The William Spiker Home

Location: Maurertown, Virginia, on the west side of Route 11 between the Southern Railway and the highway.

Built: circa 1830

Owners:

The owners prior to 1860 are undetermined.

12 Sep 1860: Noah Wright sold to Wm. D. Spiker. Deed Book 6, page 298

19 Sep 1890: Wm. D. Spiker sold to E.S. Spiker. Deed Book 34, page 11

17 Oct 1917: E.S. Spiker sold to Harry C. Bentz and Pamlie E. Bentz. Deed Book 84, page 331

Mrs. Pamlie E. Bentz, widow owned this house in 1937.

Physical Description

This is the only original house still standing in Maurertown, Virginia, said to be one hundred (in 1937) years old. It has always been whitewashed and is now in a bad state of repair. It is used as a summer home by the owners. It is built of logs; the weatherboarding has rotted away in some places. The original front porch hangs to the house with its battle scars still showing, though badly weathered.

The house is two stories except the kitchen part which is one story, and one step higher than the front of the house; an old stone chimney is at the rear of the kitchen and had a large fireplace which was used for cooking. The stairway leads up from the living room and is a closed, two flight stairway; the rooms have baseboards and chair rails; the walls are plastered over the logs and are uneven; some are papered. The floors are of wide, irregular boards, and very much warped and irregular. The doors have two long panels, as have also the double outside doors, while a few have four panels only. All have old time iron outside locks and hinges, and some have iron latches.

Historical Significance

This house was in the line of fire when General Ashby was stationed to the south of Maurertown. It bears many battle scars and birds have built their nests in some of the holes.

Sources: Virginia W.P.A. Historical Inventory Project, 1937



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Created November 14 2001