KANAWHA COUNTY

and the city of

CHARLESTON, WEST VIRGINIA

New! 77 Page Booklet

Early days in Kanawha County, West Virginia, which includes the City of Charleston, are recalled in this booklet comprised of excerpts from four rare vintage books: Historical Collections of Virginia by Henry Howe (1845); History of West Virginia by Virgil A. Lewis (1889); West Virginia in History, Life, Literature and Industry by Morris Purdy Shawkey (1928); and Virginia, a Guide to the Mountain State, a WPA publication (1941). The booklet is printed on 60# opaque paper, with the print size enlarged as needed to fit the 8 1/2 x 11 size. The front parchtex cover, protected with a vinyl sheet.

Besides Charleston, communities in Kanawha County, as listed by the National Association of Counties include: Alum Creek, Belle, Big Chimney, Blount, Blue Creek, Burnwell, Cabin Creek, Carbon, Cedar Grove, Chesapeake, Clendenin, Corton, Crown Hill, Dawes, Decota, Diamond, Drybranch, Dunbar, East Bank, Elkview, Eskdale, Falling Rock, Frame, Gallagher, Glasgow, Handley, Hansford, Hernshaw, Hugheston, Institute, Jefferson, Kayford, Leewood, London, Mahan, Malden, Mammoth, Marmet, Miami, Montgomery (part), Nitro (part), Ohley, Pinch. Pond Gap, Pratt, Quick, Quincy, Saint Albans, Sharon, Shrewsbury, Sissonville, Smithers (part), South Charleston, Spring Hill, Tad, Tornado, Whittaker, Winifrede. (Some of these communities are not be mentioned in the booklet.)

Charleston -- in 1845 it was a "neat and flourishing village". Less than a century later it was described as "a rapidly growing trade center," with a five-land thoroughfare "nearing completion."

Among the subjects included are: Formation of the county; physical features; where place names came from; early settlers, such as Lewis Tachet, Leonard Morris, Gen. George Clendenin, and Michael See; the fate of Walter Kelly; Indian attacks; Churches; Gas Wells of Kanawha; Judge Lewis Summers; Daniel Boone's Report, Capitals and Capitols, Schools and Colleges for "colored, deaf and blind," West Virginia Collegiate Institute; Improvements to River Navigation; Coal Mines; Glass Industry and Chemical Production; Anne Bailey; Mary McGwigan, Senator John Kenna; Bridges of Charleston; Points of Interest with map; the Simon Kenton Monument and other bits of history and trivia.

Illustrations include: an early drawing of Charleston, an early painting of Charleston, the Salt-Works on the Kanawha, Charleston's New Kanawha Boulevard (1941), Orlando, the Governor's Mansion and views of the various State Capitol buildings.

Wouldn't this make a unique gift?