List of the oldest buildings in West Virginia explained

This article lists the oldest extant buildings in West Virginia, including extant buildings and structures constructed prior to and during the United States rule over West Virginia. Only buildings built prior to 1800 are suitable for inclusion on this list, or the building must be the oldest of its type.

In order to qualify for the list, a structure must:

• be a recognizable building (defined as any human-made structure used or intended for supporting or sheltering any use or continuous occupancy);
• incorporate features of building work from the claimed date to at least 1.5m (04.9feet) in height and/or be a listed building.

This consciously excludes ruins of limited height, roads and statues. Bridges may be included if they otherwise fulfill the above criteria. Dates for many of the oldest structures have been arrived at by radiocarbon dating or dendrochronology and should be considered approximate. If the exact year of initial construction is estimated, it will be shown as a range of dates.

List of oldest buildings

Building	Image	Location	First built	Use	Notes
The Hermitage (Charles Town, West Virginia)		Charles Town, West Virginia	c. 1740	Residence	Stone structure on property is possibly the oldest building in West Virginia.
The Beverly		Charles Town, West Virginia	c. 1750	Residence	Working farm since 1750^[1]
Graham House		Lowell, West Virginia	c. 1770	Residence	Squared log structure
Prato Rio		Leetown, West Virginia	1775	Residence	^[2]
Rehoboth Church		Union, West Virginia	1785-86	Church	a log church, which is the oldest church in WV
Baker House		Shepherdstown, West Virginia	1790s	Residence
Chapline-Shenton House		Shepherdstown, West Virginia	1793	Residence	later used as a Civil War hospital after Antietam
Old Stone House (Morgantown, West Virginia)		Morgantown, West Virginia	1796	Residence	^[3]
Harper's Ferry Armory		Harper's Ferry, West Virginia	1799	Armory	Site of abolitionist John Brown's raid in 1859.^[4]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in West Virginia
• History of West Virginia
• Oldest buildings in the United States

Notes and References

1. Web site: These Are 11 of the Oldest Structures in West Virginia That Are Still Standing . 9 July 2018 .
2. Allen, John C., Jr. (2011). Uncommon Vernacular: The Early Houses of Jefferson County, West Virginia, 1735-1835. West Virginia University Press. pp. 50–51
3. Web site: These Are 11 of the Oldest Structures in West Virginia That Are Still Standing . 9 July 2018 .
4. Web site: These Are 11 of the Oldest Structures in West Virginia That Are Still Standing . 9 July 2018 .