Wirgman Building

Last updated

Wirgman Building
Wirgman Building 172212pv.jpg
Historic American Buildings Survey photograph of the Wirgman Building in 1937.
Romney West Virginia Location Map.svg
Red pog.svg
Wirgman Building
Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia Location Map.svg
Red pog.svg
Wirgman Building
USA West Virginia location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Wirgman Building
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Wirgman Building
Alternative names
  • Old Wirgman Building
  • Bank of the Valley of Virginia Building
  • Valley Bank Building
  • Bank of Romney Building
  • First National Bank of Romney Building
General information
Type Commercial and residential
Architectural style Federal
AddressEast Main Street
Town or city Romney, West Virginia
Country United States
Coordinates 39°20′31″N78°45′21″W / 39.341874°N 78.755719°W / 39.341874; -78.755719
Current tenantsFormer tenants:
Bank of the Valley of Virginia
Hampshire Review
Bank of Romney
First National Bank of Romney
Peaford Company furniture store
Completedcirca 1825
Demolished1965
ClientWilliam Vance (c. 1825)
OwnerMrs. W. F. Wirgman (1937)

The Wirgman Building was an early 19th-century Federal-style commercial and residential building located on East Main Street (U.S. Route 50) in Romney, West Virginia. It was completed around 1825 to serve as the Romney branch office of the Bank of the Valley of Virginia, and served as a location for every subsequent bank established in Romney, including the Bank of Romney and the First National Bank of Romney. During the American Civil War, the building was used as a military prison. For a time, its second floor housed the offices and printing plant of the Hampshire Review newspaper, and by 1947 its ground floor housed office and mercantile space, and the second floor was divided into apartments.

Contents

In 1964 the Wirgman Building sustained damage in a fire; it was demolished the following year to make way for the new Bank of Romney headquarters building, which opened in 1966. Prior to its demolition, in 1937, the Wirgman Building was photographed and documented by the National Park Service's Historic American Buildings Survey.

History

Background

In 1790, the trustees of the Town of Romney commissioned John Mitchel to draft a cadastral survey map of Romney. [1] [2] Prior to this survey, Thomas Fairfax, 6th Lord Fairfax of Cameron had commissioned a similar cadastral survey of the town sometime before its incorporation on December 23, 1762. [1] On June 30, 1790, Mitchel submitted to the trustees a "Plan of the Town of Romney" that divided the town into 100 land lots of equal size, with four lots adjacent to the courthouse comprising the "publick" square. [2] The Wirgman Building was later built upon the "publick" land lot numbered "Lot 76". [3] [4] Romney's first cemetery was present on the lot when it was a part of the courthouse square. [5] The cemetery's interments were located on the actual site and to the rear of the future Wirgman Building. [5]

Bank of the Valley of Virginia

Wirgman Building 172213pv.jpg
Wirgman Building 172214pv.jpg
Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) photographs from 1937 of the Wirgman Building's main entryway (pictured left) and the rounded interior doorway between the building's entrance and stair halls (pictured right).

The Wirgman Building was erected around 1825 by William Vance to house the office of the newly established Romney branch of the Bank of the Valley of Virginia, which was headquartered in Winchester, Virginia. [3] [4] [6] [7] [8] In an act of the Virginia General Assembly on February 5, 1817, the Bank of the Valley of Virginia was authorized to open branches in Berkeley, Hampshire, Hardy, and Jefferson counties if citizens in each of these areas could raise $100,000 in stock to establish a branch. [8] [9] This provision was met when the necessary stock was raised, and the Bank of the Valley of Virginia branch in Romney was opened around 1825 in the Wirgman Building. [6] [8] [9] In 1845, historian Henry Howe traveled through Romney and described the town as "one of considerable business, and has a branch of the Bank of the Valley, several stores, and about 350 inhabitants". [10] The bank branch continued to operate from the Wirgman Building until the Bank of the Valley of Virginia in Winchester suspended its operations and those of its branches following the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861. [6] [8] [9]

American Civil War

During the American Civil War, the Wirgman Building was frequently used as a military prison by both Confederate States Army and Union Army forces during their occupations of Romney. [4] [11] In early 1862, Lieutenant John Blue, a spy for the command of Stonewall Jackson, was captured by Union Army soldiers while he was conducting a reconnaissance mission to determine the size and strength of the Union Army forces occupying Romney. [4] [11] [12] Pending his transfer to a military prison in Wheeling where he was to be tried as a suspected spy, Blue was imprisoned in a room on the second floor of the Wirgman Building. [4] [11] [12] During the early morning of April 20—Easter Day—Blue disabled the only guard on duty, disguised himself in a Union Army coat and headgear and barricaded the remainder of the prison garrison within the building. [4] [11] [12] Blue, unnoticed by the occupying Union Army forces, walked to the periphery of Romney town and reached safety. [4] [11] [12]

Hampshire Review

John J. Cornwell.jpg
William B. Cornwell.jpg
John J. Cornwell (pictured left) and his brother William B. Cornwell (pictured right) purchased the Hampshire Review in 1890, and operated the newspaper from the second floor of the Wirgman Building until 1895.

The Hampshire Review newspaper occupied the building's second floor with its offices and printing plant from 1884 to 1895. [8] [13] In 1890 John J. Cornwell—who later became West Virginia's governor—and his brother William B. Cornwell purchased the newspaper, which continued to operate from the second floor of the Wirgman Building until 1895, when the brothers relocated the office and printing plant to the first floor of their new brick building on West Main Street. [13] [14] During its occupation of the Wirgman Building, the Hampshire Review was printed with a hand-operated Benjamin Franklin printing press. [13]

Bank of Romney

Banking operations in Hampshire County ceased throughout the American Civil War; a new banking institution was not established in Romney until 1888. [6] [8] [9] By September of that year, a coordinated effort by Romney's leading citizens amassed subscriptions for the entirety of the initial offering of 300 shares of stock for the establishment of the Bank of Romney. [6] The shareholders of the Bank of Romney petitioned the Secretary of State of West Virginia for a charter with capital stock totaling $30,000. [8] [15]

Following the state's approval of its charter, the Bank of Romney commenced its operations in the Wirgman Building on December 20, 1888. [6] [8] [15] [16] The bank occupied two rented rooms on the building's first floor, which it shared with a pharmacy. [6] [8] [15] The Bank of Romney initially used a safe as its bank vault, and security for the bank was provided by a nightwatchman who slept in one of the bank's two rooms. [6] The Wirgman Building's security was further enhanced with the installation of wire mesh glass and bars in the windows. [6] During the bank's occupation at the Wirgman Building, Henry Bell Gilkeson served as the bank's president. [6] [15] The Bank of Romney began to outgrow its first floor space almost immediately after its incorporation, and in 1906 it moved across East Main Street to a new bank building. [8] [15]

First National Bank of Romney

The Wirgman Building again housed a banking institution four years later when the First National Bank of Romney opened on June 11, 1910, in the first floor office space previously occupied by the Bank of Romney. [17] [18] [19] The First National Bank of Romney vacated the Wirgman Building in 1911, when it moved to its new, three-story building known as the National Building at the corner of West Main and South High Streets directly across from Literary Hall. [17] [19] [20] At various times from its construction around 1825 until 1911, the Wirgman Building served as the location for every bank established in Romney since the Bank of the Valley of Virginia. [3] [4] [11] [21]

Later years

Two historical markers in front of the Bank of Romney memorialize the Wirgman Building: the first marker (pictured left) was erected by the United Daughters of the Confederacy to commemorate Lieutenant John Blue's escape from the building during the American Civil War, and the second marker (pictured right) reads "Original Site of the Wirgman Building. Built 1825. Razed 1965." Wirgman Building Historical Marker Romney WV 2013 07 14 01.jpg
Two historical markers in front of the Bank of Romney memorialize the Wirgman Building: the first marker (pictured left) was erected by the United Daughters of the Confederacy to commemorate Lieutenant John Blue's escape from the building during the American Civil War, and the second marker (pictured right) reads "Original Site of the Wirgman Building. Built 1825. Razed 1965."

In its final years, the Wirgman Building housed office and mercantile spaces on its first floor, and its second floor was divided into apartments. [4] In 1937, the National Park Service Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) photographed and documented the architectural details of the building. [22] At the time of its documentation by HABS, the building was owned by Mrs. W. F. Wirgman, [22] whose family's surname likely gave the structure its local toponym. HABS referred to the Wirgman Building as the "Valley Bank Building" in its supplemental documentation, which was completed by Archie A. Biggs. [22] In September 1937, the West Virginia State Road Commission released a state road map highlighting the history of the Potomac Highlands through photographs; the map included a feature on the Wirgman Building and Lieutenant John Blue's escape during its use as a military prison during the American Civil War. [23] [24]

By 1954, the Wirgman Building housed an electrical shop and two residential units. [25] Throughout the 1950s, the Romney community used the building for multiple purposes. The Romney Fire Department used the building to host its annual Easter flower sale in March 1956, [26] and in December 1956, the Hampshire County Democratic Committee was permitted to erect a sign on the building. [27] In 1962, the Wirgman Building was one of the Romney landmarks recognized during the city's observance of its bicentennial. [28]

Fire and demolition

On February 15, 1964, the Wirgman Building sustained significant damage from a fire. [29] [30] [31] At the time of the fire, the first floor of the building housed the Peaford Company furniture store. [31] Mrs. John Williams, operator of the nearby New Century Hotel, was the first person to observe the fire; she raised the alarm around 6:25 a.m. [31] The Romney Fire Department responded and fought the blaze for over eight hours, with the assistance of fire companies from Augusta, Slanesville, and Fort Ashby. [31] When firefighters left the scene around 3:30 p.m., only the brick walls of the building remained standing. [31] Firefighters approximated that 60,000 U.S. gallons (230,000 L) of water had been used to fight the fire. [31] Though assessed to have been extinguished, the fire re-established the following day. [29]

According to Romney Fire Department Chief Eugene Dorsey, the Wirgman Building was uninsured and its damage was estimated at $5,000. [29] [31] Dorsey estimated damages to the partially-insured Peaford Company furniture store at $6,000. [31]

Following the fire, the Bank of Romney purchased the Wirgman Building and demolished it, along with the neighboring historic Brady House, in 1965 to make way for the bank's new headquarters building. [4] [8] [32] Having outgrown its 1906 building, the Bank of Romney returned across East Main Street to the site of the Wirgman Building following completion of its new, larger headquarters facility in 1966. [4] [8] [32]

Architecture

HABS Wirgman Building Supplementary Documentation 01.tiff
HABS Wirgman Building Supplementary Documentation 02.tiff
Historic American Buildings Survey supplementary documentation illustrating the architectural layout and details of the Wirgman Building, completed by Archie A. Biggs in 1937.

Existing information on the architectural details of the Wirgman Building are known through the HABS supplementary documentation written by Archie A. Biggs in 1937, [22] and a Cumberland Evening Times article in 1954. [25] The Cumberland Evening Times averred that the building had not undergone major structural changes since the American Civil War. [25]

Exterior

The Wirgman Building was exemplary of the Federal style of architecture. [7] [10] It was a thick-walled edifice rising two stories and constructed of brick. [1] [25] The building's brickwork was built in the Flemish bond style on the building's façade and in the American bond style on the building's sides and rear face. The building's façade along East Main Street measured 51 feet (16 m), and its sides measured 41 feet (12 m), with a rear extension measuring 34 feet (10 m). The building featured a brick cornice along its roofline and parapet end walls on its sides. According to HABS documentation, the building's bricks measured 2 ¼ x 4 ¼ x 8 ½ in size. [22]

Interior

A circular wall with a six-panel wooden door rounded to mimic the wall's curvature was located between the entrance hall and the stair hall of the Wirgman Building. [22] The stairway's balustrade in the stair hall featured turned baluster shafts and a newel post crafted from maple. [22] The stairs themselves featured scrolled step ends. [22] The building's interior doors were six-panel wooden doors with paneled door jambs. [22] Instead of turning door knobs, these wooden doors were equipped with "iron lever-like" devices that unlatched the doors when pushed down. [25] HABS supplementary documentation described "coffee grinder"-style locks. [22] Its doorways were reported to have maintained their original decorative molding trim, and the fireplace mantelpieces as being "delicately done". [22] The Wirgman Building also featured old wooden floors, which the Cumberland Evening Times said emitted "aged groans" when walked upon. [25]

Legacy

In his Buildings of West Virginia (2004), architectural historian S. Allen Chambers wrote that of the "most significant early buildings" demolished in Romney, the Wirgman Building is one of the town's "major losses". [10] Prior to its destruction, a 1954 article in the Cumberland Evening Times characterized the building as an "aged monument to the Civil War and horse and buggy days, as motorized traffic on U.S. 50 whizzes by its door". [25] In 1982, the Cumberland Evening Times listed the Wirgman Building among a list of Romney's significant demolished landmarks, along with the original Romney First Baptist Church, the Brady House, the New Century Hotel, and the original Romney Christian Church. [21]

Two commemorative plaques in front of the Bank of Romney are the only reminders of the Wirgman Building at its original site. A plaque erected by the Stonewall Jackson Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy to commemorate the escape of Lieutenant John Blue from the Wirgman Building during its use as a Union Army military prison was originally affixed to the building's street façade. [28] The other plaque says: "Original Site of the Wirgman Building. Built 1825. Razed 1965." [33]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wilson-Wodrow-Mytinger House</span> Complex of buildings in Romney, Virginia

The Wilson-Wodrow-Mytinger House is a complex of three structures, built between the 1740s and 1780s, in Romney, West Virginia. The clerk's office, dating from the 1780s, is the oldest surviving public office building in West Virginia. The kitchen building is the oldest remaining component of the Wilson-Wodrow-Mytinger House and the oldest building in Romney. Throughout its history, the Wilson-Wodrow-Mytinger House has been known as the Andrew Wodrow House, the Mytinger Family Home, and the Mytinger House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Confederate Memorial (Romney, West Virginia)</span> Commemoration for dead soldiers

The Confederate Memorial at Indian Mound Cemetery in Romney, West Virginia, commemorates residents of Hampshire County who died during the American Civil War while fighting for the Confederate States of America. It was sponsored by the Confederate Memorial Association, which formally dedicated the monument on September 26, 1867. The town of Romney has claimed that this is the first memorial structure erected to memorialize the Confederate dead in the United States and that the town performed the nation's first public decoration of Confederate graves on June 1, 1866.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sloan–Parker House</span> Historic house in West Virginia, United States

The Sloan–Parker House, also known as the Stone House, Parker Family Residence, or Richard Sloan House, is a late-18th-century stone residence near Junction, Hampshire County, in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It was built on land vacated by the Shawnee after the Native American nation had been violently forced to move west to Kansas following their defeat at the Battle of Point Pleasant in 1774. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 5, 1975, becoming Hampshire County's first property to be listed on the register. The Sloan–Parker House has been in the Parker family since 1854. The house and its adjacent farm are located along the Northwestern Turnpike in the rural Mill Creek valley.

William Armstrong was an American lawyer, civil servant, politician, and businessperson. He represented Hampshire County in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1818 to 1820, and Virginia's 16th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1825 to 1833.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Literary Hall</span> A mid-19th-century library and museum in Romney, West Virginia

Literary Hall is a mid-19th-century brick library, building and museum located in Romney, a city in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the intersection of North High Street and West Main Street. Literary Hall was constructed between 1869 and 1870 by the Romney Literary Society.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wappocomo (Romney, West Virginia)</span> Georgian mansion in Romney, US

Wappocomo is a late 18th-century Georgian mansion and farm overlooking the South Branch Potomac River north of Romney, Hampshire County, West Virginia, USA. It is located along Cumberland Road and the South Branch Valley Railroad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marshall S. Cornwell</span> American writer and newspaper publisher

Marshall Silas Cornwell was a 19th-century American newspaper publisher and editor, writer and poet in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Cornwell was a younger brother of railroad and timber executive William B. Cornwell (1864–1926) and West Virginia Governor John Jacob Cornwell (1867–1953).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Rinehart Blue</span> American military officer, educator, businessperson, and politician

John Rinehart Blue was an American military officer, educator, businessperson, and politician in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Blue was a Democratic member of the West Virginia House of Delegates representing Hampshire County, from 1953 until 1959.

Romney Academy was an institution for higher education in Romney, Virginia, United States. Romney Academy was first incorporated by the Virginia General Assembly on January 11, 1814, and was active until 1846 when it was reorganized as the Romney Classical Institute. In addition to the Romney Classical Institute, Romney Academy was also a forerunner institution to Potomac Seminary. Romney Academy was one of the earliest institutions for higher learning within the present boundaries of the state of West Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Bell Gilkeson</span> American politician and lawyer

Henry Bell Gilkeson was an American lawyer, politician, school administrator, and banker in West Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Baker White (clerk of court)</span> American military officer and lawyer (1794–1862)

John Baker White was a 19th-century American military officer, lawyer, court clerk, and civil servant in the U.S. state of Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joshua Soule Zimmerman</span> American politician

Joshua Soule Zimmerman was an American lawyer, politician, and orchardist in the U.S. state of West Virginia. In the early years of the 20th century, Zimmerman served as the Prosecuting Attorney for Hampshire County and as a Democratic member of the West Virginia House of Delegates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Sloan Kuykendall</span> American politician and lawyer

James Sloan Kuykendall was an American farmer, lawyer, and Democratic politician in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Kuykendall was twice elected as a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates representing Hampshire County. Kuykendall also served three terms as the mayor of Romney and later fulfilled the position of city attorney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William B. Cornwell</span> American lawyer, businessperson, newspaper editor and publisher, and railroad and timber executive

William Benjamin Cornwell was an American lawyer, businessperson, newspaper editor and publisher, and railroad and timber executive in the U.S. state of West Virginia. He was an older brother of writer and newspaper publisher Marshall S. Cornwell (1871–1898) and of West Virginia Governor John J. Cornwell (1867–1953).

Romney Classical Institute was a 19th-century coeducational collegiate preparatory school in Romney, Virginia, United States, between 1846 and shortly after 1866. Romney had previously been served by Romney Academy, but by 1831 the school had outgrown its facilities. The Virginia General Assembly permitted the Romney Literary Society to raise funds for a new school through a lottery. On December 12, 1846, the assembly established the school and empowered the society with its operation.

Isaac Parsons was an American slave owner, politician, and militia officer in the U.S. state of Virginia. Parsons served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates representing Hampshire County from 1789 until his death in 1796. Following an act of the Virginia General Assembly in 1789, Parsons was appointed to serve as a trustee for the town of Romney. In 1790, Parsons began serving as a justice for Hampshire County. He served as a captain in command of a company in the Virginia militia during the American Revolutionary War and continued to serve as a captain in the Hampshire County militia following the war. Parsons operated a public ferry across the South Branch Potomac River, and later died from drowning in the river in 1796. Parsons was the grandfather of Isaac Parsons (1814–1862), who also represented Hampshire County in the Virginia House of Delegates and served as an officer in the Confederate States Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valley View (Romney, West Virginia)</span> 1855 Greek Revival residence and associated farm

Valley View is a mid-19th-century Greek Revival residence and farm overlooking the South Branch Potomac River northwest of Romney, West Virginia. The house is atop a promontory where Depot Valley joins the South Branch Potomac River valley.

Valley was a populated place and post office on the South Branch line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in the U.S. state of West Virginia. It was centered near the intersection of West Sioux Lane and Depot Valley Road, now located within the present-day corporate boundaries of Romney. Valley developed in 1884 following the completion of the South Branch line when the rail line's original southern terminus and corresponding Romney Depot were built there. The United States Post Office Department established a post office at Valley on May 19, 1928, remaining in operation until its disestablishment on June 15, 1937. Following the closure of Valley's post office, its mail was routed through the post office in Romney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hebron Church (Intermont, West Virginia)</span> Historic Lutheran church in Intermont, West Virginia

Hebron Church is a mid-19th-century Lutheran church in Intermont, Hampshire County, in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Hebron Church was founded in 1786 by German settlers in the Cacapon River Valley, making it the first Lutheran church west of the Shenandoah Valley. The congregation worshiped in a log church, which initially served both Lutheran and Reformed denominations. Its congregation was originally German-speaking; the church's documents and religious services were in German until 1821, when records and sermons transitioned to English.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Romney Literary Society</span> 19th-century literary society

The Romney Literary Society existed from January 30, 1819, to February 15, 1886, in Romney, West Virginia. Established as the Polemic Society of Romney, it became the first organization of its kind in the present-day state of West Virginia, and one of the first in the United States. The society was founded by nine prominent men of Romney with the objectives of advancing literature and science, purchasing and maintaining a library, and improving educational opportunities.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Federal Writers' Project 1937 , p. 9.
  2. 1 2 Federal Writers' Project 1937 , p. 10.
  3. 1 2 3 Federal Writers' Project 1937 , p. 11.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Brannon 1976 , p. 248.
  5. 1 2 Maxwell & Swisher 1897 , p. 419.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Hampshire County Extension Homemakers 1991 , p. 142.
  7. 1 2 Federal Writers' Project et al. 1941 , p. 163.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Munske & Kerns 2004 , p. 115.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Maxwell & Swisher 1897 , p. 346.
  10. 1 2 3 Chambers 2004 , p. 509.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Federal Writers' Project 1937 , p. 12.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Blue 1994 , pp. 60–5.
  13. 1 2 3 Pisciotta, Marla (August 12, 2012). "Hampshire Review newspaper moves after 104 years". State Journal . Charleston, West Virginia. Archived from the original on October 6, 2015. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  14. ↑ Munske & Kerns 2004 , p. 111.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 "The Bank of Romney: History". The Bank of Romney website. The Bank of Romney. 2010. Archived from the original on December 17, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  16. ↑ Maxwell & Swisher 1897 , p. 347.
  17. 1 2 Munske & Kerns 2004 , p. 116.
  18. ↑ "FNB Bank: About Us". FNB Bank website. FNB Bank. 2013. Archived from the original on September 18, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  19. 1 2 Hampshire County Extension Homemakers 1991 , p. 144.
  20. ↑ "Romney's First National turns 91". Cumberland Times-News . Cumberland, Maryland. March 28, 2001. p. 7E. Archived from the original on February 12, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2018– via NewspaperArchive.com.(subscription required)
  21. 1 2 Spangler, Donald K. (June 15, 1982). "Many Romney Landmarks Fall Victim To Wrecker". Cumberland Evening Times. Cumberland, Maryland. p. 8. Archived from the original on February 20, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2018– via NewspaperArchive.com.(subscription required)
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Historic American Buildings Survey. "Valley Bank Building, Romney, Hampshire County, WV". Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Online Catalog. Library of Congress. Archived from the original on December 17, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.
  23. ↑ "Potomac Section Depicted by Map". Charleston Daily Mail . Charleston, West Virginia. September 10, 1937. Retrieved February 11, 2018– via NewspaperArchive.com.(subscription required)
  24. ↑ "Fete Advertised By New Road Map". The Raleigh Register. Beckley. September 12, 1937. p. 3. Archived from the original on February 12, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2018– via Newspapers.com.(subscription required)
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Old Landmark Unnoticed On Romney Street". Cumberland Evening Times. Cumberland, Maryland. April 27, 1954. p. 14. Archived from the original on February 12, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2018– via NewspaperArchive.com.(subscription required)
  26. ↑ "Romney Firemen Plan Easter Flower Sale". Cumberland Evening Times. Cumberland, Maryland. March 28, 1956. p. 18. Archived from the original on February 12, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2018– via Newspapers.com.(subscription required)
  27. ↑ "Town Adopts New Traffic Regulations". Cumberland Sunday Times. Cumberland, Maryland. December 16, 1956. p. 45. Archived from the original on February 12, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2018– via NewspaperArchive.com.(subscription required)
  28. 1 2 "Building Played Role In History". Cumberland Evening Times. Cumberland, Maryland. August 7, 1962. p. 9. Archived from the original on February 12, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2018– via Newspapers.com.(subscription required)
  29. 1 2 3 "Historic Building Burns". Cumberland Evening Times. Cumberland, Maryland. February 17, 1964. p. 7. Archived from the original on February 12, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2018– via Newspapers.com.(subscription required)
  30. ↑ Hampshire Review Staff (February 19, 1964). "Early Morning Fire Destroys Historic Wirgman Building Here". Hampshire Review. Romney, West Virginia.
  31. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Fire Levels Old Romney Structure". Cumberland Sunday Times. Cumberland, Maryland. February 16, 1964. p. 11. Archived from the original on February 12, 2018. Retrieved February 11, 2018– via NewspaperArchive.com.(subscription required)
  32. 1 2 Hampshire County Extension Homemakers 1991 , p. 143.
  33. ↑ "Historic Markers in Hampshire County, West Virginia". HistoricHampshire.org. HistoricHampshire.org, Charles C. Hall. Archived from the original on May 19, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2013.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.