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West Virginia » Lower Ohio and Kanawha Valleys » Mason County » The Great Bend » Virgil A. Lewis House

Virgil A. Lewis House

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c. 1885. Southwest side of Brown St. between 2nd (U.S. 33) and 3rd sts.

Although Virgil A. Lewis (1848–1912) did not build the house, it was named for him. West Virginia's first state historian and archivist, Lewis lived here from 1893 until his death. The house is modest in size but has great architectural flair, owing almost entirely to its elaborate Eastlake woodwork. The two-tiered front porch with turned posts, spindles, pendants, and railings is especially notable. Since 1974 the house has served as the headquarters and museum of the Mason City Historical Society. Originally clapboarded, the Lewis House has been covered with asbestos siding since the 1940s.

Writing Credits

Author: 
S. Allen Chambers Jr.
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Data

What's Nearby

West Virginia State Farm Museum
Walnut Grove (Summers Log House)

Citation

S. Allen Chambers Jr., "Virgil A. Lewis House", [Mason, West Virginia], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/WV-01-MS16.

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