About this property
The Charles Town Mining, Manufacturing, and Improvement Company Building in Ranson, Jefferson County, West Virginia is a Romanesque Revival building that now serves as Ranson's City Hall. It was built for the Charles Town Mining, Manufacturing and Improvement Company (CMM&I) in 1891 as its headquarters. The CMM&I sought to develop industry in the area that in 1910 became the City of Ranson. The company was formed in 1890 by Roger Preston Chew, Frank Beck, Forrest W. Brown, T.C. Green, W.F. Lippitt, A.W. McDonald and B. C. Washington, with Chew as president. Using 850 acres (3.4 km2) of land purchased from the Ranson family, a planned community was laid out by D.G. Howell, a Washington, D.C. landscape architect and civil engineer. In 1891 the 3½ story headquarters was built, designed by J.C. Holmes. By 1893 the CMM&I was facing hard times, possibly as a result of the Panic of 1893, and the headquarters was sold to the Board of Education of Charles Town, and served as the white Charles Town High School from 1893 to 1912. The school was sometimes known as both the "Keyhole School,” due to its distinctive entrance, and as the Wright Denny School. In 1917 the Board of Education sold the school to former mayor Gerard D. Moore, and upon his death the property went to H.C. Getzendanner for $4500. Part of the building was used as a confectionery and the north half became the Ranson Post Office. In 1936 the City of Ranson bought the building for $3000 as its City Hall, although apartments occupied the upper floors until the 1970s.
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Charles Town Mining, Manufacturing, and Improvement Company Building
This page lists Charles Town Mining, Manufacturing, and Improvement Company Building. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Questions about this property
When was Charles Town Mining, Manufacturing, and Improvement Company Building listed on the National Register?
Charles Town Mining, Manufacturing, and Improvement Company Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 1, 2001.
What type of historic resource is Charles Town Mining, Manufacturing, and Improvement Company Building?
Charles Town Mining, Manufacturing, and Improvement Company Building is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Charles Town Mining, Manufacturing, and Improvement Company Building?
The period of significance for Charles Town Mining, Manufacturing, and Improvement Company Building is recorded as the industrial era, specifically around 1891.
Can I research the history near Charles Town Mining, Manufacturing, and Improvement Company Building?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Charles Town Mining, Manufacturing, and Improvement Company Building will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
More in Jefferson County
Historic places, battles, and census history across Jefferson County.
Explore JeffersonCounty ›More historic places in West Virginia
Browse all historic places in West Virginia.
View West Virginiahistoric sites ›West Virginia history
Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.
West Virginiahistory ›Research the history near this site
An Aubrey US report for an address near Charles Town Mining, Manufacturing, and Improvement Company Building will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.