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Conditions Governing Access

No special access restriction applies.

Preferred Citation

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Rufus A. West, Collector, Papers, A&M 0576, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Scope and Contents

Manuscript and printed material, and pictures collected by Rufus A. West, a Morgantown antiquarian and faculty member of the College of Engineering, West Virginia University. There are also a small number of Mr. West's personal papers, consisting of letters concerning West Virginia University College of Engineering, Oak Grove Cemetery Association, and the Wesley Methodist Church, all of Morgantown, and business records of the Town Hill Service Station, owned by Mr. West.

The main body of the collection is composed of the business papers and account books of George M. Hagans, principally for the firms of G. M. Hagans & Co.; Hagans & Spahr; Hagans, Lynch & Protzman; and Hagans and Frum, for business transactions as produce brokers, livestock dealer, wholesale and retail of general merchandise, real estate and insurance sale and purchase, and the Kingwood and West Union Turnpike Company. These papers reflect prices and costs for various products and services, including wool, coal, timber and farm land in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Maryland; road construction; license fees; taxes; insurance; steamboat freight rates; and shoe repairing. Also, financial administration papers for the Morgantown Female Academy, W. Va. Agricultural College, and West Virginia University. The correspondence includes a signed letter from Mr. Hagans to Mrs. E. I Moore concerning her salary from the Morgantown Female Collegiate Institute and Mrs. Moore's receipt for payment, 1867; a signed letter from Mr. Hagans to Waitman T. Willey, and Mr. Willey's reply, regarding payment for horses furnished by citizens of Monongalia County to Captain McGee's Cavalry Company, 1863. Federal Land Grants, 1858-1859, to Henry B. Lazier, George M. Hagans, P. C. Rude, and Christian Haase, as assignees, for land in Missouri. Two of these grants were made for military service in the War of 1812, to Thomas Bickham and John Hix.

Other items include typescript copies of a land grant to James Scott for land in Monongalia County, 1774, and James Scott's will, 1780; broadsides; proposed by-laws of the Barracca Class of the Spruce St. Methodist Church, Morgantown, 1895; Minutes of the Marion County Historical Society's February 4, 1941 meeting; newspaper obituary clippings for Morgantown residents, I. G. Lazelle, C. R. Huston, Lieutenant Colonel Leland Swarts Devore, Commandant of the Cadets at West Virginia University, Thomas R. Dille, and H. C. Greer; a list of Morgantown merchants ca. 1870; a picture of members of Kelley Post 111 G. A. R., W. Va., 1861-1865; a panoramic view of Morgantown, ca. 1890 (see collection folder for complete picture inventory); a 37 star United States flag; and miscellaneous announcements, programs, and invitation for church, school, and dedication ceremonies.

There are also eight bound volumes of Morgantown newspapers; THE MORGANTOWN MIRROR, 1852-1855; THE MORGANTOWN WEEKLY POST, 1864-1889; THE WESTERN VIRGINIA STANDARD, 1846-1847; and one volume of miscellaneous newspapers of Fairmont, Huntington, Kingwood, Morgantown, and Philippi, 1867-1952. In THE FAIRMONT VEDETTE August 17, 1867 issue there is a list of Fairmont, Palatine, and Marion County townships, town, church, bank, and fraternal organization officials and a business directory.

Related Material

576, 599, 821

Separated Material

One panoramic photograph of a group of former soldiers moved to A&M 4168, Panoramic Photos Collection.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Academies (Private schools)
• Agricultural College of West Virginia
• Cemeteries -- Oak Grove Cemetery
• Cemeteries and cemetery readings
• Churches -- Methodist
• Churches -- West Virginia -- Morgantown
• Coal mining - coal industry.
• Devore, Leland Swarts
• Dille, Thomas Ray
• Fairmont (W. Va.)
• Greer, H.C.
• Hagans and Frum
• Hagans and Spahr
• Hagans, George M.
• Hagans, Lynch and Protzman
• Huston, C.R.
• Kingwood and West Union Turnpike Company
• Kingwood and West Union Turnpike.
• Land.
• Lazier, Henry B.
• Lumber industry and timber.
• Marion County (W. Va.)
• Marion County Historical Society (W. Va.)
• McGee, John.
• Monongalia County (W. Va.)
• Moore, Elizabeth I.
• Morgantown (W. Va.)
• Morgantown Female Academy
• Morgantown Female Collegiate Institute
• Morgantown Weekly Post
• Oak Grove Cemetery Association
• Palatine.
• Philippi.
• Preston County (W. Va.)
• Taylor County (W. Va.)
• The Fairmont Vedette
• The Morgantown Mirror
• The West Virginia Standard
• Town Hill Service Station
• Turnpikes. SEE ALSO Roads.
• United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865
• Universities and colleges
• West Virginia University
• West Virginia University. College of Engineering
• West Virginia University. Corps of Cadets
• West, Rufus A.
• Willey, Waitman T. (Waitman Thomas), 1811-1900
• Women's history -- 1850-1899
• Women's schools.