The Charles Town Mining, Manufacturing, and Improvement Company Building in

Ranson Ranson is a surname, and may refer to: * Arthur Ranson (born 1939), English comic book illustrator * Jack Ranson (1909–1992), English footballer * J. B. Ranson (1864–?), commander of White Star Line liners * J. M. Ranson (born 1938), English r ...

, Jefferson County, West Virginia is a Romanesque Revival building that now serves as Ranson's City Hall. It was built for the Charles Town Mining, Manufacturing and Improvement Company (CMM&I) in 1891 as its headquarters. The CMM&I sought to develop industry in the area that in 1910 became the City of Ranson. The company was formed in 1890 by Roger Preston Chew, Frank Beck, Forrest W. Brown, T.C. Green, W.F. Lippitt, A.W. McDonald and B. C. Washington, with Chew as president. Using of land purchased from the Ranson family, a planned community was laid out by D.G. Howell, a Washington, D.C.

landscape architect A landscape architect is a person who is educated in the field of landscape architecture. The practice of landscape architecture includes: site analysis, site inventory, site planning, land planning, planting design, grading, storm water manageme ...

and

civil engineer A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing ...

. In 1891 the 3½ story headquarters was built, designed by J.C. Holmes. By 1893 the CMM&I was facing hard times, possibly as a result of the

Panic of 1893 The Panic of 1893 was an economic depression in the United States that began in 1893 and ended in 1897. It deeply affected every sector of the economy, and produced political upheaval that led to the political realignment of 1896 and the pres ...

, and the headquarters was sold to the Board of Education of Charles Town, and served as the white Charles Town High School from 1893 to 1912. The school was sometimes known as the "Keyhole School" after its distinctive entrance, and as the Wright Denny School. In 1917 the Board of Education sold the school to former mayor Gerard D. Moore, and upon his death the property went to H.C. Getzendanner for $4500. Part of the building was used as a

confectionery Confectionery is the art of making confections, which are food items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates. Exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confectionery is divided into two broad and somewhat overlapping categories ...

and the north half became the Ranson Post Office. In 1936 the City of Ranson bought the building for $3000 as its City Hall, although apartments occupied the upper floors until the 1970s.

References

Commercial buildings completed in 1891 Buildings and structures in Jefferson County, West Virginia City halls in West Virginia Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia Former post office buildings Former school buildings in the United States Mining in West Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Jefferson County, West Virginia Post office buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in West Virginia Romanesque Revival architecture in West Virginia {{JeffersonCountyWV-NRHP-stub