Lowell, West Virginia

From West Virginia (WV) Cyclopedia

In eastern Summers County, 10 miles southwest of Alderson, WV, Lowell (map (http://www.wvamaps.com/maps/index.php?place=Lowell&state=WV&pop=0&county=Summers&lat=37.6544&lon=-80.7292&elev=1510)) is an unincorporated community on the Greenbrier River. The was settled in 1770 by James Graham and Samuel Gwinn, who had also been neighbors on the Cowpasture River in Virginia before moving to the wilderness west of the Allegheny Mountains. Gwinn settled on the south side of the river; Graham, on the north. Soon thereafter, Fort Greenbrier was established on the south side near the Gwinn Plantation to provide shelter for settlement families in case of attack by Indians. Despite its fort, in 1777 the community was attacked by Indians, who killed three members of the Graham household and kidnapped a daughter.

In 1871 or 1872, brothers A.C. and E.P. Lowe built a hotel near Graham's settlement near the site of the fort and launched a mercantile business. The Chesapeake & Ohio Railway was completed through Lowell in 1878. Two national historic landmarks are located at Lowell -- the home of Graham House and the Samuel Gwinn Plantation. The Graham House is open to the public as a museum; the Gwinn Plantation is a private residence. Motorists who intend to explore Lowell on both sides of the river must drive two miles north to the bridge over the Greenbrier at Pence Springs, WV. The summits of Wind Creek Mountain rise to the south of the Greenbrier River at Lowell.

Variant Names for Lowell: Graham's Ferry, Graham's Settlement