ARTHURDALE — Dr. John Fullmer, of Morgantown, made the trip to Arthurdale Saturday for its 85th annual New Deal Festival, but said he visits Arthurdale Heritage often.
“I was raised here. My dad was a blacksmith. There were 12 children in the family,” he said. “We moved here in 1935, when I was 2 years old.”
Fullmer said his family had chickens, pigs and cows.
“I had to clean the chicken coop and milk the cows,” he said.
Fullmer said the house he grew up in, on Q7 road, is still in the family.
“My nephew lives there,” he said. “I love to drive the roads and relive the memories of when I was a kid.”
More than 1,200 people celebrated the 85th anniversary of Arthurdale alongside Fullmer on this sunny Saturday afternoon.
Visitors came from all over to mark the community’s importance in American history.
Arthurdale was the first of 99 communities built during the Great Depression. Because of her involvement in the project, it was known as First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt’s “Little Village.”
When completed, there were 165 homes and several community buildings, including a school complex, built on about 1,200 acres.
Today, most of the community buildings still stand and many are part of the New Deal Homestead Museum.
The first New Deal house, or Kees House, was built on lot E-2. It’s a one-story Cape Cod home with a basement. The house was a prefabricated home built in Massachusetts by the E.F. Hodgson Company.
It came with a coal furnace, electricity and a refrigerator and featured two bedrooms, a kitchen, living room and a bath. It came partially furnished.
Arthurdale Heritage Director Darlene Bolyard said thousands of people visited Arthurdale Heritage last year, not including people who rented the hall for bridal showers, funeral memorials, weddings and other activities.
The center is also used during elections for voting, and as a place for the Cub Scouts to meet.
Bolyard said she believes Arthurdale Heritage is more than a historical site — it also helps the county’s
economy.
“Visitors who come here ask about other sites they can visit. We give them information about restaurants and where to buy gas or other supplies,” she said.
Managing a historical property isn’t easy, or free, Bolyard said, which makes attracting visitors key. Donations are also helpful.
This year, the support beams and roof on the left wing of Center Hall must be replaced, as well as the roof on the visitors’ center/craft shop pinnacle and the wood siding on the back of the craft shop. Estimates for these repairs exceed $93,000.
Bolyard said a lot of work went into preparing for the 85th anniversary festival Saturday.
The festival started off with a flag and remembrance ceremony by VFW Post 1589 and the Preston County Honor Guard. An antique car, truck and tractor show featured 107 vehicles. Also available was an outdoor craft market as well as horse-drawn wagon tours, hay rides and kid’s activities.
Demonstrations of loose-end fiber arts, basket weaving, weaving on the loom and blacksmith demonstrations were open to visitors. For history buffs, the museum buildings and exhibits were open to visitors, as was the Gift Shop. A quilt show was held at the Community Presbyterian Church featuring local handmade quilts.
Live music for the festival was provided by The High Street Jazz Band, Soup Camel, West Virginia Hitchers and Bruce Jones.
People come to the festival for a variety of reasons, some for the crafts, and some to do early Christmas shopping. Others come to the festival for the memories.
Author and WVU Appalachian Literature Professor Ann Pancake was on hand to sign her books, including her 2007 novel, “Strange as this Weather has Been,” which won the Weatherford Prize for Appalachian literature.
Donations can be made to Arthurdale Heritage by mail at AHI, P.O. Box 850 Arthurdale, WV 26520 or by PayPal at AHI@arthurdaleheritage.org.
