Lockmaster's House to be Demolished

Lockmasters House to be demolished soon

by Barbie Layton STAFF WRITER

Nov 8, 2022

RAVENSWOOD, W.Va. (WV News) — The Lockmaster’s House at Washington’s Riverfront Park has been a topic of discussion for many years.

It was built in 1918 to serve as the residence of a federal employee, the lockmaster, a person who directed the operation of a lock or canal.

The building was deeded from the United States Department of Interior to the West Virginia State Historic Preservation office in 1999 with stipulations of no leasing, selling or assigning.

With the locks system having ended or been destroyed in the late 1960s, over the years the facility was used outside the conveyance’s conditions.

“In 2015, an engineering firm was hired for $15,000 to give a status or recommendation,” Superintendent of the Ravenswood Board of Parks and Recreation Katrena Ramsey said. “The gist was that the interior was in terrible shape although the foundation was good.”

According to Ramsey, one side of the building was in decent shape; however, the other side, in her words, was a wreck.

“There was no drywall, and the walls and flooring were severely damaged by what was thought to be water left on in the winter,” she added.

With the state of the current building, the cost of repair would include meeting today’s building code standards and dealing with the floodplain which would require elevating the building.

When Ramsey first became a volunteer for the city, she said that her interest was in restoring the lockhouse.

“Once I saw it in detail, I realized it would take far too much work to get back to its former glory,” Ramsey said.

During a city council meeting on November 16, 2021, Ravenswood Mayor Josh Miller and the council agreed that the amount of work the house needed was not financially feasible. They unanimously agreed that it would make more sense to have the structure demolished.

Miller wrote a letter to the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History on Nov. 29, 2021, advising them of the council’s decision.

Finally, an agreement was reached.

A letter from the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History from August 9, 2022, states, “Your letter dated November 29, 2021, outlined the reasons for demolition of the protected building presenting the Lockmaster’s Residence as a significant financial burden to the City of Ravenswood. After sharing your concerns with staff from the State Historic Preservation Office at a site visit, the office concurred with your findings. A letter provided by the SHPO to the Program Manager of the Federal Lands-to-Parks Program on June 10, 2022, expressed these concerns. On August 1, 2022, the Program Manager sent a written concurrence with the plan of action expressed.”

The letter goes on to indicate that the city has committed to salvaging key details such as “clay roof tiles, original doors, sidelights, and any remaining original windows prior to demolition.”

Miller said the key was keeping communication open and working closely with the preservation agency.

He said the city had worked closely with the West Virginia SHPO due to concerns and questions that indicated a reluctance to support the plan.

“When we were able to show that a welcome center for the marina was to be almost identical to the Lockmaster House style, using rescued wood flooring, ceramic tiles and interior doors, they were satisfied and gave their support,” Miller said.

Miller informed Ravenswood City Council at its most recent meeting who had given permission to move forward with the demolition plans back in November 2021, that the demolition is intended to be complete within the next 30 days.

There have been some objections to the decision made by the mayor and council.

Several members of the community do not agree with the decision.

“I don’t believe they did whatever they could to save it,” Ravenswood resident Jim Ihle said. “They put up a fence and stopped weed eating around it.”

The history connected to the house is a point of concern.

“I, like others in the community, have fought to save the Lockmaster’s House,” Connie Dunlap said. “This is a valuable piece of history for Ravenswood. Past administrations performed maintenance on it according to the deed and other projects with funds that were available. It could have and should have been saved for generations to come.”

Mike Kelly is another member of the Ravenswood community who said he has fought for several years to save the Lockmaster’s House.

“I am deeply saddened and disappointed that years of plans, studies and ideas for the lockhouse as well as my concerns for Ravenswood have fallen on deaf ears,” Kelly said. “When Ravenswood Ohio River Festival was asked to remove all possessions from our old headquarters and park, we immediately started asking for use of the lockhouse. Past administrations have had the roof repaired, windows replaced, gutters repaired, and a furnace replaced. I personally have asked to clean up around it. It is such a waste of a landmark.”

Miller understands the emotional attachment to the historic building, although it is not on the National Register of Historic Places. But he said that no one has submitted a plan that would include funding sources for the renovation.

“No one has come up with a plan and a method of funding a restoration project,” he said, “It is just not fiscally sound to invest the amount of money it would take to completely renovate a structure that was pretty much just a house. I take no pride in this but for fiscal responsibility and public safety, it’s the right thing to do.”