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Thelma and Sharon Kees donated the Kees property which includes a house, original barn, and several acres to AHI. The house is Hodgson style, the first type built here, and we are planning on rehabilitating it and using it in several ways. Since it abuts our land behind Center Hall it will help protect the museum grounds so we can preserve our area’s original look.

We also want to thank Becky and Victor Friend for adding another lovely garden project to our grounds plus constructing the new pergola. Once again they are using grant funds that Becky has gotten to benefit us. The Davis family has added to the beauty of the garden by paying for a cedar pergola which will be dedicated to the memory of Tommy Davis at the New Deal Festival.

Plan on coming by soon to admire these great new additions.

Update: AHI would like to thank Vic and Becky Friend for their vision and continued hard work on this project, the Thomas Davis family for donating and staining the pergola, and the Country Kids and Clover Buds 4-H group who planted flowers on June 13, 2011.

Win two passes to all practice and competition rounds.

The bidding is now open for your chance to win 2 tickets to the Greenbrier Classic!

PLACE YOUR BID NOW: Greenbrier Classic Tickets Silent Auction

Bids for two passes to the inaugural Greenbrier Classic have reached over $270.00 as of Tuesday, June 8th. Bids will be accepted through the above link through 4:00pm on June 16th. You can rebid at anytime and the highest bid wins. The passes are valued at nearly $300.00.

The Greenbrier Classic has just announced a second concert featuring Reba McEntire and Rascal Flatts. Your passes include admission to this second concert as well as the one featuring Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood.

Tournament organizers say the event is nearing a sellout. The event features some of the world’s top golfers including Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Ernie Els, and more. Held at the world-famous Greenbrier, your passes include guaranteed admission to the entire week’s events, including practice rounds.

The Greenbrier Classic is a PGA Tour FedEx Cup event and runs from July 16th through August 1, 2010. The event features a six-million dollar purse and will be televised by CBS and The Golf Channel.

UPDATE (5/24/2010): Bidding is now open and you can place your bid here:  Greenbrier Classic Tickets Silent Auction

Win two passes to all practice and competition rounds. Your passes include guaranteed admission to a special concert featuring country music superstars Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood.

Arthurdale Heritage, Inc. can help you make this Father’s Day special with the ideal gift for the dad who loves golf. Treat dad to the thrill of watching the world’s top golfers including Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, and Sergio Garcia. Held at the world-famous Greenbrier, your passes include guaranteed admission to the entire week’s events, including practice rounds. They also include admittance to a special concert featuring West Virginia native Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood.

The Greenbrier Classic is a PGA Tour FedEx Cup event and runs from July 26 through August 1, 2010. Measuring nearly 7,000 yards and playing to par 70, The Old White Course originally was designed by Charles Blair MacDonald and reopened in 2006 after an extensive renovation by Lester George which returned it to its original design. In preparation for the tournament, minimal course modifications are expected to add a couple of tees and the practice facility will be enhanced. The event features a $6 million-dollar purse and weekend competition rounds will be nationally televised on CBS.

Bidding opens at 9:00am, May 24th here at our website and closes at 4:00pm on June 16th. The winner will be announced Friday, June 18th. Rebid at any time while the auction is open. The highest bid wins. Be sure to check back regularly to see if you’ve been outbid.

We hope you will be able to help Arthurdale Heritage reach its goal of $8,500 by June to meet these grant requirements. By achieving this goal, each gift will be doubled by the state funds.

Click here to make your gift online or mail a check made payable Arthurdale Heritage, Inc. to P. O. Box 850, Arthurdale, WV 26520.

All donors who give $50 or more will be included on the donor listing displayed in the Center Hall year-round (in gift categories of $50 – $99, $100 – $249, $250 – $499, $500 – $999, and $1000 and above).

Fortunately, Rick isn't afraid of heights!

AHI only exists because of people like you who are willing to give of their time and money.  Please help us continue to save the past for the future.

Thanks so much,
Sarah Barnes, President
Jeanne Goodman, Executive Director

* The projects we’re so proud of are the new Center Hall floor, new garage bay doors, new service station doors and windows, and drainage improvements.

My parents, Clinton and Irene Wolfe, were among the first fifty families to move to Arthurdale. Their home was F-6, which was one of the smaller Hodgson houses built on F Road. At that time, they had two daughters, Ruby and Delores. I was born in Arthurdale in 1937. In 1942 we moved further out the road to F-14, which was another Hodgson house but a little bigger than F-6.

Because I was so young, I do not remember much about the early days of Arthurdale. If my parents talked about those early days, unfortunately, I do not recall the conversation. I do not even remember seeing Mrs. Roosevelt, or hearing my teachers talk about her through twelve years of school. Perhaps other things mattered more to me and the community, such as the great turmoil of World War II.

Many people from Arthurdale not only served in the war, but there were shortages at home that people had to deal with. For instance, people could not buy a new car, because they were not being produced, nor could they buy tires or parts for the cars they already owned. It was hard work for families to keep food on the table. Then in 1950, the Korean conflict came along which added more stress. These are the kinds of things people talked about and were concerned with in Arthurdale during the years I was growing up. Very little was said about the history of Arthurdale or how it was founded. That interest has all come since the 50th anniversary of its founding.

I do remember being told that there was a lot of furniture made in Arthurdale and my family was provided with several pieces of it. I know we had two or three beds, bureaus, a large wooden cabinet that Delores still owns, and a nice wooden table with leaves on each side that folded down when not in use.

The kitchens in the Hodgson homes were very small and our table spent most of its time in the living room. Normally, when only family members were home, we ate meals in the kitchen around another small table. Frequently, uncles, aunts, and cousins would show up on Sunday and the Arthurdale table would be pulled out to the middle of the living room, the leaves would be opened up, a table cloth spread on it, and everyone would gather around that table to eat.

Other memories I have are doing school homework on the table, putting together jigsaw puzzles, and playing games around it. Since this was in the days before television, children as well as adults spent time doing other activities in the living room rather than mainly watching TV.

Because I was young and did not pay attention, I am not aware of how many other homes had a table like this one. The only other one I ever saw like it belonged to Mr and Mrs McNelis, our neighbors at F-12. It was also kept in their living room. I visited their home many times and would often see them both sitting at their table working on the daily crossword puzzle from the newspaper. They enjoyed doing that every day.

About 1978, when my parents moved from F-14 to a mobile home, I was given their table and have had it these many years. Just recently, while preparing to move to a smaller home in Ohio, I asked my sisters if we should donate the table to Arthurdale Heritage for use in the E-15 house. They agreed since that way it would remain in Arthurdale where it belongs. If any other former homesteaders read this or see the table, it would be interesting to know if they had a similar one and if they know the whereabouts of it. Perhaps someone even knows how many tables of this type were made in Arthurdale.

NOTE: Today (April 10) is Joe’s birthday. Happy Birthday, Joe, from everyone at Arthurdale Heritage!

Wade Neely’s parents moved to their CR-1 homestead in 1941.  (SEE related story on this page.) He had many fond memories growing up in Arthurdale.  Even though he has moved out of West Virginia, Mr. Neely has remained an active supporter of AHI’s mission to preserve his boyhood community and its history. Earlier in 2009, he helped support AHI by donating an all-in-one printer to the organization.  Mr. Neely expressed his interest in providing future support for similar projects, so when it came time for a much needed technology upgrade in the AHI office, he and his family made the decision to give a generous donation.  They commented, “This donation shows our appreciation of all your hard work, along with everyone else who contributes time for this ongoing effort in the restoration of Arthurdale.”

The Hazel Ruby McQuain Charitable Trust was established by Mrs. Hazel Ruby McQuain, a renowned community benefactor who died in 2002 at the age of 93. The retired president of Ruby Enterprises, Inc., Mrs. McQuain was a longtime resident of Arthurdale. She was one of the founders of the Arthurdale Women’s Club that organized the 50^th Anniversary celebration of the homesteading of Arthurdale; the event that resulted in the formation of Arthurdale Heritage, Inc.  Arthurdale Heritage named Mrs. McQuain an honorary board member in 1992, along with former WV Senator Jennings Randolph.

The new computer equipment will allow AHI to operate more efficiently both internally and in its educational outreach presentations. AHI would like to thank the Hazel Ruby McQuain Charitable Trust and the Neely family for their continued support.