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State Historic Preservation Officials Honor Nutting

Betty Woods “Snookie” Nutting of Wheeling has been honored anew for her commitment to historic preservation in the city and the state.

Nutting was recognized during an Oct. 16 celebration at the Culture Center in Charleston to mark the 50th anniversary of the signing of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.

Randall Reid-Smith, commissioner of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, presented Nutting with a special award for her dedication to historic preservation. He also announced that the Division of Culture and History would begin annually to present awards named in her honor for historic preservation activities around the state.

Reid-Smith and Susan Pierce, deputy state historic preservation officer, presented the special award to Nutting for her many years of dedication and service and her enthusiasm for historic preservation.

In his comments, Reid-Smith said, “No one better exemplifies the face of historic preservation in West Virginia than Snookie Nutting. She is an inspiration to anyone who aspires to protect, preserve and restore our historic sites.”

Nutting, a lifelong Wheeling resident, has preserved and restored 22 historic buildings in her hometown. The Victorian-era properties that have been restored and rehabilitated are located in East Wheeling, Center Wheeling and North Wheeling.

In August, Reid-Smith also recognized Nutting at a brief ceremony at West Virginia Independence Hall in Wheeling and announced plans for a new lecture series named in her honor. He saluted Nutting for being a historic preservationist even before the National Historic Preservation Act was enacted 50 years ago.

The third lecture in the free series will be presented at the hall at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, when U.S. Rep. David B. McKinley, R-W.Va., speaks on “Historic Tax Credits in Wheeling.” The lecture series will conclude at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 9, with Dr. Matthew G. Hyland’s talk, “Historic Preservation and a City’s Sense of Self,” at the hall.

Nutting founded and served as president of the Victorian Wheeling Landmarks Foundation and organized Victorian Show-Off! tours for several years. She is a founding member of Friends of Wheeling and a recipient of its Outstanding Efforts in Historic Preservation Award.

She was named a Friend of Heritage by the Wheeling National Area Heritage Corp.

On a statewide level, Nutting was a founding member of the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia and a board member of the Vandalia Heritage Foundation. She served on the West Virginia Archives and History Commission and was the West Virginia advisor to the National Trust for Historic Preservation for nine years. She was named a Distinguished West Virginian in 2013.

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The theme for the State Historic Preservation Office’s Preservation 50 celebration was “Our Legacy, Our Future.”

As part of the festivities at the Culture Center on Oct. 16, state officials saluted the people of West Virginia who have been instrumental in historic preservation efforts. Hand-blown, etched glass awards were presented to the state’s 15 extant National Historic Landmarks and to 50 historic sites and 50 historic districts.

“This is just a small number, considering that we have more than 1,000 sites in our state,” Pierce said. “However, we wanted to salute sites that represented our state’s prehistoric  history, industrial, agricultural, government, commercial and residential preservation efforts.”

Five National Historic Landmarks located in the Northern Panhandle were recognized: Bethany College’s Old Main and Alexander Campbell Mansion, Grave Creek Mound in Moundsville, West Virginia Independence Hall and Wheeling Suspension Bridge.

Six area historic districts also were honored: Wellsburg; Moundsville Commercial; Centre Market Square and Woodsdale-Edgwood Neighborhood, both in Wheeling; Sistersville and New Martinsville Downtown.

Among the individual historic resources cited at the ceremony were the Marland Heights Park and Margaret Manson Weir Memorial Pool in Weirton; Bennett Cockayne House, Glen Dale; the former West Virginia Penitentiary in Moundsville and the Elm Grove Stone Arch Bridge in Wheeling.

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A booklet prepared for the “Our Legacy, Our Future” event offers descriptions of the state’s 15 National Historic Landmarks. Information on the Northern Panhandle sites includes:

— The Alexander Campbell Mansion and its surrounding farmstead provide insight into the life of Campbell, known as the “Sage of Bethany.” He was the founder and first president of Bethany College and one of the founders of the religious movement that became the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

“The Campbell Mansion, constructed almost entirely of walnut on a limestone foundation, includes a schoolroom, dormitory and guest wing. Campbell also built a detached hexagonal study constructed of brick. The farmstead includes a schoolhouse, a smokehouse/springhouse and family cemetery.”

— Old Main is the principal building at Bethany College. Campbell founded the school in 1840.

“Following a fire that destroyed the original main building in 1857, Campbell and his trustees selected James Keys Wilson of Cincinnati as the primary architect to design the Collegiate Gothic-style building. Construction began in 1858, but was halted by the Civil War. Work resumed in 1869 and concluded two years later. The structure features a 140-foot clock tower that dominates the rural skyline.”

— Grave Creek Mound is the centerpiece of a historic park that includes the original mound museum built by Delf Norona, a local avocational archaeologist and founder of the West Virginia Archaeological Society.

“With a height of approximately 62 feet and a diameter of 240 feet, Grave Creek Mound is one of the largest extant Adena burial mounds in the country and is what remains of an extensive complex of earthworks.”

— West Virginia Independence Hall was designed by architect Ammi B. Young and completed in 1859 to serve as a federal post office, custom house and courthouse for the Western District of Virginia. In 1861, the Second Wheeling Convention was held on the third floor and created the Restored Government of Virginia.

“The Italian Renaissance Revival building was unique at the time of construction for its use of an interior wrought and cast iron support system.”

—  The Wheeling Suspension Bridge, designed by Charles Ellet Jr. and spanning 1,010 feet, was built in 1849 as the first bridge to cross the Ohio River.

“The bridge was part of the National Road, the country’s first federal highway. Cables are suspended between massive stone towers at either end with arched openings.”

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