Address

Old Altona Lane
25414
West Virginia, United States
mapOpen on Google Maps

Altona, West Virginia
Altona, West Virginia
Share experience

Nearby Places

Charles Town Mining, Manufacturing, and Improvement Company Building
Charles Town Mining, Manufacturing, and Improvement Company Building

The Charles Town Mining, Manufacturing, and Improvement Company Building in Ranson, Jefferson County, West Virginia is a Romanesque Revival building that now serves as Ranson's City Hall. It was built for the Charles Town Mining, Manufacturing and Improvement Company (CMM&I) in 1891 as its headquarters. The CMM&I sought to develop industry in the area that in 1910 became the City of Ranson. The company was formed in 1890 by Roger Preston Chew, Frank Beck, Forrest W. Brown, T.C. Green, W.F. Lippitt, A.W. McDonald and B. C. Washington, with Chew as president. Using 850 acres (3.4 km2) of land purchased from the Ranson family, a planned community was laid out by D.G. Howell, a Washington, D.C. landscape architect and civil engineer. In 1891 the 3½ story headquarters was built, designed by J.C. Holmes. By 1893 the CMM&I was facing hard times, possibly as a result of the Panic of 1893, and the headquarters was sold to the Board of Education of Charles Town, and served as the white Charles Town High School from 1893 to 1912. The school was sometimes known as both the "Keyhole School,” due to its distinctive entrance, and as the Wright Denny School. In 1917 the Board of Education sold the school to former mayor Gerard D. Moore, and upon his death the property went to H.C. Getzendanner for $4500. Part of the building was used as a confectionery and the north half became the Ranson Post Office. In 1936 the City of Ranson bought the building for $3000 as its City Hall, although apartments occupied the upper floors until the 1970s.