'Jnited States Department of the Interior
National Park Service
For NPS uoe only
National Register of Historic Places
Inventory-Nomination Form
received
date entered
See instructions i n How to Complete National Register Forms
Type all entries-complete applicable sections
Name
1
historic
Elkins, Senator Stephen Benton, House
Halliehurst
and or common
2. Location
street & number
Davis and Elkins College campus
city, town
Elkins
-vicinity of
West Virginia
state
-not for publication
code
county
Randolph
code
3. Classification
6
Category
-district
2-building(s)
-structure
site
-object
Ownership
-public
2private
-both
Public Acquisition
&LA in process
lib being considered
Status
1Loccupied
-unoccupied
-work in progress
Accessible
1Lyes: restricted
-. yes: unrestricted
-no
Present U s e
-agriculture
-commercial
-educational
-entertainment
-government
-industrial
-military
'
m u s e u m
-park
-private residence
-religious
-scientific
-transportation
2 other: campus security
4. Owner of Property
Board of Trustees of Davis and Elkins College
name
street & number
Davis and Elkins College
city, town
Elkins
-vicinity of
state
West Virginia
5. Location of Legal Description
courthouse, registry of deeds, etc.
Randolph County Courthouse
street & number
city, town
Elkins
state
West Virginia
6. Representation in Existinq Surveys
title
National Register of Historic Places has this p r o ~ r ( ym
date
June, 1982
~
s
city, town
itor survey
t
~ rwords
X
n determined eligible?
federal -- -state
National Register of Historic Places
Washington, D .C.
state
-y
e
-no
-county -local
7. Description
Condition
-excellent
y good
-fair
Check one
-deteriorated -unaltered
-ruins
-unexposed
_X-
altered
Check one
-L original site
m o v e d
date --
-
Doscribo the present and original (if known) physical appearmce
Halliehurst, designed by Charles T. W t t , i s a large baronial house, b u i l t in 1890
for U.S. Sen. Stephen Benton Elkins, a lawyer, businessman, and politician. I t s s i z e
and elaborate detailing d i r e c t l y r e f l e c t Elkins' wealth and influence, as does its
location i n Elkins, a town t h a t grew up because of the business enterprises of Elkins
and h i s father-in-law, 1J.S. Sen. E-Ienry Gassmay Davis.
Halliehurst's three main floors a r e capped by a steep hipped roof punctuated with
towers, t u r r e t s , dormers, and chimneys. The central block, i n addition to t b s e
towers, has a porch surrounding much of the f i r s t floor. 01 the south side of the
b u s e , t h i s porch extends to a portico t m s t o r i e s high around a central, flat-roofed
tower. The portico's columns a r e among the most prominent features of the south
side of the 'muse. 0-1the east side of the building, a service wing balances the
porch.
9
The b u s e stands on a stone foundation. ?he f i r s t floor a t e r i o r of the central
block i s faced with moden siding. Shingles cover the exterior of the other t m
floors and the service wing. The original s l a t e roof was replaced i n the l a t e
1960s with an asphalt shingle roof.
c
Halliehurst' s i n t e r i o r s a r e more ornately detailed than its exterior. Especially
notemrthy a r e carved mantels in the main h a l l and l i b r a r y , stained g l a s s , and the
main staircase and balustrade. Upper floors are l e s s elaborate but s t i l l r e t a i n a
great deal of o r i g i n a l w d w r k which r e f l e c t s careful craftsmanship.
?he 'muse was a major m i s s i o n for Charles P b t t , who practiced i n New York City
between 1885 and 1912 , and became a member of the College of Fellows of the American
I n s t i t u t e of Architects in 1894. The September 19, 1891, issue of h e r i c a n Architect
and Building News included drawings of h i s designs for the house. These show the
exterior of the house essentially a s i t was b u i l t . Interior sketches of the dining
room show decorative and wall finishes Fjhich do not exist today. The porch mentioned
above was added to the b u s e in 1904; i t seens l i k e l y t h a t t h i s was W t t ' s m r k ,
because P b t t continued to w r k with Elkins on building projects in the years a f t e r
Halliehurst's construction.
In 1923, Hallie Davis Elkins, widow of Sen. Stephen Benton Elkins, deeded Halliehurst
and approximately 60 acres of land to Davis and Elkins College. This g i f t was i n
keeping with her family's long-term i n t e r e s t i n the college, which is named a f t e r
Senators Davis and Elkins and was founded with their support. The college trustees
then decided to establish a new campus and new buildings on t h i s land. Halliehurst
subsequently served a variety of college functions over the years. It has provided
dormitory and classroom space, and once was the tome of the college president.
Beginning i n 1925-26, it was used a s dormitory space for m e n , a use discontinued
i n the early 1930s and then l a t e r revived. A chaplain's o f f i c e , college radio
s t a t i o n , dispensary, and Presbyterian Guidance Center have also been housed here.
For a time, the service wing housed the Student Union before present-day Benedmn
Hall was b u i l t . In the early 1960s, the college began conversion of Halliehurst's
basanent f o r use as a f a l l o u t shelter.
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Despite these multiple uses, the b u s e retains the vast majority of i t s o r i g i n a l
f a b r i c , inside and out. Repairs to Halliehurst and i n s t a l l a t i o n of a new heating
system were carried out soon a f t e r Mrs. Elkins deeded the b u s e to the college. As
noted above, the s l a t e roof has been replaced. A porte-cochere on the north side
of the house is now gone. Ironmrk from it ranains and there a r e plans to replace
it. Water damage led the college to remove c e i l i n g paintings and murals in the
l i b r a r y , dining room, and drawing room. A few windows have been altered f o r purposes
of f i r e escapes.
The kitchen was altered to serve college needs, and m s t o f the
o r i g i n a l lighting and heating fixtures have been replaced. Many o r i g i n a l plumbing
fixtures have also been removed.
College functions were moved out of the building i n 1982 because of concerns
about f i r e safety. Since t h a t time, the college trustees and administration have
done repair m r k on the exterior of the h u s e and have developed specifications
for i n s t a l l a t i o n of a sprinkler systen.
8. Significance
Period
- prehistoric
-- 1400-1 499
- 1500-1 599
- 1600-1699
-- 1700-1 799
2- 180&1899
L.
1900t
Specific dates
.=
-
Areas of Significance-Check and justify below
archeology-prehistoric . - community planning
- . landscape architecture
religion .
. - law
science
.
archeology-historic
. - conservation
-- - literature
- - sculpture
-agriculture
.- - economics
. .- military
sociall
education
architecture
humanitarian
engineering
--- music
_ . - art
commerce
.
explorationlsettlement -_ philosophy
-theater
-.
communications
. industry
2-politicsigovernment -transportation
-other (specify)
_ .- invention
1890- 1 9 11
BuilderiArchitect
Charles T . Mott
, architect
Statement of Significance (in one paragraph)
SUMMARY
Halliehurst was the sumner h e of U.S. Sen. Stephen Benton Elkins from the time of
i t s construction in 1890 u n t i l h i s death i n 1911. A wealthy lawyer and entrepreneur,
Elkins became a major figure i n Republican presidential p l i t i c s of the 1880s. % s
second marriage, to the daughter of prominent West Virginia businessman and p o l i t i c i a n
Henry Gassaway Davis, gave him opportunities to j o i n with h i s father-in-law i n r a i l ,
coal, and timber enterprises. These played a major r o l e i n exploitation of West
Virginia's natural resources and added t o Elkins' personal wealth and p o l i t i c a l influence. As a supporter and campaign manager of James G. Blaine, Elkins established
himself as an i n f l u e n t i a l member of the Republican party and a s a "president-maker."
He played a key r o l e in Blaine's 1884 bid for the presidency. Elkins, as a trusted
Blaine advisor, was also a principal i n the manewering t h a t led to the nomination'
'
of Benjamin Harrison for the presidency in 1885, when Blaine chose not t o run.
Elkins subsequently served a s Harrison's Secretary of War. He became a Senator
from West Virginia i n 1895, serving i n t h a t capacity u n t i l h i s death. 01 the
Senate Committee on I n t e r s t a t e Comerce, h e was a major figure i n negotiation of
railway l e g i s l a t i o n subsequent to the passage of the Tnterstate Comnerce Act,
sponsoring rn b i l l s t h a t bear h i s name, an anti-rebate b i l l of 1903 and the MannElkins Act of 1910. He was chair of t h a t comnittee a t a time when i t was one of
the most important committees i n Congress, arad when railroad l e g i s l a t i o n was a
major aspect of the developnent of federal regulatory practices. Elkins i s thus one
of the pre-eminent examples of the influence of wealthy businessmen in l a t e 19thcentury p o l i t i c s , and one of the a r c h i t e c t s of federal railroad policies.
Halliehurst r e f l e c t s Elkins' i n t e r e s t s i n West Virginia commerce and i n national
p o l i t i c s . Elkins b u i l t Halliehurst a s h i s business and railroad i n t e r e s t s i n West
Virginia were expanding, The house s i t e was chosen because of its proximity to a
planned terminal for one of Elkins' railroads. Halliehurst also represents Elkins'
p l i t i c a l need to be identified with one geographical area a f t e r a career t h a t had
l e d him from Missouri to New Mexico, Washington, D.C., and New York, and f i n a l l y
to adoption of West Virginia a s h i s home s t a t e . As e a r l y a s 1881 , it was apparently
becoming c l e a r t h a t p o l i t i c a l appointments muld be d i f f i c u l t to obtain u n t i l he
was perceived a s a man with p o l i t i c a l strength rooted i n a single geographical
area. H i s varied financial a c t i v i t i e s and i n t e r e s t s across the nation had given him
a c e r t a i n f l e x i b i l i t y i n p o l i t i c a l maneuvering i n the Presidential nominations of
the 1880s, but h i s decision to be identified with West Virginia made him a member
of the established Republican "Old Guard" i n the Senate. His move t o West Virginia,
represented by h i s establishment a t Halliehurst, "was an i n t e g r a l part of the process
by which the p o l i t i c a l a d economic resources of West Virginia were marshalled i n
the service of a national economy i n process of industrialization and centralization." 1
.
1
John Alexander Willims , "New York' s F i r s t Senator from West Virginia: Ww
Stephen B. Elkins Found a New W l i t i c a l Home ," West Virginia History 31 (1 970) : 86.
OHB
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National Register of Historic Places
Inventory-Nomination Form
Continuation sheet
Item number
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Page
2
A£ter Elkins b u i l t Halliehurst and h i s father-in-law b u i l t the adjacent mansion
known as Graceland, the family's s m e r e s t a t e a t Deer Park i n Garrett County,
Maryland, became l e s s important in family a c t i v i t i e s . The Deer Park e s t a t e had been
the scene of some important p l i t i c a l negotiations, but the Elkins cottage there no
longer stands, Elkins also maintained a residence on K Street in Washington, D.C.,
which does not survive today.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Stephen Benton Elkins was born in Perry County, Ohio, i n 1841. He grew up i n
Missouri, where he studied law. Following h i s admission to the bar, he moved to
New Mexico in 1864. There he profited from land and mining investments, and also
became active in t e r r i t o r i a l p o l i t i c s . He served as a t e r r i t o r i a l representative
to Congress from New Mexico in the 1870s. m i l e i n Congress, he developed a friendship with James G. Blaine.2 During t h i s period, he established a residence and
o f f i c e in New York to pursue h i s l e g a l and business career. He also married Hallie
Davis, daughter of Sen. Henry Gassaway Davis of West Virginia, and went on to
become a partner in Davis' coal and railroad enterprises.
Elkins f i r s t distinguished himself on the national p o l i t i c a l scene as an a l l y of
James G. Blaine and organizer for Blaine's bids f o r the presidency. A t the 1880
Republican national convention, he mrked for Blaine's nomination, gaining Blaine' s
confidence in h i s a b i l i t i e s as a p l i t i c a l organizer. Elkins' manemerings a t the
1884 convention were a major factor in securing the Republican nomination for Blaine.
In recognition of Elkins' s k i l l s , Blaine used him as manager of h i s presidential
campaign t h a t year. Elkins was also a member of the executive c o m i t t e e s e t up by
the Republican national committee to run the campaign. According t o one historian
of Republican party p o l i t i c s of t h i s e r a , Blaine and Elkins exercised m r e influence
in organization of the national committee than any preceding Republican cand idacy.3
They accomplished t h i s in an era of "machine" p o l i t i c s , when the national c o m i t t e e
exercised more p w e r than it does today. Despite Blaine's defeat, Elkins in t h i s
1884 campaign gained "a national reputation as a p o l i t i c a l s t r a t e g i s t that...
played an important r o l e in h i s translation from New Mexico to West Virginia in
l a t e r years."4
In 1888, Elkins again wrked f o r Blaine's nomination for the presidency, This time,
though, Blaine was reluctant to be a candidate. Blaine's colleagues, especially
Elkins, mrked to create a groundswell of support within the party t h a t muld overcome Blaine's objections to being nominated. In doing so, Elkins played a leading
r o l e in complex negotiations aimed a t a manimous "draft" nomination for Blaine, o r ,
f a i l i n g t h a t , nomination of someone indebted to Blaine and h i s supporters. Tnis
strategy brought Elkins to discuss the nomination with Renjamin Harrison, who was not
2. Ebbert D. Marcus, Grand Old Party: P o l i t i c a l Structure in the Gilded Age
(New York: Oxford University Press, 1971), pp. 64-65.
3.
Ibid., pp. 86-7.
4.
Williams, p. 74.
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a l l i e d with Blaine's o p p n e n t s i n the party, and whose strength i n Indiana could
aid Blaine i n the event of a "draft" movement, o r a t l e a s t help t o prevent Blaine's
enemies from taking over the convention. Elkins was the principal l i a i s o n between
Harrison and the Blaine s u p p r t e r s . 5 Harrison succeeded i n winning the Republican
nomination, and subsequently the Presidency , i n the 1888 election.
Following Harrison's e l e c t i o n , Elkins continued t o a c t a s a l i n k between Harrison
and Blaine. His e f f o r t s were rewarded i n h i s appoinment a s Harrison's Secretary
of War, i n 1891.6 Elkins served i n t h a t capacity u n t i l the end of Harrison's term.
In 1895, Elkins entered Congress a s a Senator from West Virginia. By t h i s time,
he and h i s father-in-law were m n g West Virginia's wealthiest and most powerful
c i t i z e n s , because of t h e i r varied c o a l , r a i l r o a d , and timber enterprises. ELkins'
a c t i v i t i e s i n the Senate r e f l e c t e d h i s i n t e r e s t i n national p l i c i e s on trade and
transportation. Notably, he was involved i n several major pieces of l e g i s l a t i o n
t h a t supplemented the I n t e r s t a t e Comerce Act of 1887. Court decisions had minimized
the p w e r of the I n t e r s t a t e Commerce Commission, established by t h a t a c t , t o effektively
c a r r y out: the law's provisions against rebating and other discriminatory practices
used by railroad companies i n s e t t i n g r a t e s . Tne Elkins Act of 1903 was the f i r s t
amendment to the I n t e r s t a t e Comnerce Act. S p e c i f i c a l l y intended to discourage re bat in^
it prohibited deviations from published r a t e s , but Elkins a d h i s fellow "rail-road
senators'' on the Senate Conanittee on I n t e r s t a t e Commerce did not i n t h i s a c t give
the ICC powers i n the r a t e - s e t t i n g process.7 b b t u n t i l passage of t h e Hepburn Act,
i n 1906, did the ICC get authority to investigate and lower r a i l r o a d r a t e s , upon
complaints by shippers.
Continued r e s i s t a n c e by t h e r a i l r o a d s to federal regulation led t o passage of the
Mann-Elkins Act of 1910. Tnis law, sponsored by Senator Elkins and Representative
James R. Mann, gave the I C C a u t b r i t y t o suspend general railroad r a t e increases on
i t s own i n i t i a t i v e , pending investigation, and placed r e s p o n s i b i l i t y for proving
the reasonableness of o r i g i n a l r a t e s and increases on t h e r a i l r o a d s . It also defined
telephone, telegraph, and wireless companies a s c o m n c a r r i e r s , thereby bringing
them under I C C j u r i s d i c t i o n .
Elkins has been called "one of the l a t e nineteenth century's most successful
businessmen-politicians."8 As a Republican a c t i v i s t , he played an important r o l e i n
tm p r e s i d e n t i a l elections. As a Senator, he had i n t e r e s t s t h a t r e f l e c t the complex
i n t e r r e l a t i o n s h i p s between industry and p o l i t i c s i n the l a t e 19th and e a r l y 20th
centuries
.
5.
Marcus, pp. 104-7.
6.
Marcus, pp. 162-163.
7. Arthur S. Link and W i l l i a m B. Catton, American Epoch, vol. 1 , 4th e d i t i o n
(New York: Alfred A. Knopf , 1973) , p. 97.
A r i and Olive tloogenboom, A History of the ICC (New York: W.W.
b., Inc., 1976) , p. 44.
8.
Wrton and
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Paw
1
WORKS CONSULTED
Albert, Charles E. "A Brief History of Davis and Elkins College."
Elkins, West Virginia: Davis and Elkins College, 1965.
Photocopied.
Hoogenboom, Ari and Olive. A History of the ICC: From Panacea to P a l l i a t i v e .
New York: W.W. Norton and C~mpany, Inc., 1976.
Lanbert, Oscar b a n e . Stephen Benton Elkins: American Foursquare.
Pennsylvania: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1955.
Pittsburgh,
Link, Arthur S. , and Catton, W i l l i a m B. American Epoch: A History of the
Ihited States Since 1900. Vol. 1 , 4th Edition. New York: Alfred A.
Knopf, 1973.
Marcus, Robert D. Grand Old Party: P o l i t i c a l Structure in the Gilded Age,
1880-1896. New York: Chrford Gniversity Press, 1971.
Pedersen , Ralph. National Register Inventory-Nominat ion Form "Senator Stephen
National Register of Historic
Benton Elkins tlouse." Washington, D.C.:
Places, National Park Service, 1982.
Ross, %mas Richard. Davis and Elkins College 75: The Diamond Jubilee History.
Elkins, West Virginia: Davis and Elkins College, 1980.
Vargo, Rodney. "Halliehust Hall."
College, 1970.
Undergraduate paper, Davis and Elkins
Williams, John Alexander. "New York's F i r s t Senator from Vest Virginia: How
Stephen B. Elkins Found a New P o l i t i c a l Home
West Virginia History
31 (1 970) :73-87.
."
Williams, John Alexander. West Virginia and the Captains of Industry.
Morgantown, West Virginia: West Virginia University Library, 1976.
9. Major Bibliographical References
Please see continuation sheet.
1O. Geographical Data
Acreage of nominated property 314 acre
Q
~ name Elkins,
~
West
~
Virginia
;
~
~
~
~
~
Quadrangle scale 1:24000
UT M References
Zone
Easting
Northing
Verbal boundary d e s c r i p t i o n a n d justification
Please see continuation sheet.
--
-
L i s t a l l stat08 a n d c o u n t i e s t o r properties overlapping s t a t e o r county boundaries
state
code
county
code
state
code
county
code
6
r
11. Form Prepared By
nameltitk
Laura Feller, staff historian, based upon National
Register study by Ralph Pederson
--
organization National Park Service, History Division
date
citv
or town
state
Washington, D.C.
20013-7127
March 13, 1988
--
12. State Historic Preservation Officer Certification
The evaluated significance of this property within the state is:
-national
--
state
-local
As the designated State Historic Preservation Officer for the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (Public Law 89665), 1 hereby nominate this property for inclusion in the National Register and certify that it has been evaluated
according to the criteria and procedures set forth by the National Park Senice.
State Hlrtork Pmwwation Officer signature
title
F o r ~ ~ o n l y
Ihmby certlty th.1 this property is inc1ud.d in the National Register
date
Sen.
USGS
UTM r
NPS Form 104004
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Item number
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Page
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Verbal Boundary Description and J u s t i f ication
Beginning a t a p i n t where an imaginary north-south l i n e 30 f e e t e a s t of Yallieh u r s t ' s east side (midway between Halliehurst and the Jennings Randolph Hall library)
intersects the south s i d e of the campus b e l t road d i r e c t l y north of Halliehurst,
proceed south along t h a t imaginary l i n e to a p i n t 100 f e e t south of Halliehurst's
Then proceed westward to a p i n t in l i n e with the eastern edge
southern facade.
of the driveway on Halliehurst's west side. Proceed north to the campus b e l t road,
along the east s i d e of t h a t driveway, and then eastward along the south side of the
campus b e l t road back to the p i n t of beginning.
This boundary encompasses Halliehurst, and only a small part of the grounds of
the house. Altbugh the grounds of Halliehurst were extensively planted for the
Elkins family, t h i s boundary includes the b u s e alone, because the construction of
new college buildings, such as Renedum Hall and the Jennings Randolph Hall on
either side of Halliehurst, have altered the o r i g i n a l landscape plan.