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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 salt maker Daniel Ruffner and was once part of a large plantation. He welcomed famous guests like Henry Clay and President Andrew Jackson. The house started as a simple two-story brick home, but in 1902, ne...
This house, built between 1829 and 1831 for salt merchant Colonel Henry Hewitt Wood and his wife Ann, is located at the east end of Charleston’s Kanawha City. It sits across the river from Malden, once the center of the salt industry. The home was...
This house at 1506 Kanawha Boulevard was built in 1834 for Augustus Ruffner, a farmer and lumberman, and his wife Mary Elizabeth. Augustus was the son of Daniel Ruffner, who built Holly Grove. The house was first called "Cedar Grove" because of th...
The Craik-Patton House was built in 1834 by lawyer James Craik, who later became a church leader. In 1858, it was bought by George S. Patton, a Confederate colonel. The house was moved in 1906 and again in the 1960s to save it from being torn down...
The MacFarland-Hubbard House at 1310 Kanawha Boulevard was built in 1836 and is a good example of Greek Revival style. It was home to several families over the years and was even hit by a cannonball and used as a hospital during the Battle of Char...
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, at 800 Orchard Street on Charleston’s West Side, was built in 1852 for newspaper editor James Madison Laidley using local materials. In 1857, it was sold to Judge George Summers, for whom Summers County is named. The house was restored i...
Other Historic Charleston Houses
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