Shepherd University - Cohongoroota Yearbook (Shepherdstown, WV)

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- Design and Illustration by Tim Brown 4 The saloon was kicking. The piano belted out hip tunes of the times, the hustle and bustle noise of crowd. Outside, onlookers through the windows with pride admiration. Gambling and drink- were at a high point and this place the center attraction for both. This was the Entler Hotel in its hey- between 1786 and 1861. Located the corner of Princess and German in Shepherdstown, W.Va. la place for traders going from to as far south as Tennessee the Chesa eake Bayl- the Entler was P attraction to people passing town. It had everything to at- people to it. The architecture rep- resented that of the federal period: two storied brick construction, Flemish bond, hand-hewn ornamental wooden keystones atop windows and door- ways, small window panes and a well-lit, fan-lighted front door. It housed a lobby and di- ning room with a large door with sidelights, transoms and an over-head cover supported by pilasters. This architectural style was' inviting and at- tracted customers from all over. Other attractions in- i cluded the hotel's 32 large I plush rooms and a saloon that entertained guests and towns people nightly. It also had the privilege of boasting the best beef in tovxm. What happened to the Entler Hotel after 1861 is somewhat of a mystery. It remained a hotel until 1921, but it was never quite the same after 1861. Part of the problem was that it went through some changes in oum- ership from 1865 thru 1908. In 1865, before Daniel Entler's death, his son, I.P.A. Entler, became the proprieter. It remained like this until 1889 when the hotel was leased to W.N. Trussell. In 1906, L.W. Thompson and T.A. Carter, in partnership, applied for and were granted a saloon license under their management. In 1908, En- tler and Rust, in partnership, were is- sued a hotel license for the Entler Hotel. Finally in 1912, the property was sold to E.H. Reinhart and M.B. Baker. Also in 1912, tire destroyed the first building of the hotel. Alter the tire, the hotel really went downhill but still had some hey-days such as large din- ner parties. In 1921, the Entler was sold to Shepherd College and made into the school's first male dormitory facility. Shepherd paid a sum of S10,500 for the building. As a dormitory, its name changed from the Entler Hotel to Rum- sey Hall. It remained a dormitory until 1953 when it was turned into an apartment complex for the faculty and staff of the college. In 1968, it was turned into a storage warehouse, which it remained until 1971. In 1971, Shepherd College wanted to raze the building and turn it into a parking lot, but the town met and petitioned against this happening. In 1973, the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The struggle between the town and the school over the Entler continued until 1978 when the West Virginia State Legislature passed an ordinance which said that the college would sell the property to the town for S1 as long as it was used on a non-profit basis. After this, the town prepared for the restora- tion of the hotel and in 1979, it was begun. The restoration was started by the Historic Shepherdstown Commission Inc. and its main goal is to have a com- plete and substantial restoration of the building by 1986 lthe 200th anniver- sary of the buildingj. The restoration includes two parts: 1. A renewal of the brick exterior and the early nineteenth century woodwork to their original state to serve as a valuable architectural statement. 2. A restoration of the Entler to its former position as the center of the town's social life. Careful attention is being given to historical accuracy of the restoration where it is feasable. The restoration project is being done under the guide- lines of the United States Department of the Interior for Rehabilitating His- toric Buildings. So far, two rooms have been restored for commlmity use. One is primarily for Senior Citizens fthe old dining rooml and the other is for gen- eral meetings and exhibitions fthe old saloonl. Still to be restored are the porches that run along the back of the building, 13

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ggi i I 1 ' vm--.....m.. n - . V Xf'-s Y.. rooms that have been set aside for use as a town museum, a formal reception room and smaller rooms for office use. The present needs of the restoration of the incomplete areas on the hotel are: 1. Complete repairing of the porches. They are being redone to match the ar- chitecture of the federal period and preserve the architectural integrity of the hotel. The porches overlook the back of the building which is soon to be turned into a large garden. 2. Redoing of the room in the museum section which is going to be made up into a replica of a typical 18th century hotel room. 3. Turning a closet in the museum section into a powder room. 4. Creating a good security system. It will be especially needed in the musetun section. Before these things can be done, other work has to be done for safety precautions. At the present time, work is being done on stabilizing the roof, exterior walls and windows to stop further deterioration. When major construction of the building takes place, a contractor will be hired to do the work under the supervision of an architect. . 'W' .L A historical architectlcontractor has been hired for the project. He will be able to look through the building and tell how each room should be restored, what type of woodwork to use, etc. The authenticity of the interior is still amazing and this can help in renova- tion. F eat1u'es still seen are the wood- work incompassing the mantel pieces with horizontal f'linenfold carving, chair boards, six panelled doors, a fourfold fan lighted door between the ladies' parlors and Dutch doors to closets. Although most of the work must be done professionally, it will be augmented, where practical, by volun- teers in the community. Voltmteers have removed modern temporary par- titions that changed the original floor plan. So far, town volunteers include: a retired electrician, retired carpenter, a. yotmg 'carpenter-cabinet maker and a profession interior designer with a strong background in colonial and federal architecture and fiunishings. Funding for the Hotel restoration has been good even though there is still room for more contributions. The money has come largely from the citi- zens through private and business con- tributions, the sale of local crafts, bene- tit theatrical performances and a buffet dinner. A matching grant .of 340,000 sm! match the 840,000 1 Y 'Q I ir X at ., ff ' E ' g the S40 ooo g if 445. 77 a uniform : i V N f' V e 7 Sl .n X x ff! gf.. g QQ43L..-.,. W f - . . --1'-'fm'-'-'-'ff---mmf' rw'-'-W'-f-sf-'w 14