SUMMERS COUNTY W.Va. (Hinton News) – In this week’s piece, I will be asking for your help identifying the location of these photos. These photos belonged to Oscar Hutchison. Oscar was an early photographer in Summers County, and he had a studio in the city of Hinton around the turn of the century. Oscar had a stroke and died at an early age.
His Grandson, Tom Huutchison, recently gave these two photos to me to add to my collection. Tom is a fellow Summers County historian, as well as a retired teacher whom you or your parents may have had in school. Now for the two photos in question.
First, we will address the photo of the early house. It is of a two-story board and batten home. It resembles the early Silas Hinton home that was in Avis. The Hinton house did not have a two-story porch across the front like the one in the photo; it only had a two-story half porch.
The 2nd photo is of an early dirt road scene with a two-story house on the left. Again, I do not know anything about this photo, but looking at it more closely, there is a board fence to the right. I am merely making a hypothesis here, but it appears this could possibly be along a stretch of riverbank or something.
I have to wonder if this could be in Avis before it developed into the way it now looks. But looking at it even closer, there appears to vaguely be a very large structure in the center. I can make out what looks to be a window and chimney. There was never a large wooden structure like this in Summers County that I am aware of, other than the first Pence Springs Hotel.
I am sorry I can’t provide any “concrete” information about these two photos. If you recognize either of them, please email me at greenbrierantiques@gmail.com. I would love to be able to identify them for future generations. Thank you for your help.
