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By Bob Weaver
After delays, hurdles and site evaluation, the ribbon will be cut today on
Grantsville's first historical project, the revitalization of the 19th century
Stump hotel and the development of a family history center for Calhoun
County. The ceremony will commence at 6:30 p.m. today in front of the hotel
(inside the adjacent building if there is rain).
Removed shingles reveal original structure
Asbestos siding being removed from 19th century structure
Calhoun County Genealogical and Historical Society President Bob Bonar
will introduce the featured speaker, well-known Calhoun teacher, Don
McCartney. Bonar will recognize the donated contribution of much of the
property between Main and Mill Street by Dr. and Mrs. Charles Albert Stump
of Daytona, Florida.
Dr. and Mrs. Charles Albert Stump of Daytona, Florida
Stump is the son of the late Albert and Gladys Weaver Stump of Grantsville,
and descendants of the builders and proprietors of the hotel. "We are
delighted to give the hotel and adjacent property to the Historical Society for
the citizens of Calhoun County," they said.
Harry Beall and Stephanie Curry will provide special entertainment for the
ceremony. A reception will follow for members and the public.
The Stump Hotel property, which is being donated to the Calhoun Historical
and
Genealogical Society, will receive some restoration and be
joined with an adjacent
building once occupied by State Farm Insurance. Dr. Charles
Albert Stump of
Daytona, Florida and a grant from the federal government in
excess of $200,000 is
making it happen. The project, which is expected to house
history displays of the
area and contain some museum pieces, is expected to get
underway this year. The
following is an updated story originally published in The
Herald:
One of the county's oldest standing structures, the Stump
Hotel on Main Street in
Grantsville, may be developed as a county museum and
family history center,
according to Bob Bonar, President of the Calhoun Historical
and Genealogical
Society.
A $225,000 grant obtained by Congressmen Alan Mollohan
and Bob Wise could
be used to restore the 19th century building and develop the
adjacent lot. New
construction attached to the historic building could house
artifacts and historical
papers pertinent to the county's history.
Dr. Charles Albert Stump of Daytona, Florida, son of the late
Albert and Gladys
Weaver Stump of Grantsville, and a descendent of the original
developers of the
hotel, has offered to donate the hotel building to the
historical society.
The adjacent property extends to Mill Street, and Dr. Stump
said he is willing to
negotiate a reasonable deal for the additional space.
The Stump Hotel was built about 1885, and originally included
a dozen or more
rooms in a back section, torn down several years ago. The
hotel had a courtyard
area with a dug well and a livery stable which fronted Mill
Street. Another dozen
rooms were added to the structure in 1896.
Stump Hotel on Main Street
The hotel was built by the first mayor of Grantsville, A. H. (Dick) Stump on
land
purchased from the town's founder, Simon Stump. Stump,
who was a carpenter
and stone mason, operated the hotel for many years with his
wife, Druscilla Ball
Stump.
Druscilla handled all the money, which Gladys Weaver Stump
said she kept in large
stone jars. "She did not trust banks," said Gladys. Grantsville
poet and artist, Aunt
Nettie Stump, daughter of Dick and Druscilla, said her mother
lowered some of the
money into the dug well for "safe keeping."
"When my father needed money he would sing a certain hymn
and one of us would
go and get silver dollars from one of the jugs," she said. After
her parents death,
Aunt Nettie, who never married, continued to run the hotel for
many years. During
this time she penned a book of poetry "Trail of My Pen."
Miss Nettie Stump
A. H. (Dick) and Druscilla Stump had three other children, Ester, Lilly who married
Judge Reese Blizzard of Parkersburg, and Charles "Spav" Stump. "Spavy" was one
of Calhoun's most fascinating characters, best remembered for his kindness to
children, whittling tiny figures from peach seeds, which he gave away.
"Spav," whose habits did not lend well to the cultural pursuits of his sister, Miss
Nettie, was often a non-resident of the hotel. He married Edna Frederick and they
had three children, Jean Stump Noll, Lucille Stump Henderson, and Albert H.
Stump, father of Dr. Charles Albert Stump.
"Spav" was an expert horseman and trainer and ran a livery stable, hauling
equipment for the oil and gas fields during the first part of this century. He also
owned a sulky, which he hired out mostly to the ladies in Grantsville.
"Spav" was known for his particular dress, knee high boots with leather leggings and
a well-worn hat, the apparition of a "lost soldier." He spent hundreds of nights
entertaining from the upstairs porch of the hotel, playing his fiddle or other musical
instrument for the crowd below, undoubtedly inspired by the fruit of the vine. There
are dozens, if not hundreds of tell-tale stories about the character.
"Spavy" Stump with grandson, Charles Albert Stump
His son, Albert, was a well-known mechanic in Grantsville for many years, along
with his wife, Gladys, operated a repair shop, service station and auto parts store.
Albert and Gladys Weaver Stump shortly after marriage in 1926
The Calhoun Historical and Genealogical Society will be exploring the possibly of
accepting the Stump property as the site for a museum. "In order to better serve the
public, the Society has been exploring ways to display and preserve the many items
in its archival collection. The funding that Congressman Wise and Mollohan have
obtained is a major step toward accomplishing this goal," said the group's President,
Bob Bonar.
Unidentified Guests at Reception Desk of the Stump Hotel in Grantsville Early
1900's
Stump Family in front of Stump Hotel About 1908 Left to right: Albert Stump, Edna
Frederick Stump, Lucile Stump (in front of Edna), Nettie Stump, Jean Stump.
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