- ,

dATIOWAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES RECEIVED aF>r\ -, . .

-YVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM L DATE ENTERED -- -- QCT 4 1978

SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN H O W TO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGISTER FORMS TYPE A L L ENTRIES - - COMPLETE APPLICABLE SECTIONS

NAME HISTORIC

Waldomore --

AND/OR COMMON

Clarksburg P u b l i c L i b r a r y

STREET& NUMBER

West P i k e S t r e e t a t North E a Y r t h S t r e e t -NOT FOR PUBLICATION

CITY. TOWN CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

Clarksburg - VICINITY OF F i r s t STATE CODE COUNTY CODE

West V l r w . . . 5 4 H a r r j son 0 33 L - .

CLASSIFI CAT1 ON

CATEGORY O W N E R S H I P S T A T U S

-DISTRICT XPUBLIC YOCCUPIED

XBUILDING(S) -PRIVATE -UNOCCUPIED

-STRUCTURE -BOTH -WORK IN PROGRESS

-SITE P U B L I C A C Q U I S I T I O N ACCESSIBLE -OBJECT -IN PROCESS X Y E S RESTRICTED

-BEING CONSIDERED -YES UNRESTRICTED

_- N 0

PRESENT U S E

A G R I C U L T U R E -MUSEUM

-COMMERCIAL -PARK

-EDUCATIONAL -PRIVATE RESIDENCE

-ENTERTAINMENT -RELIGIOUS

-GOVERNMENT -SCIENTIFIC

-INDUSTRIAL -TRANSPORTATION

-MILITARY XOTHER L i b r a r y

NAME J

C l a r k s burr?.Publ icLib r a r y l h a r c - . - --

STREET & NUMBER

West P i k e S t r e e t - -. . - . --. -. - - - . -. . - -

CITY. TOWN STATE

C l a r k s b u r a - VICINITY OF West V i r g i n i a

LOCATION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION ZOURTHOUSE.

STREET5 NUMBER

Main Styppf- CITY. TOWN STATE

C l a r k s b u r n West V i r g i n i a

REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS

DATE

-FEDERAL -STATE -COUNTY -LOCAL - DEPOSITORY FOR

SURVEY RECORDS

CITY. TOWN STATE

CONDIT ION CHECK ONE CHECK ONE

- U N A L T E R E D X O R l G l N A L SITE

X A L T E R E D -MOVED DATE

- -

DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL ( IF KNOWN) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

"~a ldomore" i s a two-story Neo-Classical Revival b r i c k mansion l o c a t e d a t t h e r e a r of a t r e e shaded, block-deep lawn f r o n t i n g West P ike S t r e e t a t North Four th S t r e e t i n Clarksburg, Ha r r i son County, West V i r g i n i a . The b u i l d i n g was cons t ruc t ed i n 1839 a s a r e s idence f o r Waldo P. Goff whose h e i r s r e t a i n e d t h e p rope r ty u n t i l 1931 when i t was l e f t t o t h e C i t y of Clarksburg f o r u s e a s a pub l i c l i b r a r y . A C i v i l War per iod photograph of t h e house, p r e sen t ed t o t h e l i b r a r y by M r s . Osborn Goff, c l e a r l y shows t h e b u i l d i n g i n i t s Greek Reviva l form be fo re i t assumed t h e p r e s e n t Neo-Classical Revival manner a t o r nea r t h e turn-of- the-century.

A n a t i o n a l l y popular Greek Reveval p l a n of t h e 1830s was adopted f o r Waldomore: t h e temple-form, two s t o r y b lock f lanked by s i n g l e s t o r y wings. S h e l t e r i n g t h e three-bay facade of t h e c e n t r a l two-story u n i t was t h e p r i n c i p a l f e a u t r e of t h e house: a two-story pedimented p o r t i c o w i t h f o u r p l a i n wooden Doric columns. Narrow b r i c k p i l a s t e r s d iv ided t h e f r o n t e l e v a t i o n bays of bo th t h e c e n t r a l and s i d e u n i t s . A r a i s e d seam t i n s u r f a c e a p p a r e n t l y covered t h e o r i g i n a l roo f .

Extens ive a l t e r a t i o n s a t Waldomore, c . 1900, provided f o r a d d i t i o n a l second f l o o r and r e a r wing space. The e x t e r i o r workmanship and d e t a i l i n g was e s p e c i a l l y w e l l done, t o t h e e x t e n t t h a t b r i c k cou r s ing i s i n d i s t i n g u i s h a b l e from t h e e a r l i e r brickwork. Cer ta in Colonia l Reviva l appur tenances i n keeping wi th t h e Neo-Classical Revival mode made t h e i r appearance a t t h i s t i m e .

I n keeping wi th t h e s e n s i t i v e c l a s s i c a l t r ea tmen t of t h e f r o n t e l e v a t i o n , t h e ,de wings were r a i s e d one s t o r y t o meet t h e temple b lock roof running f r o n t t o

r e a r . The e x i s t i n g b r i c k p i l a s t e r s were then r a i s e d t o t h e l e v e l of t h e p l a i n e n t a b l a t u r e . The newly e l e v a t e d i n t e r i o r end chimneys were f lanked by a t t i c v e n t s t h a t i n t h e ca se of t h e southwest gab l e a r e unusual t r i a n g l e shaped openings matching t h e angle of t h e s l o p i n g roof and framed by t h e p a r t i a l r e t u r n co rn i ce s .

P ropor t i ons and s t y l i n g of t h e p o r t i c o s u r v i v e i n d i c a t i n g t h e p r o b a b i l i t y of t h e r e t e n t i o n of t h e o r i g i n a l f a b r i c . Two gab le dormers were cons t ruc t ed , b u t t h e roof r e t a i n e d i t s seamed t i n s u r f a c e . The Greek Revival doorway wi th i t s undecorated l i n t e l was r ep l aced w i t h an e l a b o r a t e s imi -c i r cu l a r f a n l i g h t and pedimented f ron tp i ece . The f a n l i g h t i s d u p l i c a t e d over t h e i nne r v e s t i b u l e doorway. The spandre l s and bay s u r f a c e s benea th t h e p o r t i c o may have rece ived t h e i r grey s tucco cover ing a t t h i s t i m e .

The 616 double hung windows were r ep l aced w i t h 2 511 (25 l i g h t s over 1 ) s a shes and p ro t ec t ed wi th double-fold louvered s h u t t e r s t h a t are probably replacements bu t today remain e s s e n t i a l l y a s t hey were when t h e house was b u i l t . I n a l l

l i k e l i h o o d turn-of- the-century rear wing a d d i t i o n s changed t h e house p l a n from a T t o a U.

Modi f ica t ions of t h e i n t e r i o r a r e seen i n t h e woodwork and mant les t h a t a r e s t anda rd l a t e n ine t een th o r e a r l y t w e n t i e t h cen tury t ypes . The mant le i n t h e f i r s t f l o o r southwest wing i s e s p e c i a l l y o r n a t e and may p r e d a t e t h e o t h e r V i c t o r i a n millwork by a decade o r more. When Waldomore became t h e Clarksburg P u b l i c L ib ra ry

1931 s e v e r a l w a l l s i n t h e c e n t e r of t h e b u i l d i n g were removed t o p rov ide l a r g e -ading rooms on t h e f i r s t and second f l o o r s .

N 7ONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES I riy T 4 '1'378 INVENTORY -- NOA.fINATION FORM DATE ENTERED

a

C , F s. , -3 ' f i 3ClOa *

"3 10.iJi

[ , \ I I I I ) S T X I I - s 111 P . I K I 5ttru.r- ot 1 - I I E I N - ~ ~ . K I O K r ,

WALDOMORE, CLARKSBURG, HARRISON COUNTY, WEST VIRGINIA \

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

Three one-story frame subsidiary buildings with slate roofs stand at the rear of the Waldomore property. These modest Victorian cottages, built near the turn- of-the-century, provided quarters for the servants and groundskeepers at Waldomore.

FOR NPS USE ONLY

,RECEIVED APR 1 6 1978

AREAS OF SIGNIFICANCE - - CHECK A N D JUSTIFY BELOW I :

- C A R C H E O L O G Y PREHISTORIC -COMMUNITY PLANNING -LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE -RELIGION ARCHEOLOGY-HISTORIC -CONSERVATION -LAW -SCIENCE

t . '3 j -AGRICULTURE -ECONOMICS -LITERATURE -SCULPTURE

, , LARCHITECTURE -EDUCATION -MILITARY -SOCIAVHUMANITARiAN

, 5 ~3 -ART - E N G I N E E R I N G -MUSIC -THEATER

; $ 9 -COMMERCE -EXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT -PHILOSOPHY -TRANSPORTATION

.. 3 4 - C O M M U N I C A T I O N S - I N D U S T R Y -POLITICS/GOVERNMENT % . ZOTHER (SPECIFY, WV S t a t e

-INVENTION and Local His tory - _ -- -.- -- -

1 2 ; 4 E S 1839 BUILDER/ARCHITECT *. *---.- - -.*

t * l l J E \ T 3 :SIGNIFICANCE

The p o r t i c o e d b r i c k mansion named "Waldomore" served Waldo P. G o f f , i t s f i r s t owrs . . and h i s h e i r s f o r n e a r l y a cen tu ry u n t i l it was bequeathed t o t h e C i ty of C1cr':::burg by M r s . May Goff Lowndes (Mrs. Richard T. Lowndes) i n 1930 wi th t h e condi- t i o n .:hat i t be used "as a p u b l i c l i b r a r y and museum and f o r no o t h e r purpose." S ign i i i can t i n t h e b u i l d i n g ' s h i s t o r y of p r i v a t e and p u b l i c s e r v i c e i s i ts long s t m 2 i r i $ r e c o g n i t i o n a s a community landmark. The c h a r a c t e r of Waldomore's f r o n t e l c ~ a t - i o n today remains much as i t was i n 1839 when t h e b u i l d e r designed t h e rt!sjde~-ice i n t h e f a sh ionab le Greek Reviva l s t y l e of t h e t i m e . Desp i t e a l t e r a t i o n s tndcrrtaken a t t h e turn-of-the-century, Waldomore r e t a i n e d i t s c l a s s i c a l image tlw ks t o t h e owners who r e j e c t e d t h e tendency of a r e a p rope r ty owners t o "Victor- i m ' i; el' t h e i r pe r iod houses.

Waldomore was cons t ruc t ed l a t e i n t h e year 1839 f o r Waldo P. Goff on p a r t o f E'mr a c r e t r a c t t h a t extended from P ike S t r e e t t o E lk Creek. M r . Goff was born

ir_ L-'96, t h e f i f t h son of Job and Zerviah Goff who moved t o Harr i son County i n 1 8 0 i from New York. Of t h e e i g h t c h i l d r e n born t o t h i s fami ly , fou r sons even tua l ly ser r r?d i n l e g i s l a t u r e s of V i r g i n i a and West V i r g i n i a . Waldo P. Goff was a member of t ~ e V i r g i n i a S t a t e Senate from 1833 t o 1837. A p u b l i c s p i r i t e d c i t i z e n , M r . Ccff he ld numerous l o c a l minor o f f i c e s i nc lud ing t h a t of s h e r i f f of Harr ison Cmnty i n 1851. He marr ied H a r r i e t L. Moore i n 1839, a union which produced n i n e c h f l d r e n , one of whom was M r s . May Goff Lowndes. It was M r s . Lowndes who coined t ' n t e p i t h e t "Waldomore" from t h e names of h e r f a t h e r and mother; and it w i l l be rericmbered t h a t i t was the same Mrs. Lowndes who l e f t t h e fami ly home t o t h e C i t y of Clarksburg i n 1930.

The most famous of Waldo P. Gof f ' s c h i l d r e n was Nathan Goff, born a t Waldomore E'e'l-uary 9, 1843. A f t e r graduat ing from Georgetown Unive r s i t y and t h e Univers i ty of :he C i t y of New York, Goff e n l i s t e d i n t h e Union Amy i n June 1861. Following t h e war , Goff passed t h e bar exam and p r a c t i c e d law f o r a number of yea r s . On January 6 , 1881, he was appoin ted Sec re t a ry of t h e Navy, a c a b i n e t l e v e l p o s t , by P res iden t R ~ t h e r f o r d B. Hayes. I n 1876 Goff was de fea t ed i n t h e West V i r g i n i a governor 's r a c e b j Henry M . Mathews. Af t e r s e r v i n g from 1883 t o 1889 i n t h e U . S . Congress, Nathan G c f f l e f t o f f i c e t o run aga in f o r governor . Despi te o f f i c i a l r e t u r n s i n d i c a t i n g t h e e: E c t i o n of Republican Gof f t o t h e governorship i n 1888 (by a paper - th in margin) , r i v a l c i r d i d a t e A . Brooks Fleming ques t ioned t h e r e s u l t s and reques ted t h e L e g i s l a t u r e dl!termine t h e winner. During t h e confus ion t h a t fol lowed fou r men l a i d l e g a l c laim t o t h e o f f i c e ; Gof f ' s chances were squelched, however, when t h e L e g i s l a t u r e i n a pd- ' t i san v o t e gave the o f f i c e t o Fleming.

' Nathan Goff w a s appointed U.S. C i r c u i t Judge f o r t h e Four th J u d i c i a l C i r c u i t b y P r e s i d e n t Harr i son on March 17-, 1892. H e remained on t h e bench u n t i l 1913 when be w a s e l e c t e d t o a term i n t h e U . S . Sena te . Goff d i ed a t Clarksburg i n 1920. H i s

L\111 1 ) \ 1 2 1 1 5 I > t f " i K 1 M t h T O t 1 t i t I'LII-KlOK NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

RECEIVED APh I L j y i c

N ' "IONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY -- NOMINATION FORM DATE ENTERED

WALDOMORE, CLARKSBURG, HARRISON COUNTY, WEST V I R G I N I A \

C O N T l NU A T I O N SHEET ITEM NUMBER 8 PAGE 2

son , Guy Despard Goff , s e r v e d i n t h e U.S. S e n a t e from 1925 t o 1931.

The Cla rksburg P u b l i c L i b r a r y found a permanent home a t Waldomore i n 1931 a f t e r i t had "wandered" from b u i l d i n g t o b u i l d i n g f o r a p e r i o d of s e v e r a l decades . M r s . J u l i a Walker Ruhl, a t e a c h e r a t Broaddus C o l l e g e , was i n s t r u m e n t a l i n founding t h e L i b r a r y i n 1 9 0 7 . M i s s S . S c o l l a y Page, who s e r v e d a s - l i b r a r i a n from 1910 u n t i l 1938, set t h e i n s t i t u t i o n on a sound p r o f e s s i o n a l c o u r s e and oversaw t h e move t o Waldomore.

A b r o n z e p l a q u e i n t h e v e s t i b u l e a t Waldomore r e c o r d s a s imple message w f i t t e n by C l a r k s b u r g s t a t e s m a n and p r e s i d e n t i a l c a n d i d a t e John W. Davis:

I n Memory of May Goff Lowndes

Wife of Richard T . Lowndes Who Bequeathed t o t h e C i t y of C l a r k s b u r g

For U s e as a L i b r a r y T h i s House B u i l t i n t h e Year 1839

By h e r F a t h e r Waldo P . Goff .

"Books a r e t h e S h r i n e Where t h e S a i n t is ." - F r a n c i s Bacon

I n 1976 a new l i b r a r y b u i l d i n g was c o n s t r u c t e d a d j a c e n t t o t h e Waldomore g rounds t o meet t h e r a p i d l y growing needs o f Cla rksburg . Waldomore h a s s i n c e been d e s i g n a t e d a r e p o s i t o r y and r e s e a r c h c e n t e r f o r t h e Cla rksburg P u b l i c L i b r a r y ' s l o c a l and s t a t e h i s t o r y c o l l e c t i o n s .

. >

MAJOR BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REF RAFT

k C E S

GEOGRAPHICAL DATA ACREAGE OF N O M I N A T E D PROPERTY -- UTM REFERENCES

A \ \ [ ~ 1 5 ~ b \ 9 , 1 ,o] [ ~ t , 3 \ 4 , 8 l o , r , o ) ZONE EASTING NORTHING ZONE EASTiNG NORTHING

BW u u CW LLLLu_l u

VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION

Waldomore i s loca ted a t t h e r e a r of a long c i t y l o t bound by West Pike S t r e e t on t h e " ,

south , North Fourth S t r e e t on t h e e a s t , t h e main b r i c k l i b r a r y bu i ld ing t o t h e west, and th ree frame subsidiary bui ld ings t o the nor th .

\ ,

/

- - - - LIST ALL STATES AND COUNTIES FOR PROPERTIES t 'PPING STATE OR COUNTY BOUNDARIES - - - -

- -

STATE CODr COU'riY CODE

--- STATE C G O t , . Y CODE

f ------- -- ------

PREPAXED BY . - NA\?E / TITLE j

Rodney S . Co l l ins - -- - -- -- - -- --

ORGAhIZATlOk DATE

West V i r e n i a D e ~ t m e n t of Culture and History February 14, 1978 STREET& NUXl.13ER TELEPHONE

(304) 348 - 0744 --- CapitolCo_m_ELex . -- -- CITY OR TOLLP: STATE

--- Charles ton . - West V i r o w a .. K ~ S T A T ' E HISTORIC tRESERVATiUil' OPFiZEX CERI'IFICATION

THE EVACUATED SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS Pi:OPtF(TY CITHIN THE STATE IS.

NATIONAL. -- STArE A LOCAL - -. --- - -. -- - -. - - - . - - A .- - -- - - . - - . - - .- - - --

As t h ~ d5;isna:??J Std t .~ t l i j to i ic Pre;~;:3ti3:1 O f f ~ c ~ r far the National tlistoiic Pias2:~ation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89-665). I hereby nominarc thts prupei;y for inclusion in th; Na:ior~al Rayister and ce::i5i that i t has been evaluated according to the

criteria an:! pio:cdures se t furth by the National Park Service.

TITL L DATE

DATE ... - . . -. - -. . . . -. . - -. . . -.-- -- . - - - -- -- - - . - -- -

~ ~ ~ , ~ ~ : ~ r ~ j ; . ' , ~ ) ; . , - ; ~ ; ~ C); A'>tz!-! ~~~( j< ; ) ' HI:<Ta;:IC ~'f]EsERi,'hTi:b>; . . - , . . I DATE

NATIONAL RECIS'I'ER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY -- NOMENATPTQN FORM

CONTI N U A T I O N SHEET I T E M NUMBER

FOR NPS USE ONLY

9 PAGE

Davis, Dorothy, His tory of Harrison County , West Virgin ia . American Associat ion of Univers i ty Women: &rksburg, West Vi rg in ia , 1970 pp. 445-451,

Deibler , Dan G. "Comments on Waldomore, Clarksburg, Harrisqn County." A n t i q u i t i e s Commission, 1977. \,

/' Lynch, Lawrence. His tory -- of the Clarksburg Pub l i c ~ i b r a r y ! Clarksburg

1946. P

West Virgin ia

, West Virgin ia ,