Pam Dudding
Contributing writer
There’s nothing like a good home-cooked meal, especially when someone else does all of the cooking and cleaning up.
The Craig County Historical Society will be hosting their third Country Style Dinner this year on Friday, September 14, with two sittings; the first will be at 5 and the second at 6:30 p.m. at the Old Brick Hotel.
The community has requested a few more dinners from the Historical Society for some time now. Diane Givens, an officer of the Society, shared, “we served 77 in May and 94 in July.” They also prepare orders for take-outs, if desired.
The home cooked menu will include country-style steak, potato casserole, green beans, cole slaw, hot rolls and a choice of homemade desserts. Adult tickets are $15 while children will be admitted for $5.
The Historical Society has been working diligently on raising funds to reconstruct the 1800s Holstein log cabin that is located on Court Street, across from the Court House.
Roger Davis, a master cabin-builder, was hired in the spring to complete a beautiful landmark of the Holstein cabin, being added to downtown New Castle.
Davis was also contracted by the Society years ago to rebuild the Keffer cabin. As a cabin-builder, he cuts the sandstone with a hammer and chisel, something that was done in the old days. Even the logs have his added touches of creativity in hammer and chisel.
Roger discovered his passion of rebuilding the past about 1989 and said he has never gone back. He lives in his self-handcrafted cabin in Troy, Montana. He has been in Craig County, however, now for several months building the cabin.
The Holstein Cabin, which was originally located on the Mattox Farm in Craig, has switched hands as it was originally donated to Explore Park by Walton Mitchell Jr. and Leon McCaleb.
Evelyn, Mitchell’s wife, said, “We wanted to do something with it as we did not want it to just fall down with age.”
The logs had been protected and were numbered as each was carefully dismantled and stored with care at Explore Park.
It was then given to the Society with the condition that it be used for public and educational purposes.
Bill McClanahan and Rusty Zimmerman helped to haul the landmark back to its home in Craig County where it was safely stored in Dennis and Kathleen Looney’s barns until future plans could be made.
The foundation stones were acquired from a cabin on Sinking Creek; the wood for window frames came from a Meadowcreek farm and extra logs from the Hawkins Farm on Rt. 614. The cedar shakes for the roof were purchased at the auction of Jim Via.
Plans are to furnish it with unique items from Craig, relating to life on the West Virginia frontier.
“I am putting the shingles on now, and then I will start the chinking in the logs,” Davis said. “It’s starting to look more complete.”
He added that everything he will be doing now would add to its charm. “After chinking, I will still have the windows, stairs and floors to complete and then the fireplace and chimney will be last.”
Thus far, the Society has raised approximately $22,000 for the cabin from membership donations and meals. They also received a $5,000 grant.
They have spent, however, $32,000 that includes the partial pay to Davis. “We still need to raise several thousand dollars to complete this project,” Givens said before adding, “The dinners have been such a success that many have asked us to host another one.”
The Society hopes that they will have a sell-out of 120 meals this Friday. Everyone is invited to “come and enjoy a meal while helping to preserve a historical landmark at the same time.”
Reservations are necessary by calling Mary Hutchison at (540) 747-2255.
