Known as Hinton's oldest standing residential structure, the house was built before 1875 by Mr. Edgar Campbell and his wife, Elizabeth. The Campbells operated a general store, one of the first merchants in Hinton, out of the basement portion of the home. Little has changed since the home was constructed over a century ago. The entrance of the general store remains essentially the same today as it did in 1875.In 1876, the Campbells deeded the residence to their daughter, Alice, and her husband John W. Flannagan. They married on December 2, 1875. He became an engineer for the C & O Railroad in 1871 and was the oldest in service, highly respected in the community; and, although at the age of 58 and considering retirement, he hesitated to give it up. Fascination, after 15 years or more on the fastest passenger train on the railroad, kept him at the throttle-- then tragedy struck in 1907. John was engineer on the west-bound “Fast Flying Virginian” when it wrecked on March 12, 1907 just eight miles east of Hinton. John was killed in this terrible train accident that also took the life of his fireman Mike Quinn and John Williams. Never in the history of the city was there such a turn out of people to attend the funeral and burial services of a departed friend. Pictures of the wreck and the engine plate from the old steam locomotive are on display in Hinton's Railroad Museum.History
Campbell-Flannagan-Murrell House Museum aids and supports historic preservation and the development of cultural and educational programs for Hinton and Summers County West Virginia.
John Flannagan
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