Descriptive Summary
Title: Allen and Cara Skidmore Collection
Span Dates: 1918-1975
Bulk Dates:
ID No: Ph2024-028
Creators: Allen Skidmore, Cara Skidmore, and Melissa Rice
Extent: 1 box
Language: English
Repository: West Virginia State Archives, Charleston, WV
Administrative Information
Provenance: Melissa Rice, April 2024.
Transfers:
Preferred Citation: [item, collection number], Allen and Cara Skidmore Collection, West Virginia State Archives, Charleston, WV.
Processor: Meredith Barbery, October 2024
Processing Note: The collection arrived in envelopes and divided by topic. The original topics were kept and included: WWI, American Legion, Rhododendron Girls State, and School Publications. In the case of publications being in another topics envelope, they were combined into one new folder.
Conditions on Use and Access: None
Copyright: Copyright restrictions may apply.
Scope and Content: The Allen and Cara Skidmore collection, circa 1910s-1970s includes photographs, elementary diplomas, clippings, and publications. The subjects include Allen's automobile service station, West Virginia Girls State, the American Legion, and various images of Jackson County.
Historical Note: Allen Andrew Skidmore (1887-1965) of Ripley, WV, served in WWI in the 417th Signal Corp, Company E. After the war, he owned an automobile service station and Firestone dealership in Ripley. His first wife, Maude Ann Toney, died in 1913. He was active in the American Legion.
In 1920, he married Cara (Carra/Carrie) Elizabeth Smith (1897, Grasslick WV-1977). She was active in Girls State, her church, and was a school teacher for Jackson County. She also helped Allen's business as a bookkeeper.
The couple traveled domestically and internationally with the American Legion. They had no children.
Arrangement: The collection is in a loose chronological order by topic. It begins with men leaving for WWI and concludes with groups photos of Rhododendron Girls State in 1975. Many of these topics were concurrent with each other but the topics were very heavily defined by the original order imposed by the donor.
Box 1
1:1 Group photographs of Jackson County men leaving for WWI, 1918 (3)
1:2 American Legion, 1930s-1960s (54)
1:3 Rhododendron Girls State, 1941-1975 (42)
1:4 Honest Service Shop and Firestone dealership, 1920s-1930s (12)
1:5 School publications, 1912-1975 (5)