If Walls Had Ears

Who ever heard of a building blogging? People say, “What if the walls had ears?” But they never imagine the stories we buildings could tell if we could talk. I’ll tell you it’s tough for an old building to change into a public place after years of being a private home. But then again it’s about time for something new if you ask me!

Dear old Gov. Kump died fifty years ago this Valentine’s Day, and I have not been warm in the winter since 1962. His youngest daughter, tried to earn money to keep things going by teaching school on U.S. military bases all over the world. She would come home in the summers and do a little house maintenance, but it was never enough. When Miss Kump died, her Last Will and Testament gave me to the City of Elkins “to promote educational purposes.”

Becoming an Education Center will be a big change for an old house like me, but I’ve been watching changes all my life. White Way gave way to McDonalds, the south pasture was taken over for Hiawatha’s, and many neighbors’ homes came down before Kroger built the big store across the street. I stand at the crossroads of rural tradition and urban development. Change is not easy, but it is necessary for survival.