Huntington, West Virginia, is a city rich in cultural history. Rising from the ashes of the Civil War, this jewel city of the upper South became an important focus of the nation's industrial elite. With the Industrial Revolution, Huntington evolved into a major shipping port for the boundless reserves of coal, virgin timber, and natural gas found in the local mountains. The great railroad scion Collis P. Huntington, who had just completed the Transcontinental Railroad, became obsessed with creating a new city-one that bears his name today. Images of America: Huntington conveys the opulence of the Gilded Age (1870-1915) in the stunning architecture and the graceful, elegant lifestyles of the time. Many of the wealthy families of Huntington contributed to the development of education and the community by building universities and public schools, as well as hospitals, libraries, churches, museums, and government buildings. This photographic journal offers an engaging history of the early families and that made Huntington one of the architectural gems of America.
