Area residents turned out to support the continued restoration of the historic Carskadon Mansion on Radical Hill at the Mineral County Historic Foundation Banquet.
In its eighth year, the annual banquet filled the Wind Lea Center as Frank Roleff welcomed participants to the evening celebrating the mansion’s continued restoration.
The evening kicked off with a donation from BB&T Bank, presented by Brian Mitchell. Roleff noted that the bank has been instrumental in its support of the project, along with Wal-Mart.
As patrons enjoyed their dinner, they were treated to the musical talents of Bob Shank, who describes his performance and teaching of Appalachian music an obsession.
A native of Burlington, Shank has toured three continents, and performed in 30 states as he brings his repertoire of original compositions to the stage.
Keyser resident Edith Ludwick said that she could probably take some of the credit for Shank’s success, as Shank and her son and a few others spent countless hours in the Ludwick’s basement perfecting their skills.
Roleff gave thanks to Dr. Charles Whitehill and Karen McDonald for volunteering their time and talents to entertain patrons during the social hour.
In the past year, the mansion has gotten another facelift with the addition of a porch at the main entrance on the Route 220 side, thanks to grants from Housing and Urban Development and the State Historic Preservation Office (SHIPO),  along with local donations.
It was funds from SHIPO that made it possible to restore and rebuild the flooring on the first floor by replacing the floor joints that were burned during a fire at the mansion.
Roleff announced that visitors can now walk on the first floor without fear of falling to the basement, and that the floor is now level.
For coming year, the foundation is requesting funds for heating, ventilation and air conditioning. This next step is crucial in preserving the work that has been done on the interior, and making it possible to do more restoration of the plaster and interior features once the humidity levels are regulated.
Roleff urged residents to seek the support of state officials for restoration projects.  He said he plans to ask legislators to make entities such as the historic foundation tax exempt for the prevailing wage policy, which currently applies to all grant funds received.
By paying the prevailing wage, groups such as the foundation are limited as to those who will bid on the projects and the amount of work that can be done given the allowable funds.
Roleff is also asking officials to increase the amount of funding made available to SHIPO for restoration projects. Currently, SHIPO only has $400,000 to $450,000 to fund projects for the entire state. He noted that tourism gets $12 million a year just for advertising.
While all funds raised at the dinner benefit the Carskadon Mansion, Roleff took a moment to update members on the foundation’s other project at the Old Stone House in Burlington.
Now on the National Register of Historic Places, the masonry on the exterior of the building has been completed and the back porch foundation and porches are to be built.
A Transportation Enhancement Grant has been received for the roof replacement.
Many area residents and visitors have gotten a closer look a the inside of the Stone House during the annual Route 50 Yard Sale each spring and the Apple Harvest Flea Market.
This year’s Route 50 Yard Sale is set for May 16-18, as part of the nationwide celebration. The foundation will have the caretakers side open for visitors to see and will have the foundations many items promoting the Carskadon Mansion and the Stone House for sale.
The foundation will also be taking orders for a book written by Elizabeth Dye Walker, who lived in the Stone House and made its transfer to the Historic Foundation possible.