Moving the
Ruffner Cabin
What We’re Doing
Friends of Malden Village is relocating the Ruffner Cabin from the Craik-Patton House next to Daniel Boone Park to the Malden Village Green in the Malden National Historic District. The cabin must be moved to accommodate site expansion. This relocation will save the oldest structure in Kanawha County and ensure its permanent preservation as a public heritage asset.
Historical Significance
Built in the late 1700s, this cabin is the oldest known structure in Kanawha County and is documented in the Historic American Buildings Survey. It housed the pioneers of the regional salt industry, which predated the Industrial Revolution in New England. The building stands as a physical witness to the enslaved Virginians who built the valley's earliest industries and organized the nearby African Zion Baptist Church, the first Black Baptist church in all of West Virginia. It represents the formative years of a young Booker T. Washington, who lived and worked in the Ruffner household after walking to freedom in 1865.
There are many notable ties between the cabin and Malden. The land it will stand upon after the move was once owned by the very same Ruffner family that built it. Anne Eve Ruffner, Joseph Sr.’s granddaughter, who presumably spent time in the cabin at three years old when they moved to the Kanawha Valley, built Malden’s Putney House with her husband, Dr. Richard Ellis Putney, in 1836.
Protecting this rare piece of the American frontier prevents it from being lost forever.
of this treasured piece of Kanawha County history.
A Look Inside
In 1976, the city of Charleston searched for a home in Malden for the cabin. Exactly 50 years later, a site has been found and prepared for the cabin’s arrival.
In the 1960s and 70s, Charleston was abuzz with the original move of the cabin. Find out more below from local newspapers of the time:
“DeGruyter doesn't recall Rosedale as a cabin, 'It was covered with weatherboard, I remember, back in 1900,' he said.
…
He noted that the original clay used to fill the cracks in the boards remains intact and that close inspection 'should turn up some bullet holes' because the Confederates fired on it while pursuing Union troops.’"
— Jerry Kessel, "City Historian Suggests New Home for Charleston’s Oldest Residence," The Charleston Daily Mail, December 5, 1969
“A representative of the National Society for Preservation of Historical Sites inspected both buildings [The Ruffner Cabin and Craik-Patton House] recently and found they had enough historical significance to be registered as national historical sites.”
— Nelson Sorah, "Landmark Scheduled for Moving: Historical Group to Finalize Plan," The Charleston Gazette, October 30, 1970
"A man considered as one of the foremost architectural preservationists in the country visited Charleston Tuesday to examine efforts directed at preservation of two of Charleston's oldest homes. Orin M. Bullock Jr. of Baltimore, Md., was brought here through the efforts of the West Virginia Chapter of the Colonial Dames."
"Bullock, former director of architectural and archaeological research for Colonial Williamsburg, VA., visited the Craik-Patton House at 1315 Lee St. and the Ruffner Log Cabin on Kanawha Boulevard. The purpose of Bullock's trip, according to H.H. Smallridge III, Urban Design and Preservation Coordinator for the Regional Development Authority (RDA), was to examine and evaluate the two historic homes."
"A representative of the National Society for Preservation and Historical Sites inspected both buildings recently and found they had enough historical significance to be registered as national historical sites."
"Bullock said he had visited log cabins all over the world and that the Ruffner home was built on the largest scale he had ever seen. He added that the logs used in construction of the home were among the largest he had ever encountered."
"Bullock, a specialist in restoration of historic structures, will serve as architectural consultant throughout the restoration effort."
— "Preservationist Looks at Homes," The Charleston Gazette, April 29, 1970
“The logs were stored in Malden through money donated by the City of Charleston, in hopes that a site might be acquired for its restoration. The organizations, the Soroptimist Club, Quota Club of Charleston, Altrusa Club, Pilot Club, Quote Club of South Charleston, and Zonta Club, have been instrumental in getting funds for the restoration.”
“Actual labor on the Ruffner cabin is being done by Seabee’s on every third weekend of each month. Building started in August and is scheduled to be completed in July.”
— Sue Jones, "Bicentennial Year Projects Are Underway," Sunday Gazette-Mail, January 4, 1976
JOIN THE CAUSE
Reach out to Friends of Malden Village at friendsofmalden@gmail.com or 304-590-3136 for more on how to get involved.
Or support the move online via PayPal.