The Grahm House: Traveling West Virginia from Eyewitness News

The Graham House, on Route 3 and 12 at Lowell, Summers County, West Virginia, is one of the oldest and most historic homes in West Virginia. With the exception of a modern wing at the rear of the dwelling, the Graham House today looks much as it did when it was constructed more than two hundred years ago.

Colonel James Graham (1741-1813) built his cabin between 1770 and 1772 and it served not only as a home for the Graham family, but also as a fortress to protect the settlers from the ever present danger of Indian attack.

In the spring of 1777, Shawnee Indians attacked the Graham House. A friend of the family and Colonel Graham's ten-year-old son were killed. The second child, a seven-year-old daughter, was taken captive. Colonel Graham spent the next eight years searching for this lost daughter. Finally, he rescued her near where Maysville, Kentucky now stands. After trading blankets and trinkets to the Indians, legend has it that Colonel Graham had the shoes on the horses reversed for the journey home, in order to hamper any pursuit by the Indians.

The Graham House, which has survived for more than two centuries, is unique in that it was not the simple log cabin commonly found in the state, but an impressive three-story structure representing the lifestyles of wealthy gentlemen on the Virginia frontier.

Person Interviewed: William Phillips
Title: Grahm House Historian
Date: Memorial Day thru Labor Day
Hours: Saturdays 11am to 5pm and Sundays 1pm to 5pm
Location: Summers County, West Virginia
Address: P.O. Box 218, Pence Springs, WV 24962
Phone: 304-466-5336
Reservations: Not required