Thomas, W.Va., is ready to celebrate Mountaineer Days this Fourth of July weekend. And MountainMade would love for you to come visit! Some of the store's newest treasures are quilted jewelry bags and a wonderful selection of field guides on hiking and travel, and birding and wildflowers. Rich and Carrie will be ready for the holiday weekend with a fresh batch of Hurley Bird Feeders, which won't last long.

Summer’s in full swing in Thomas and the celebration is just beginning.

Thomas hosts Mountaineer Days on July 2-5, 2010. It is a celebration of our nation’s independence and a time for many of the local families to “come home.”

The historic downtown and rail-trail will be abuzz with craft, game and food booths. You can also expect live music – Mountain State Brewing Company and the Purple Fiddle will have great shows all weekend long – cake walks, pageants and more.

Saturday is an exciting day for kids of all ages with the parade that morning, the Fireman’s Water Battle, an evening with Elvis and the fireworks display. Thomas is very proud and grateful to our volunteer fire department. They are an active and committed group of individuals who serve our community.

And for one night each July they put on an amazing show of fireworks. They put on one of the region’s best displays. We recommend bringing a late-night picnic, spreading a blanket and gazing at the glorious colors! It promises to be a great evening in the mountains.

And the fun doesn’t stop there. Slip down to Canaan Valley for the 20th Annual Celebration of the Arts, including a Free Concert by the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra and the Red, White & Blue Golf Scramble on Saturday.

Stop by and see us in the Gallery. We promise, there’s something for everyone.

The Historic Buxton and Landstreet Building house MountainMade's Fine Art Gallery and Studio Art Classes

The MountainMade Fine Art Gallery and Studio Art Classes are housed by the historic Buxton and Landstreet Building of Thomas, WV. Placing our MountainMade’s Artisan Gallery in this building brings the Buxton & Landstreet Building back to its mercantile roots and provides an ideal display setting for fine art.

Constructed in 1901, Buxton & Landstreet Building served as company store for the Davis Coal and Coke Company. Company employees were paid in script, which they spent in the company store.* Today, the MountainMade Gallery prefers you pay for fine art in legitimate US currency, but we may be willing to bargain.In its day, the building was considered the finest building in the county. Its size is approximately 27,000 square feet and features glazed bricks, ornamental tin ceilings, hardwood floors, graceful support columns and electric lights.

The Buxton and Landstreet Building's high ceilings and tall windows allow the art displayed in our fine art gallery to be flooded with natural lighting. It's an ideal setting to view the variety of art, furniture, pottery, glass, and all that MountainMade carries.

Besides a beautiful building, the Buxton and Landstreet Building also holds some mystery. The building is located across the street from the Davis Coal and Coke Administration Building. A local story has a tunnel running between the two buildings, and as legend has it, that’s how the mine workers’ script was returned to the Administrative Building. Although I’m not totally sold on the currency transportation uses for a tunnel and have never gotten to explore this said tunnel, based on the winters here in Thomas, I believe there is a high likelihood that this legend is true.

While its life as a store ended in 1953, thee B&L continued being used as a woodworking shop, a warehouse for a beer distributor, and a mini-mall, then sat empty for approximately ten years. From 1985-1997 the B&L was used as offices for Power Construction and Maintenance. The Vandalia Heritage Foundation purchased it in 2000 and restored the building to its current codition. The hardwood floors and tin ceilings are original, and the large windows bring in natural light which enhances the artisan products showcased. Also located in the B&L Building are MountainMade’s studios where classes are taught and artisans can work.

We are lucky to have access to such an ideal building in our Thomas, WV location.

By its location in this restored and renovated building, MountainMade is helping to protect our environment. Instead of building a new building for our artisan displays, we are utilizing the embodied energy of this historic building. Please stop in and let us know what you think about the MountainMade Fine Art Gallery housed in Thomas’s Historic Buxton and Landstreet Building.

*If you want to learn more about Appalachian Coal Towns, you should check out this wonderful documentary: The Appalachians. It’s a three hour DVD that explores Appalachian coal culture, cultural roots, and music. Also, it includes an exclusive extended interview with the late Johnny Cash.