Waldomore, also known as The Waldomore, is a two-story Neo-Classical

Neoclassicism

Neoclassicism is the name given to Western movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw inspiration from the "classical" art and culture of Ancient Greece or Ancient Rome...

 brick mansion located in uptown Clarksburg, West Virginia

Clarksburg, West Virginia

Clarksburg is a city in and the county seat of Harrison County, West Virginia, United States, in the north-central region of the state. It is the principal city of the Clarksburg, WV Micropolitan Statistical Area...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 on October 4, 1978.

History

The Waldomore was constructed in late 1839 for Waldo P. Goff on part of a 4 acres (16,187.4 m²) tract that extended from Pike Street to Elk Creek. The structure's name was coined by combining the names of the original owners Waldo Goff and his wife Harriet L. Moore. The Waldomore was added to The National Register of Historical Places in 1978. This classical revival structure was the home of Waldo Goff and his family. The Waldomore was donated to the City of Clarksburg by May Goff Lowndes (Mrs. Richard T. Lowndes) in 1930 on the condition that it was to be used as a public library or museum and for no other purpose. It served as the Clarksburg Public Library from 1931 to 1976 when the new library was constructed next door on the same property. The building is now the repository for materials relating to the state's culture and history as well as the books and papers of renowned UFO writer, Gray Barker

Gray Barker

Gray Barker was an American writer best known for his books about UFOs and other paranormal phenomena. His 1956 book They Knew Too Much About Flying Saucers introduced the notion of the Men in Black to UFO folklore. Recent evidence indicates that he was skeptical of most UFO claims, and mainly...

. It also has a collection of resources for genealogical research.

Goff Family

The home was constructed in 1839 for Waldo P. Goff. Goff was born in 1796, the fifth son of Job and Zerviah Goff who moved to Harrison County in 1804 from New York. Of the eight children born to this family, four sons eventually served in the Virginia State Legislators

Virginia General Assembly

The Virginia General Assembly is the legislative body of the Commonwealth of Virginia, and the oldest legislative body in the Western Hemisphere, established on July 30, 1619. The General Assembly is a bicameral body consisting of a lower house, the Virginia House of Delegates, with 100 members,...

 of Virginia and West Virginia. Waldo Goff was a member of the Virginia State Senate from 1833 to 1837, and thereafter held numerous local minor offices including that of sheriff of Harrison County in 1851. The most famous of Waldo Goff's children was Nathan Goff born at the Waldomore February 9, 1843. Nathan served as Secretary of the Navy appointed by president Rutherford B. Hayes

Rutherford B. Hayes

Rutherford Birchard Hayes was the 19th President of the United States . As president, he oversaw the end of Reconstruction and the United States' entry into the Second Industrial Revolution...

. In 1876, Nathan Goff ran for governor and was defeated by Henry Mathews. Nathan Goff was a United States Congress

United States Congress

The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....

man from 1883 to 1889.

External links

• Clarksburg Public Library: Waldomore