THE CRAIK-PATTON HOUSE
Designated "A Great American Treasure"
Our History
The Craik Family
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With the westward expansion of the frontier in the early 1800s, residents of the Kanawha Valley, VA began to build finer homes, replacing the common rough-hewn log cabins of the early settlers. James Craik was one of the pioneers of this trend when he built his Greek Revival house in 1834 and, in the style of the day, named it “Elm Grove”.
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The Craiks were a prominent family originally from the tidewater area of Virginia. The family had close ties to George Washington. Craik’s grandfather, Dr. James Craik, was Washington’s personal physician and first Surgeon General of the Continental Army. The elder Craik traveled widely with Washington during the General’s extensive surveying work, much of which was conducted in what is now West Virginia.
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Dr. Craik’s second son, George Washington Craik, continued the family’s association with Washington by serving as his secretary during his second term in office. Clearly, Dr. Craik’s admiration and affinity with Washington is reflected in the name given to his son. George Craik’s son, named for his grandfather, was James Craik who built the Craik-Patton House.
Having studied law at Transylvania College, James Craik initially worked as a lawyer when he moved to Charleston with his wife, the former Juliet Shrewsbury, in the early 1830s. Juliet was the youngest of ten children of Samuel Shrewsbury, who had established a salt business that was thriving in the area southeast of Charleston.
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After building “Elm Grove”, which was one of the first clapboard frame houses in the valley, James Craik became involved in the Episcopal Church. He eventually abandoned his law practice to become rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church, one of the earliest churches founded in Charleston.
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Craik moved his family from the area in 1844 when he was chosen to lead a church in Kentucky. The Craik-Patton House was sold at that time to Isaac Read, who owned it until it was purchased by George S. Patton in 1856.
The Patton Family
The owner of the house following Mr. Read is the most well known. Confederate Colonel George Smith Patton purchased the house in 1856 from the Read family. It was in this house that his son George William Patton later to change his name to George Smith Patton, II was born in 1856. George Smith Patton's son, General George Smith Patton, became the most well known of the Patton's through his outstanding generalship during World War II.​
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Colonel Patton graduated from Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in 1852 and following his marriage to Susan Thornton Glassell moved from Richmond to Kanawha Courthouse—the original name of Charleston—to practice law with Thomas Broun and later George Summers. While in Richmond, Patton had known of the famous “Light Infantry Blues” militia organization and was inspired to form a similar company in Charleston. The company—the Kanawha Riflemen—was referred to by many in town as the “Kid Glove Company” because it was comprised of the most prominent young men in the area. Patton used his VMI education while conducting exercises with the Riflemen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson’s influence may have been manifested during these drills as he was one of Patton’s former VMI instructors.
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Patton’s career as an attorney was short-lived as the approaching clouds of Civil War broke with the bombardment of Fort Sumter in April 1861. With the succession of Virginia, the Kanawha Riflemen were mustered into Confederate service as Company H, 22nd Virginia Infantry. Only a short time later, the unit faced its baptism of fire. On July 17, 1861, Patton, then a Captain, led his company in an engagement at Scary Creek, in what is now St. Albans, West Virginia. Although the Confederates were victorious in the fight, Captain Patton was wounded and out of action for some time. By 1864, following several more years of combat and distinguished service, Patton had been promoted to Colonel. Colonel Patton’s Civil War service and his life came to a close as a result of a battle at Winchester, Virginia in that year. Colonel Patton was mortally wounded and lingered some days before dying of his wounds.
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Following the death of her Col. Patton the house was sold to Andrew Hogue, and the family eventually settled in California. It was here that General George Patton of WW2 was born and eventually embarked upon his brilliant military career. General Patton indicated that his grandfather’s service in the Civil War was one of the catalysts for his embarking upon a military career.
