(Photo provided) Bekah Karelis of Adventures In Elegance of Wheeling demonstrates some plaster work during a class for the public held this past winter. The work in the North Parlor has been completed.

GLEN DALE – People who visit the Cockayne Farmstead in Glen Dale this spring will get a chance to see some of the newly repaired plasterwork in the historic home.

The work was conducted during the winter months by Adventures In Elegance, a local company.

“The plastering was part of our recent project to restore the North Parlor of the house,” said Kara Gordon, site manager of the Cockayne Farmstead, 1105 Wheeling Ave., Glen Dale. “Sarel Venter and Bekah Karelis of Adventures in Elegance, LLC from Wheeling did the plaster work, restored the original cast iron fireplace surround, and repainted all of the wood trim in the room.”

Gordon said the Marshall County Historical Society has wanted to restore the North Parlor for many years.

“And we were excited to finally find local people with the skills to help us do the plaster,” she said. “We want to restore the room to show visitors how impressive and beautiful the Cockaynes’ house originally would have been. It also makes the preservation of the house easier, since the plaster was in such rough shape.”

Gordon said future plans include reproducing some of the original wallpaper that once adorned walls and ceilings in the home.

“We are currently writing grants for that next phase of the project,” she said. “We’re hoping the North Parlor will be the first step in possibly restoring more spaces in the house in the future.”

Gordon said there are also plans to make structural repairs in the home.

“We received a development grant from the State Historic Preservation Office to complete two important stabilization projects in the farmstead this year,” she said. “They both involve repairing support beams in the house to make sure the main structure of the house remains stable. Once these repairs are completed, we will then proceed with restoration of the entryway, just like the North Parlor.”

Meanwhile, the farmstead is slated to host several programs this spring and summer for the public to enjoy.

“We’re excited about our Hungry for History series we are continuing again this summer at the Moundsville Library,” she said. “Every Monday of June and July we’ll have a different speaker and we have some very interesting topics this year.”

The Hungry for History programs begin at noon.

The farmstead will also host its Farmers Markets each Wednesday starting in June, she added.

“Probably what I’m most excited about is our classes and the plans I have for expanding them in the fall,” Gordon noted. “We are hoping to be able to rearrange some spaces in our Visitor Center to make a dedicated classroom and be able to offer more in depth workshops, like quilting, spinning, natural dyeing, pottery, sewing clothing, and lots of other cool stuff.

“Since I am a dedicated crafter myself, I love these workshops and how they tie into our mission as a museum. We preserve the ‘stuff’ of the past, but now we’re also preserving some of the skills as well, and passing them on to other people who can make them a part of their everyday life. It also offers us a path to better sustainability as a site. I have a lot of fun with the classes.”

To sign up for a class visit https://www.cockaynefarmstead.com/ or call 304-845-1411. Class costs range between $20 and $50.