Suzanne Stewart
Staff Writer
There are many reminders of the past in the town of Marlinton. Buildings such as the Pocahontas County Opera House, the Marlinton Depot and Rivertown – formerly C.J. Richardson Hardware – have stood the tests of time for more than 100 years.
Those buildings have remained resolute due in part to the dedication of their owners and local historians who ensured they would continue to serve the community for years to come.
One such historian, the late Ruth Morgan, was known as the woman who saved the Opera House. It was her passion and dogged determination that led to the purchase and restoration of the building.
What some might not know is that Morgan made sure to save as much of the material as possible from the historic buildings when they were being renovated.
Morgan had storage buildings filled to the brim with old doors, handblown glass windows, walls and more. She even stored part of her collection in the boxcar at the Marlinton Depot.
The Depot was built in 1901 and in the 1930s underwent an interior redesign which provided a lot of used materials for later projects.
Fast forward to a few years ago, and those materials found new owners in Barefoot Woods artists Dianne Monroe and Sarah Moss.
“A few years ago – maybe three or four – they were going to open the boxcars,” Moss said. “Dianne and I – and a lot of other people – were there when they started pulling stuff out.
“They had all these boards, and we bought them all,” she added.
The boards were tongue and groove, old growth yellow pine which served as the interior walls of the depot. The boards were still in good condition and had many layers of different colors of paint from years gone by.
Monroe and Moss are a lot like Morgan in that they appreciate antiques and older materials.
With the motto of “Wonderful things made with old stuff by two old women,” they pride themselves on creating household items and artwork with reclaimed items they find or that have been given to them.
“We used to tear down hundred-year-old buildings after we both retired, so all of our stuff is reclaimed,” Moss said.
When they saw the boards from the Depot, they didn’t see old, useless wood – they saw potential art.
“We made a little breakfast table with some legs we found at a junk shop,” Moss said. “We’ve got all kinds of things. We made coatracks, key holders, small tables, big tables and the oven pulls.
“Those are good sellers because it’s a great souvenir of the town, and they’re very utilitarian,” she continued. “We use ours all the time.”
Both Monroe and Moss are members of the Pocahontas County Arts Council and sell their work at the 4th Avenue Gallery which happens to be in the Marlinton Depot.
All the items made from the reclaimed walls come with a tag that says they are made from a part of the Depot.
Not only do the items keep the memory of the Depot’s past alive, but they also celebrate the memory of Morgan, who knew there was a place in the future for these pieces of the past.
