HINTON W.Va. (Hinton News) – My friend and fellow Summers County Historian, Tom Hutchison, recently gave me several photos that his grandfather, who was an early photographer in the county, had taken during his career. His name was Oscar Hutchison and he had a studio in Hinton around 1900.
The first photo is not the clearest, but with all of my years of examining old photos of Hinton, I have never seen this particular shot. It says on the back of it in Oscar’s handwriting, “Property of Thomas K. Hutchinson lent to Campbell Flannagan Murrell Foundation View of the old First National Bank of Hinton and the National Bank of Summers C. 1900.”
The second photo with the top left corner missing is the building where Otter and Oak and the Summers County Visitors Center are now located. It is called “Explore Summers County CVB” and is on the corner above Ronald Meadows Funeral Home.
Oscar had written on the back, “Picture of 2nd Ave. Hinton, WV Turn of the century. Elks Lodge upstairs.” Again, I have never seen this particular shot before. Even with it missing the corner, it is still a very valuable historical asset showing all of the architectural elements on the facade of the building.
The third photo I am not too sure about as it has nothing written on the back. I assume it is a never-before-seen view of Hinton. And appears to be to the right of the overhead bridge, leading into downtown showing more of the area where Save-A-Lot now is or what is better known as Avis.
The only thing that is written on the back of it is Mr. Jimmie Hutchison and his address where he lived in Forest Hill. Jimmie was Oscar’s son. So it is assumed that this photo was taken of Hinton during Oscar’s days as a photographer in the county.
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