Kelson Thorne’s latest mural celebrating a West Virginia community came to life last week on the west facing side of the Seneca Rocks Regional Development Authority office in Franklin. He had previously completed one on the north wall facing the Town of Franklin parking lot.
That work detailed street scenes in Franklin in its history while the latest spotlights three historic mills in Pendleton County, one in each of the three major valleys that run through the area.
Annie Humes, Pendleton County Convention and Visitors Bureau executive director, shared that “a wide variety of groups came together to make it happen.”
Originally, all America 250 mural projects were slated for completion by April of this year. Kelly Williams, however, co-owner with husband, Sam, of a number of hotels and tourism related businesses in the Potomac Highlands, advocated to West Virginia Tourism for an extension.
Longer winters in higher elevation counties made the expectation unreasonable, so Thorne got to paint in the mild June summer weather rather than the winds, cold, and occasional snow that mark a typical Franklin winter.
The three mills depicted on the mural were the Homan Mill in Sugar Grove, the McCoy Mill near Franklin, and the Boggs Mill just outside of Seneca Rocks. Humes explained that Richard Ruddle from the Pendleton County Historical Society helped provide ideas to shape the theme and imagery of the project.
Tracy Lawson wrote of the Homan Mill, which produced fine buckwheat flour through the 1970s at Sugar Grove, in Historic Mills of West Virginia. That book details the history of Mountain State mills. Humes noted that Pendleton County had the largest section in the book, 40 pages long.
The imposing landmark structure of Homan’s Mill that greets those driving into Sugar Grove from Brandywine started using water powered equipment, then turned to diesel later. The family still maintains the site and the interior looks almost the same as it did when it closed out operations.
The online E-WV West Virginia Encyclopedia shares that McCoy’s Mill near Franklin “is one of West Virginia’s oldest landmarks” and “employed generations of millers, drawing its power from Thorn Creek just before the creek empties into the South Branch of the Potomac River.”
Decades ago, a document from the Historic Preservation Unit of the West Virginia Department of Culture and History described it as “one of the oldest industrial sites in the multi-county area” and “one of the very few which retains its historic setting with an intact mill still in place.” The historic site in recent years has served as a host area for demonstrations on West Virginia Maple Days.
More than 20 years ago, an application for National Register of Historic Places for Boggs Mill at Seneca Rocks shared details of its history. Built in 1830, “it is located about 250 yards west of the North Fork, South Branch of the Potomac River, and was, at one time, connected to the river by a long mill race.”
It originally had two stories, with a third and a half added later in the 19th century. Also “all the milling machinery inside the mill is still in remarkably good condition.” Boggs Mill remained in commercial service through 1966 and suffered some damage in the Flood of 1985.
Each of these sites, all on the National Register of Historic Places, is presented on the mural in black and white photograph form, flanked by representations of plants and butterflies set against a landscape background, all under a cursive “Pendleton County.”
Carl Hevener and Roger Dahmer from the Pendleton County Commission and Bob Horan, Town of Franklin mayor, came to help to mark the occasion. Sherry Mongold represented the Seneca Rocks Regional Development Authority Dayne Davis from Pendleton Community Bank, Brittany Brogan from the Pendleton County Chamber of Commerce, and Michelle Sites from the Pendleton County Arts Council were all on hand to mark the event.
“I’m looking forward to seeing it completely finished,” said Horan. Thorne was putting finishing touches on the piece right up to the celebration. He added that “I like both of them.”
Hevener shared “I think it’s great that he’s doing it” and that “it makes the county look nice.” He stated that he would like to see more such projects spread around the county, including Brandywine, Seneca Rocks, and Upper Tract, to name a few.
In the near future, Mongold stated that Thorne is expected to return and put the name and logo of the development authority on the front of the building facing the Pendleton County Courthouse.
