WEST VIRGINIA HISTORIC PROPERTY INVENTORY FORM

NR
Internal Rating: ___________
WEST VIRGINIA HISTORIC PROPERTY
INVENTORY FORM
Street Address
Common/Historic Name/Both
17098 Brandonville Pike
O
O
Field Survey #
O
PR-0349
Old Hemlock
Town or Community
County
Bruceton Mills
Preston
Architect/Builder
Date of Construction
Style
1782
American Folk
Exterior Siding/Materials
Roofing Material
Foundation
Cedar shingles over logs; stone
Steel
Stone
Property Use or Function
UTM#
Residence
Site # (SHPO Only)
Negative No.
NR Listed Date
12/16/14
O 1782-2007
Commercial
O
Other
O 2007-Present
Survey Organization & Date
Quadrangle Name
Photograph
(2” x 3” Contact)
Part of What Survey/FR#
Sketch Map of Property
Or Attach Copy of USGS Map
Site No.
Present Owners
Owners Mailing Address
PO Box 69, Bruceton Mills, West Virginia 26525
The Old Hemlock Foundation
Phone # (304) 379-7505
Describe Setting (on continuation sheets)
___232_______ Acres
_____ Archaeological
Artifacts Present
Description of Building or Site (Original and Present)
______2___Stories
____2____Front Bays
(Use Continuation Sheets)
Alterations
If yes, describe (on continuation sheets)
Yes
No
Additions
If yes, describe (on continuation sheets)
Yes
No
Describe All Outbuildings
(Use Continuation Sheets)
Statement of Significance
(Use Continuation Sheets)
Bibliographical References
(Use Continuation Sheets)
Form Prepared By: Eliza Newland
Date: January 28, 2014
Name/Organization: The Old Hemlock Foundation, PreserveWV AmeriCorps
Address: PO Box 69, Bruceton Mills, West Virginia 26525
Phone #: (706) 340-3625
This program receives federal funds from the National Park Service. Regulations of the U. S. Department of the Interior prohibit unlawful discrimination in department Federally Assisted
Programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, age or handicap. Any person who believes he or she has been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility operated by a
recipient of Federal Assistance should write to: Director, Equal Opportunity Program, U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, P.O. Box 37127, Washington, D.C. 20013-7127.
WEST VIRGINIA HISTORIC PROPERTY FORM
CONTINUATION SHEET
NAME__Old Hemlock_______________________
SITE#______________________________
Describe Setting:
Old Hemlock is situated on a rural, forested lot. There is a virgin hemlock stand on the southern edge of the
property. The property is bisected (north to south) by the Brandonville Pike. Old Hemlock is located about 100
yards east of the Brandonville Pike. The town of Brandonville is 1.3 miles north of Old Hemlock. An unnamed
creek (we call it “Wagon Wheel Creek”) runs east to west and is north of the house. The southern property line
is close to Little Sandy Creek and borders the Preston County 4-H Camp. The northern property line abuts a rise
that overlooks the town of Bruceton Mills, which is 2.5 miles west from Old Hemlock.
When George and Kay Evans purchased the property in 1938, it was a working farm. There were open fields
and pastures. After leasing the fields to local farmers until the mid-1950s, the Evans decided to let the fields
return to their natural state. The 232-acre lot is registered with the Brooks Bird Club (located in Wheeling) as a
wildlife sanctuary.
Three miles of trails cover the 232 acres. The trails were constructed by the current foundation; many are
remnants of trails used often by the Evans. There are some signs marking the trails at edges of the property. A
map of the trails will be created by spring 2014. Two geo-caches can be found along these trails.
Description of Building (Original and Present):
Constructed in 1782, Old Hemlock is a rectangular, white oak, two-story log home. The stone foundation
continues into a one-story stone addition. Added in 1939, the addition is called the “studio wing.” During 1939
renovations, the walls of the log, two-story structure were covered with white oak shingles and a back porch
was added. There are two front bays: one through a screened porch on the studio wing and the other underneath
a small porch overhang. The interior of the house reflects the practical simplicity of frontier design, with little
ornamentation. Old Hemlock is situated on a rural, forested lot of 232 acres. The house faces south and is
located about 100 yards off the current Brandonville Pike in Bruceton Mills, West Virginia. Two contributing
outbuildings accompany Old Hemlock, an original springhouse and a garage constructed in 1939. The
springhouse is built into a hill on the southeastern side of the house and the garage is located on the
northwestern side.
The structure is in excellent condition and has had very little alteration since the Evans’ renovations after they
purchased the property in 1938. Exterior restorations were completed in 2011, to protect the structural envelope.
The 1939 white oak shingles were replaced with cedar shingles. A cottage was added by the Foundation in
2011, to house the administrator and operate as a meeting space. It is 75 yards south of Old Hemlock.
The traditionally-used front entrance is through the small, screened dining porch connected to the studio-wing.
This porch is built into the 1939 stone addition. The entrance to the dining porch is a screened door that takes up
the entire eastern side of the porch. The door to the studio-wing of the house opens into a low ceiling
rectangular room, which was George Bird Evans’ studio. The main feature in this room is the giant fireplace,
which extends into the western wall. A small kitchen can be found through a Dutch door on the southern wall,
sharing an exterior wall with the sunken-screened porch. A door on the eastern wall leads to a small entryway
with access to the original 1782 structure. In the entryway, there is an exterior door on the eastern side and a
door leading to a stairway down to the basement. The basement stairwell provides the only existing exterior
wall that has not been covered by cedar siding, allowing for a view of the original white oak logs.
WEST VIRGINIA HISTORIC PROPERTY FORM
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NAME__Old Hemlock_______________________
SITE#______________________________
Through the entryway, the exterior door leads to a rectangular living room, called the “long room.” This room
has another exterior door on the southern side, which was rarely (if ever) used. The oak flooring is original.
There is a seam down the middle of the rectangular space, separating it into two square rooms. This wall was
removed during 1939 renovations. The ceiling beams were pit-sawn and there is an original chair rail along all
walls. Two original six-on-six sash windows occupy the southern wall, with a window and a window seat added
along the eastern wall in 1939. The northeastern corner contains a fireplace with a surround (1939). Along the
northern wall, there is a door to the downstairs bedroom, a built-in bookcase, a door that connects to the
bathroom, and gun cabinet (from east to west).
The door to the downstairs bedroom leads to a small bedroom with a Dutch door on the exterior, northern wall.
This door leads to a porch, which runs the length of the 1782 structure. The eastern half of the porch is a
screened sleeping porch. There are stairs leading to the ground on the western side of the porch. The downstairs
bedroom has a fireplace in its southeast corner. A door in the center of the western wall leads to the downstairs
bathroom, which was painted with zebra stripes by George Bird Evans. Another door on the southern wall of
the bathroom leads back into the long room.
An enclosed staircase is also on the western side of the long room, along with the exterior door that leads to the
entryway. The enclosed stairway has a door on the western side that opens to a small stairwell that curves up
and to the north.
The stairwell is not enclosed on the second floor. A balustrade separates the floor from the stairs. A small
bedroom is at the top of the stairs, with a door to the attic on the western wall and a single sash window on the
southern wall. The oak floors continue on the second floor, but the ceiling joists are hand hewn and much
rougher. A door to the upstairs bathroom is on the northern wall. On the eastern wall there are two doors, one to
another bedroom (“the plunder room”) and the other to a storage room that is accessed through a small, cedar
closet. Both of these rooms have a single sash window on their exterior walls (facing the north and south,
prospectively).
Alterations:
In 1939, the Evans hired local men (Bud Galloway and his brothers) to dig a spring and install a line to have
gravity feed water into the house. The spring is called Hickory Spring. Even though the house did not have
electricity for ten years (1939-49) they did have gravity feed water and a coal stove with a boiler jacket so that
they could have hot and cold water in the house.
One wall was removed from the first floor, turning the four rooms on the first floor into three. Closets were
added to each room, as well as a bathroom on each floor.
In 1949, electricity was added.
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NAME__Old Hemlock_______________________
SITE#______________________________
At this point, the original Brandonville Pike was at the end of the lane to the house. In 1952, when the state
came through to improve the road, George Bird Evans meet with the engineer with an aerial photograph with
two pencil lines on the map. He persuaded the engineer to move the road to a straighter, more convenient route
for travelers. This moved it away from Old Hemlock and the original Brandonville Pike became part of the
Evans’ property and made the house more secluded, meeting the vision of George Bird Evans.
Additions:
A small, two-story, framed addition was added on the west side of the house in the mid-1800s. In 1939, the twostory addition on the west side of the house was no longer standing. Stones from the existing barn foundation
were used to create a one-story studio and kitchen where the two-story addition once stood. There was a
massive stone fireplace on the west side of the house that was moved six feet to create the studio.
Describe all outbuildings:
George and Kay Evans restored the springhouse on the east side of the house in 1939. In the bottom of the
springhouse, there is a circular water basin made of concrete. It was used for drinking water. It overflows into
another trough that is 20 inches by 8 feet long. They set crocks in this 55-degree water coming out of the hill. It
kept the springhouse basement cool and the cool water would keep their butter and milk and other things at a
cooled, preserved temperature. A 9-foot diameter white oak tree fell on the roof in 1972 and additional repairs
were made.
George Bird Evans and his father constructed the garage while other renovations were made in 1939.
A cottage was added by the Foundation in 2011 to house the administrator and operate as a meeting space. It is
75 yards south of Old Hemlock.
Statement of Significance:
Old Hemlock is a modest, two-story house built of white oak logs in rural Bruceton Mills. It was built by
pioneers in 1782 and is the oldest preserved residence in Preston County, West Virginia. Despite its age, it is
most significant for its association with George Bird Evans, a noted artist, author, outdoorsman and dog
breeder, and his wife, Kay. They lived on the property from 1938 until their deaths in 1998 (George) and 2007
(Kay). The modest house embodies the philosophy of George Bird Evans, a man who lived life on his own
terms and escaped from the bustle of New York City to live the quiet life of an upland hunter.
George Bird Evans is regarded as on the of the world’s foremost authors on upland bird shooting and fine bird
dogs. Evans experienced and recorded sixty-five hunting seasons in the Allegheny Mountains. He authored
more than two-dozen books and countless magazine articles about the sport. Evans also bred a line of English
setters whose descendants are treasured today by bird dog enthusiasts throughout America.
Evans was born in Uniontown, Pennsylvania in 1906, raised by parents who cultivated his many talents. As a
child, his earliest playmate was his father’s English setter, Ted. Evans spent most of his childhood roaming the
Chestnut Ridge east of his hometown.
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In 1924, he left home to attend the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh, intent on studying art. There he met Kay
Harris of Wheeling. They began a lengthy correspondence when he transferred to the Chicago Art Institute.
George moved to New York City in hopes of breaking into the field of illustration. He married Kay on January
8, 1931, and brought her to New York City. He spent the next eleven years working on a freelance basis before
landing an exclusive contract to illustrate stories for Cosmopolitan in 1938. The job paid enough for George to
begin thinking about an early retirement while in his mid-thirties.
George and Kay first visited Old Hemlock in 1937, when George and Kay were in their early 30s and had been
married for five years. They were brought here by Art Thomas, a teacher in Preston County, who knew that they
were searching for a homestead. The home was vacant and was going to come up for a sheriff’s auction. Art
introduced George and Kay to Myron Spillman, the bank clerk, who promised to contact then when the place
came up for sale.
The sheriff sale occurred the next year. George and Kay were in New York. His parents in Uniontown went to
Kingwood to bid on the farm. At the auction that day, another party was interested in purchasing the property
(Ward Thomas). George’s parents were bidding against Ward. When he saw that they were going to bid up the
property because George had told them to “break the bank” he let the property go and George won the bid. It
was 241 acres, and cost $1825.00. (Albert and Katie Gaub owned the house until 1936. In 1897, the Gaubs
purchased the property for $3,000.00 from Charles F. F. and Matilda Renner of Pittsburgh. The Renners
purchased the property from Elizabeth Harvey and William Kimberly, who acquired it from Deborrah Forman
and James Harvey. Deborrah Forman and James Harvey acquired the property from Samuel Foreman and
Elizabeth Willets, who acquired the property from Robert Forman and Mary Naylor. Robert Forman and Mary
Naylor acquired the property from Samuel Robinet, who settled the property with his brother John in 1781.)
Upon moving to Old Hemlock, George began searching for the perfect English setter to accompany him on his
hunts. The dog George desired needed to be beautiful, have an excellent nose for bird hunting, and have an
amiable personality for companionship. When it occurred to George that such a dog might not exist, he set out
to create one. The Old Hemlock line of English setters began with a blue belton setter, Blue, and an orange
belton, Dawn. The line is still active.
George convinced his editors at Cosmopolitan that the mountain air would stimulate his creativity, and the
couple left New York for good in June 1939. For the next three years, George worked via the U.S. Mail. During
this time, George’s assignments did not take longer than two weeks per month, which left the outdoorsman
plenty of time to pursue his passion for bird dogs, guns, and grouse. He began documenting his hunts with
shooting journals in 1932, which he continued for more than six decades.
After illustrating naval manuals during WWII, George retired as an artist and began a career as an author.
George and Kay began writing mystery novels under the pseudonyms Brandon Bird and Harris Evans. Between
1950 and 1961, the couple wrote five novels that won the two modest fame and fortune.
WEST VIRGINIA HISTORIC PROPERTY FORM
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NAME__Old Hemlock_______________________
SITE#______________________________
The couple soon realized that George’s shooting journal notes were perfect for magazine articles. George’s first
article appeared in Field & Stream in December 1956. Over the next decade and a half, Evans published an
average of three articles per year, most of which appeared in Field & Stream or Pennsylvania Game News. For
Evans, hunting was not about the kill but about the entire experience. He believed that respect and fairness
should come to play whenever a hunter entered the woods. In 1971, he published his first monograph about his
sport and the utopian existence that he had created at Old Hemlock, entitled The Upland Shooting Life.
An instant classic in the literature of this field, The Upland Shooting Life gained George Bird Evans a loyal
following that would last for the rest of his life. Many more books followed and solidified his position as one of
the foremost writers of all time in his genre. He died in 1998.
When the Evans bought the property in 1938, it was a working farm with open fields, pastures and trees (sugar
maple, walnut, hickory, apple, and pear). There was one woodlot next to Little Sandy Creek. The woodlot
consisted predominately of virgin hemlocks and white oaks. The white oak was cut first and all white oak logs
were sent to France to make wine barrels. After George’s initial visit to Old Hemlock, he purchased the timber
on the ten-acre stand of virgin hemlock trees from its owner.
George did everything he could to protect trees for as long as possible. At the time, the prevailing thought was
to fill any holes or core openings with cement and then place aluminum to prevent water infiltration. This
process protected the trees from additional rot. Many trees close to the house have been exposed to this process.
Also around the property on the George and Kay trail and on the east and west side of the house, George has
lovingly buried his pets over the years. Also, per their wishes, George was buried in 1998 in the dooryard and
when Kay passed in 2007, his ashes were dug up. Her ashes and his ashes were mixed together, replaced in the
dooryard, along with the wing of the last grouse that George shot and Kay’s wedding rings.
George and Kay found a farm bell on the property when they were remodeling and added it to the springhouse.
Traditionally, farm bells were used to call the farmers from the field when the meals were ready. George and
Kay used it to ring in the New Year and also to celebrate the forth of July.
The Old Hemlock Foundation was created by the Kathryn H. Evans Trust Agreement dated March 25, 1999.
The Old Hemlock Foundation’s mission is to maintain the home of George Bird and Kay Evans and to promote
his writing and philosophy of hunting.
Bibliographic Resources
Deed Book 712, 202.
Harper, Catherine A., George Bird Evans: Life of a Shooting Gentleman. Winterset, Iowa: Prairie Wind Press,
1999.
Interview with LeJay and Helen Ann Graffious.
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NAME__Old Hemlock_______________________
SITE#______________________________
Earliest known photograph taken of Old Hemlock, known then as the “Kimberly home.”
George and Kay’s first visit, August 1937: View from the south.
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George and Kay’s first visit, August 1937: View from the southwest, facing what is now the one-story, stone,
studio addition.
George and Kay’s first visit, August 1937: View from the southwest, with the house on the left side and the
springhouse on the right.
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SITE#______________________________
George and Kay’s first visit, August 1937: View from northwest.
George and Kay’s first visit, August 1937: Springhouse, view from north.
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NAME__Old Hemlock_______________________
SITE#______________________________
Before renovations began in 1939, George sketched the changes that he hoped to bring to Old Hemlock. This is
page 1 of 2. The top sketch is the view from the northwest. The bottom sketch is the view from the southwest.
WEST VIRGINIA HISTORIC PROPERTY FORM
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NAME__Old Hemlock_______________________
SITE#______________________________
Before renovations began in 1939, George sketched the changes that he hoped to bring to Old Hemlock. This is
page 2 of 2. The top sketch is the view from the southeast. The bottom sketch is the view from the south.
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NAME__Old Hemlock_______________________
SITE#______________________________
George created this floor plan before renovations began in the summer of 1939.
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Renovations, Summer 1939: Roof work. View from south.
Renovations, Summer 1939: View from east.
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Renovations, Summer 1939.
Renovations, Summer 1939: Garage construction.
SITE#______________________________
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Renovations, Summer 1939: Additional roof repair and restoration.
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Renovations, Summer 1939: The extant chimney was disassembled, moved back six feet, and the reassembled.
A large oak beam was situated within the chimney stones to support the roof. In this photograph, the men are
standing inside of the studio wing.
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NAME__Old Hemlock_______________________
SITE#______________________________
New Year’s Day, 1940: The siding and shingles are almost completely put on, covering the white oak log
exterior. The view is from the northeast.
Fall 1940: View from the northwest, with a harvested buckwheat field in the foreground. This field is now a
forest. Completed renovations can be seen.
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NAME__Old Hemlock_______________________
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Fall 2013: View from the south.
Fall 2013: View from south, with garage to the west and springhouse to the east.
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Fall 2013: Springhouse and house. View from northeast.
Fall 2013: View from north.
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Fall 2013: View from northwest.
Fall 2013: View from west with garage in foreground.
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