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2/24/2024 - A Shining Light goes dim with the death of Calhoun woman Nancy Updegrave, 73, of Walnut Road, a back-to-lander who never quit in the business of doing and giving.
"To the family and friends of Nancy, she was among the most fascinating women and doers in my lifetime of 84 years. Her standards for a better life for all people could be measured by her exemplary life, and the friendship to those who passed her way, proof by her words and deeds. I treasure our visits over the years." - Bob Weaver
WALNUT HOMESTEAD ROLLS INTO 21ST CENTURY - With Help From The Updegraves
By Bob Weaver 2001
"We have worked hard over the years to retain the beauty of the old
house," said
Nancy Updegrave, who with her former husband purchased the farm on
Walnut in
1977. The attic has been finished for more living space and new
sections have been
added, but the flavor of the old farm house has been preserved. The
latest project is
saving the barn.
Current Updegrave house, Walnut Creek
Nancy Updegrave looks down Walnut Creek
It represents a step back in time with the modern conveniences. The
stone fireplace
was fired beside an infra-red heater. There was TV and a computer, but
the building,
decor and furnishings speak of another time, creating the comfortable
feeling of a
grandparent's home.
Dining area is a modern add-on
Sitting room in old house
Since about 1930 the one-story dwelling was occupied by the Albert and
Artie Brown
family, originally owned by the Knotts family. Updegrave said the
Browns raised all
six of their children on the farm and "never owned a vehicle, never
had a job off the
farm."
Updegrave said it has been a place of joy, particularly to raise her
children, daughter
Becky, 24, a graduate of WVU who works for the Department of Air
Quality in
Charleston and her son Evan, 17, a senior at Clay County High
School.
She said when her family moved to Walnut very few of the original
farms had changed
hands and they were still undivided. "Many of them have been sold off
in smaller
tracts in recent years," she said.
The Updegraves came to Calhoun in 1973 seeking a life-style change
from urban life
in Philadelphia. They found it at Eden, a former post office location
not far from Nicut,
where they lived on one of the original Chenoweth farms for several
years.
Updegrave, who has been a teacher and principal in Clay County for
several years,
has obtained four Masters Degrees in education and demonstrates
exuberance and
energy about teaching.
She said the people of the area have been very kind to her, and after
these many
years "I really belong to this place."
Old stone cellar and cellar-house
The old barn "has been saved"
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