Junior League transfers Cook House to museums organization
Ownership of the Cook House on Murdoch Avenue in Parkersburg has been transferred to Museums of the Mid-Ohio Valley, which owns and operates the Oil and Gas Museum in downtown Parkersburg, Henderson Hall in Boaz and the Burning Springs museum and park in Wirt County. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Ownership of the Cook House on Murdoch Avenue in Parkersburg has been transferred to Museums of the Mid-Ohio Valley, which owns and operates the Oil and Gas Museum in downtown Parkersburg, Henderson Hall in Boaz and the Burning Springs museum and park in Wirt County. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
The Junior League of Parkersburg signed an agreement Tuesday transferring ownership of the Cook House on Murdoch Avenue to Museums of the Mid-Ohio Valley. Pictured at the signing ceremony at WVU Parkersburg’s Downtown office are, front row from left, past Junior League president Jane Burdette and Museums of the Mid-Ohio Valley President Paul Hoblitzell; back row from left, Downtown PKB Executive Director Amanda Stevens; Kristi Bond, former chairwoman of the Junior League’s Cook House committee; Junior League President Rebecca Crooks; past League president Sherry Dugan; Museums of the Mid-Ohio Valley Treasurer Kathy Leggett; and Museums of the Mid-Ohio Valley board member Senta Goudy. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Ownership of the Cook House on Murdoch Avenue in Parkersburg has been transferred to Museums of the Mid-Ohio Valley, which owns and operates the Oil and Gas Museum in downtown Parkersburg, Henderson Hall in Boaz and the Burning Springs museum and park in Wirt County. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
Ownership of the Cook House on Murdoch Avenue in Parkersburg has been transferred to Museums of the Mid-Ohio Valley, which owns and operates the Oil and Gas Museum in downtown Parkersburg, Henderson Hall in Boaz and the Burning Springs museum and park in Wirt County. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
The Junior League of Parkersburg signed an agreement Tuesday transferring ownership of the Cook House on Murdoch Avenue to Museums of the Mid-Ohio Valley. Pictured at the signing ceremony at WVU Parkersburg’s Downtown office are, front row from left, past Junior League president Jane Burdette and Museums of the Mid-Ohio Valley President Paul Hoblitzell; back row from left, Downtown PKB Executive Director Amanda Stevens; Kristi Bond, former chairwoman of the Junior League’s Cook House committee; Junior League President Rebecca Crooks; past League president Sherry Dugan; Museums of the Mid-Ohio Valley Treasurer Kathy Leggett; and Museums of the Mid-Ohio Valley board member Senta Goudy. (Photo by Evan Bevins)
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PARKERSBURG -- A historic Parkersburg home is joining three other significant sites in the region under the stewardship of the Oil, Gas and Industrial Historical Association.
The Junior League of Parkersburg has owned and operated the Cook House at 1301 Murdoch Ave. since the 1970s. The group was responsible for getting the structure, which is Parkersburg's second-oldest residence, placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. They have also used it as a headquarters and provided tours to students and community members.
They signed an agreement Tuesday with the Oil, Gas and Industrial Historic Association, which now goes by the name Museums of the Mid-Ohio Valley. The organization also owns and operates the Oil and Gas Museum in Downtown Parkersburg, Henderson Hall in Boaz and the Burning Springs Museum and Park in Wirt County.
While the agreement transfers ownership to the museums, the Junior League's association with the Cook House won't end. The group will still maintain its records there, host events and offer tours.
"We've been considering this for several years," past Junior League president Jane Burdette said.
Past president Sherry Dugan noted the group's membership has decreased and the museums organization is better equipped to maintain it going forward. She said she's glad to see the League will still be involved with the facility.
"We're very happy to keep the Cook House alive," said Paul Hoblitzell, president of Museums of the Mid-Ohio Valley.
The Cook House was built in 1825 by Tillinghast A. Cook, son of Capt. Joseph Cook of Dartmouth, Mass., who settled in Belpre in 1795. In 1797, the elder Cook bought 216 acres of land in what is now Parkersburg.
Tillinghast Cook became a leader in the local community and served as Wood County sheriff. The house remained in the Cook family until it was given to the Junior League by a past group president.
People will be able to tour the Cook House, with its halls decked for Christmas, during the Parkersburg Winterfest event on Dec. 2, said Senta Goudy, a member of the Museums of the Mid-Ohio Valley board. Henderson Hall and the Oil and Gas Museum will also be open and decorated that day.
"The Museums of the Mid-Ohio Valley are going to be a really cool place for Christmas," Goudy said.