Daughters of a Tygart Valley Homesteader

This photo was taken in June, 1939, in West Virginia.

The Tygart Valley Homestead was developed on approximately 2,500 acres of farmland between Rich and Cheat mountains, about 10 miles south of Elkins. Located along U.S. Route 219, the Homestead is made up of three small communities — Dailey, East Dailey, and Valley Bend — and a commercial/industrial center. 

At Dailey, a lumber mill provided steady work for a ready and willing labor force. Also along Route 219 at Dailey, the Homestead Trade Center housed a restaurant, beauty shop, dentist office, dance hall, post office, and cooperative store. Nearby, a weaving shop, woodworking shop, and community toolshed facilitated the development of artisan skills. 

Each of the 198 houses at the Homestead was built on a generous plot of land, ranging in size from 1.72 to 2.5 acres. The attractive, stylish housing and the outbuilding complexes on the Homestead enabled a progressive middle-class lifestyle, while at the same time facilitated subsistence agricultural practices. 

The compact, two-story houses were constructed of plaster and redwood frame, and featured oak flooring, knotty pine paneling, and exposed chestnut beams.