United States of America -- West Virginia -- Randolph County -- Elkins
General:
Halliehurst was situated on a the 450-acre estate in Elkins, West Virginia. The mansion was the summer home of the lawyer, industrialist, and politician, Senator Stephen Benson Elkins and his wife Hallie Davis Elkins. The mansion was named for Mrs. Elkins, who had the distinction of being a daughter, wife, and mother to members of the US Senate. The 16,000 square-foot mansion was designed by the notable New York architect, Charles T. Mott after a Rhineland castle admired by Mrs. Elkins. The site for the mansion was chosen for its proximity to the upcoming terminal of one of Elkins railroads. Construction began on the baronial mansion in 1890 using locally sourced hardwoods and stone. While the turreted structure, with towers, columns, dormers, chimneys, and a steep hipped roof defies any direct architectural style, its closest relation is the Shingle style. The grounds around the mansion were extensively planted for the Elkins family, and the estate also functioned as a farm.
Soon after its construction, Senator Henry Gassaway Davis, the father of Mrs. Elkins and business partner of Senator Elkins, constructed his summer home, Graceland, on the estate next door. This pair of mansions is representative of the wealth and influence of two Gilded-Age businessmen-politicians, and as a result of their enterprises the town of Elkins grew up around them. The mansion and 60 acres of the land were deeded to Davis and Elkins College in 1923, by Senator Elkins widow, and it has served as dormitory, classroom space, home of the college president, and today houses the offices of the President, Admission, and Development. Halliehurst was listed individually on the National Register of Historic Landmarks in 1982, at which point the mansion was completely restored. In 1996, Halliehurst was incorporated into the Davis & Elkins National Historic Landmark District, a discontinuous district comprised of four separate historic buildings on the campus of Davis and Elkins College.
Persons associated include: Senator Stephen Benton Elkins (former owner), Baldwin and Pennington (architects), and Davis & Elkins College (owner).
National Register of Historic Places, Davis & Elkins National Historic Landmark District, Elkins, Randolph County, West Virginia, National Register #70000666 and #96001129.
See also Elkins -- Graceland Mansion (AAG# WV009). Graceland Masion is also pictured in postcard WV022_MAR003.
Postcards circa 1915-1945.
Varying Form:
Also known as Hallihurst and Senator Stephen Benton Elkins' House.
Collection Restrictions:
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Collection Rights:
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Smithsonian Institution, Archives of American Gardens, Richard Marchand historical postcard collection.
Sponsor:
A project to describe images in this finding aid in this collection received Federal support from the Smithsonian Collections Care Initiative, administered by the National Collections Program.
