Abandoned Businesses in West Virginia

This is a gallery of abandoned businesses in West Virginia.

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Barlow & Moore Store

The Barlow and Moore Store was the centerpiece of Edray, West Virginia, that stood at the crossroads of Marlin’s Bottom along the Huttonsville Turnpike and Back Mountain Road. ⁹ George P. Moore, the great-grandson of Moses Moore, was the proprietor for 64 years. He was appointed the postmaster at Edray by President Franklin Pierce in 1858 at the age of 17, ¹⁰ and also served as a Methodist minister, bank president, and superintendent of a local school. ^{9 10}

In 1867, Henry Barlow and George Moore incorporated Barlow & Moore to sell general merchandise. ^{9 10} The store was the center of attention on August 4, 1916, when the safe was dynamited in the early morning hours. ⁹ The burglars made off with cash and stamps from the post office, along with other valuable items that belonged to Moore.

As George Moore aged, his nephew A. R. Gay became the store manager. ⁹ Eventually, the Great Depression caused the store to cease operations in 1938.

The building has been painstakingly restored by George Moore’s great-great-niece, Nancy Gay Steele. ⁹

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Best Western Gateway Hotel

The Best Western Gateway Hotel, a now-demolished hotel in Barboursville, West Virginia, was constructed in 1954 with 18 rooms ⁴ and expanded into a Holiday Inn with a new 250-room wing in 1964. ⁶ A conference center was added in the mid-1980s. Despite $200,000 in renovations during the year, the Holiday Inn franchise was pulled on April 1, 1997. ³ The property became affiliated with Best Western on October 1.

The 208-room Best Western Gateway Inn closed on June 28, 2001. ³ Mark Davis, a Barboursville chiropractor, purchased the closed hotel with plans to transform the property into a residential and retirement community, eventually settling on demolishing much of the complex. ⁵ Two buildings would be retained for 66 residential condominiums.

An auction of the hotel’s contents was held on August 24 and 25, 2001. ⁴ The shopping center was opened in August 2002, and the remainder of the property was redeveloped by 2004.

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General Store

A lonely general store lies abandoned in the Allegheny highlands. It was last operated in 1991 or 1992.

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Hotel West Virginian

The Hotel West Virginian is a former hotel in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, that was constructed in 1930 by Constantine Thymius, a Greek contractor, for Theodore Soure. ¹ The hotel featured an “Old World” design inspired by Edward Simpson’s antique shop at The Greenbrier. It featured 22 guest rooms and the White Sulphur Restaurant, the latter operated by Theodore and John and Nick Argyrakis, both Greek immigrants.

The hotel closed in the 1980s and was subsequently owned by John Bell, a Lewisburg contractor. ² It was then sold to The Greenbrier in 2003 for $160,000 under the assumption that the structure would be preserved and renovated. The Simpson-Taylor Building adjacent to the hotel was also purchased for $250,000. After discovering significant structural problems with the hotel, it was demolished.

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Seneca Motor Company

The Seneca Motor Company was the location of D. C. Harper’s Ford dealership in Seneca Rocks, West Virginia. ⁷ In 1923, D. C. Harper began selling Ford Model T vehicles from his general store under a sub-dealership arrangement with M. A. Bean. ⁸ In 1946, an adjoining building was constructed, and Harper began selling Ford cars, trucks, and tractors under the name of Seneca Motor Company which remained in operation until 1963 or 1964. ^{7 8}

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Sources

1. Simpson, Debbie Schwarz. “The Greenbrier Razes Buildings, Considers Use of Vacant Lots.” State Journal, 26 Jan. 2006.
2. Simpson, Debbie Schwarz. “The Greenbrier Razes Buildings, Considers Use of Vacant Lots.” WVNS-TV, 26 Jan. 2006.
3. Ross, Jim. “Hotel to close after years in bankruptcy, will reopen as another type of business.” Herald-Dispatch (Huntington) 31 May 2001.
4. Chambers, Bryan. “Everything from cups to shrubs to be sold at Best Western Gateway Inn on U.S. 60.” Herald-Dispatch (Huntington) 23 Aug. 2001.
5. Chambers, Bryan. “New owner says Barboursville facility should be ready in the next two years.” Herald-Dispatch (Huntington) 23 Aug. 2001.
6. Chambers, Bryan. “Fond memories, sense of urgency add to intensity of auction at former hotel.” Herald-Dispatch (Huntington) 25 Aug. 2001.
7. ASC Group. “Seneca Motor Company.” West Virginia Historic Property Inventory Form, 10 Dec. 2015.
8. Stevens, Nan. “Harper’s Store.” Historic Properties Inventory Form, 1983.
9. Gay, Liz and Katy Gay. “On the Badge ~ The Barlow and Moore Store.” Pocahontas Times.
10. “100 Years Ago.” 27 Apr. 2022, Pocahontas Times.