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Hiram Carpenter, Records of a Pleasants County Businessman

 Collection
Collection Number: A&M 3909

Scope and Contents

Records of Pleasants County businessman Hiram Carpenter, based in St. Marys, West Virginia. Includes correspondence, financial and legal records, and other material.

Hiram A. Carpenter, a native of Pleasants County, West Virginia, was a well-known riverman who began his career ferrying mail between Raven Rock and Leith, Ohio, when he was 13 years old. A successful businessman, his many enterprises included a sand and gravel business and farming on 13 of the Ohio River islands, which he owned at one time. Cultivation of apples and potatoes, road construction, transportation, and his greatest undertaking, building the Short Route Bridge across the Ohio River in 1928, were among his many endeavors, spanning a lifetime of almost 90 years.

Dates

  • Creation: ca. 1914-1980
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1918-1966

Language of Materials

English

Conditions Governing Access

All or part of this collection is stored offsite. Please make an appointment prior to visiting.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.

Extent

150 Linear Feet (149 ft. 11 1/2 in. (1 document case, 5 in.); (1 document case, 2 1/2 in.); (117 records cartons, 15 in. each); (1 records carton, 17 in.); (7 unboxed ledgers, 20 in.))

Overview

Records of Pleasants County businessman Hiram Carpenter, based in St. Marys, West Virginia. Includes correspondence, financial and legal records, and other material. Hiram A. Carpenter, a native of Pleasants County, West Virginia, was a well-known riverman who began his career ferrying mail between Raven Rock and Leith, Ohio, when he was 13 years old. A successful businessman, his many enterprises included a sand and gravel business and farming on 13 of the Ohio River islands, which he owned at one time. Cultivation of apples and potatoes, road construction, transportation, and his greatest undertaking, building the Short Route Bridge across the Ohio River in 1928, were among his many endeavors, spanning a lifetime of almost 90 years.

Physical Location

West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / Fax: 304-293-3981 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/

Title
Hiram Carpenter, Records of a Pleasants County Businessman, ca. 1914-1980
Author
Staff of the West Virginia & Regional History Center
Date
2013/02/13
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the West Virginia and Regional History Center Repository

Contact:
1549 University Ave.
P.O. Box 6069
Morgantown WV 26506-6069 US
304-293-3536