The photographs I’m sharing today come from the Ralph Murphy photo archive, a remarkable collection my husband received from his Aunt Jean in 2012. The archive contains 21 boxes of slides—thousands of images Ralph captured between 1947 and 1984—scenes from cross‑country travels, family gatherings, and everyday moments with friends and coworkers. I digitized the collection in 2015, and these images continue to bring me joy.
Among the most personal of these photographs are those of a single‑family home at 501 West Virginia Avenue in Nutter Fort, West Virginia. Married in March 1942, Ralph and Jean purchased the house in 1950, the year it was built, becoming its first owners. They lived there until the mid‑1970s, proud of the home they had made together. What follows is a sketch based on these photos and family memories of a house shared by a beloved uncle and aunt.
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One of the earliest photos we have of the home |
The 1950 federal census shows Ralph and Jean living in the home by April 13. Ralph was working as a projectionist at a drive‑in theatre, which we know was the Skyline Drive‑In in Clarksburg. He photographed the drive‑in as it was being built, and those images remain some of the most remarkable in his archive. The census also lists Jean as a bookkeeper for a retail furniture store, which in her case was Palace Furniture Company, also located in Clarksburg. Ralph documented the store’s 50th‑anniversary celebration in 1949, capturing the festivities in another wonderful series of photographs. Jean worked at Palace Furniture for 45 years. The furniture for their home was almost certainly purchased through the store. Across the photos, pieces come and go, showing how often they updated their furnishings. With Jean’s access to current styles—and the likelihood of an employee discount—they were able to keep the house looking “in style.” And as my husband once said, if Uncle Ralph didn’t like something, he got rid of it. Ralph and Jean lived in the Nutter Fort house until at least 1974. Sometime after that, they moved to a house in Bridgeport for a short time before settling into their forever home by 1977.
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Ralph and Jean recorded in the 1950 federal census |
Ralph’s photo archives show that he often documented projects from their earliest stages. The photo below captures the back side of the house and its surroundings while it was still under construction in 1949.
The front of the house was faced in stone on the main level, with white wood siding on the triangular gable above. Two windows flanked the white front door, which had 12 small glass panes, and a small arched portico with brackets sheltered the entrance. The trim around the windows, door, and gutters was painted white, and the house number was mounted on the front of the gable. A short concrete landing led to a straight sidewalk that ran to the street, with a narrow connecting strip to the driveway so visitors didn’t have to cross the grass. The basement portion of the house was made of concrete blocks. Beyond the yard, the hills of Harrison County rose faintly in the distance.
Jean’s extended family lived one street over on Maryland Avenue. The photo below was taken from the balcony of their house, overlooking the Nutter Fort home.
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Photo taken from the Maryland Avenue home of Jean's family |
By the time the next photo was taken, the window trim was painted green and the sidewalk relocated. In this view of the house, the straight sidewalk that once led from the front door to the street had been removed. The ground where it stood remained unsettled, with patches of bare earth and loose stones showing that the work was not yet complete. The new curved walk toward the driveway had been poured, but the surrounding area awaited fresh soil and grass to finish the yard.
The photo below may have been taken soon after the sidewalk was completed, as straw is visible on the grass where the work was done. Perhaps that’s what Jean (holding their dog Boogie) and her sister‑in‑law are celebrating. The newly painted green windows are in plain view. The side window shutters were painted green to match the window frames.
By about 1964, Ralph added awnings to the windows during the winter months. The window frames and shutters were now painted white. He had also added black iron railing to the front entrance.
In November 1970, Ralph re‑sided the back and sides of the house. Photos show him performing the work himself using wood and ladders for scaffolding.
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Washington Street side of the house |
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Washington Street side of the house |
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Back side of the house |
Ralph quickly finished the re‑siding project and had the awnings back up in time for winter. The side porch had been extended, concrete steps installed, and decorative blocks added to the lower portion of the porch to finish the design.
By May 1974, Ralph replaced the brownish‑colored awnings with smaller white ones and painted the front door railings white. He had also added white railings to the side porch. The tree at the bottom of the steps had been replaced with a new young dogwood.
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New white awnings (May 1974) |
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May 1974 |
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November 1974 |
The Main Level
The main level held the essential rooms of daily life, including a living room, a small combined kitchen/dining room, a bedroom, a spare/catch‑all room, and a bathroom. If you are standing in front of the house, the living room occupied the right‑front corner, to the right of the centered front door. Early photos show the living room was neat and comfortable, decorated with a green and white striped sofa, a floral chair, a wood sideboard, radio console, telephone table, lamps, plants, knickknacks, and family photos. The walls were painted a neutral color, later green; the molding was stained wood; floral draperies framed the windows; and it was all set on polished hardwood floors with scatter rugs.
By the mid‑1950s, the living room had been redecorated in a modern style. The floral and striped fabrics were replaced with a textured tan sectional sofa and an orange chair, set on a dark carpet. Light‑wood tables with curved legs and glass tops replaced the earlier heavier furniture. A light‑colored cabinet (which may have contained a radio) sat in the corner with a decorative lamp and candles on top. The room featured bold geometric curtains in orange, gold, and brown tones, paired with light green walls and a dark carpet. A box‑style television sat on a low stand beside a wood cabinet topped with a lamp and candles.
By the early 1960s, the living room once again saw changes. The sofa and orange chair remained the same. Light‑wood tables with curved legs and glass tops were now featured. The curtains now displayed a floral pattern with large bold flowers in shades of brown and gold, set against a white background. A radio, flower vase, ceramic figurines, a framed photo, and a white lamp with flowers added simple decorative touches. The room was rearranged at some point, moving the sitting area away from the windows.
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Jean and Ralph (ca. 1960–1961) |
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Ca. 1963 |
As you walked into the living room, a doorway on your left led you to a combined kitchen/dining room which sat along the left‑front corner of the house, facing West Virginia Avenue. The refrigerator was positioned on your left as you walked into the room, and a china hutch sat on your right, against the back of the living room wall. A small dining room table sat directly in front of the hutch, usually pushed against the wall. The dining room furniture was made of maple or a similar light hardwood. The side porch entrance opened directly into the kitchen, with a small landing and steps leading up to the door. The kitchen cabinets were painted a light gold or yellow and had black countertops; the sink stood beneath the front window, beside the refrigerator, facing West Virginia Avenue. The stove was positioned along the side wall facing Washington Street, underneath a window. Opposite the side door were stairs that led to the basement. The kitchen windows were covered with café‑style curtains, and the floor was covered with decorative linoleum.
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Mae Dudley (Jean’s mother) and Jean sitting at the kitchen/dining room table with the China hutch behind Mae and the refrigerator behind Jean. (ca. Easter 1960–61) |
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Mae Dudley at the kitchen/dining room table (Easter ca. 1960–61) |
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Ralph (1960) |
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Jean, her mother Mae Dudley, and Trudi Waltz (Thanksgiving 1962) |
Located on the back left corner as you stand in front of the house was a small spare room used for various purposes. Ralph and Jean kept a desk and chair there. The chair opened into a small bed, which has been described as uncomfortable. White lace café‑style curtains adorned the window. Jean often set up card tables (with tablecloths), depending on where one might be needed. In the photo below, that is likely what is happening so she could wrap Christmas presents.
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Jean wrapping presents in the spare room (Christmas 1953) |
The bedroom sat in the back right corner and had a door leading to the main‑level garage. Photos only show a bed and nightstand made of maple or a similar light hardwood. Ralph and Jean still had the same bedroom furniture in the 1970s. My husband had no further memories of this room. There was a stairway in the hall leading to the bedroom, that led to the attic, which was used for storage.
The bathroom stood offset, across from the front door, reached by walking through the living room. It would have been small, with standard fixtures.
Basement and Garages
The house had a full basement, divided into a finished and unfinished side. The finished side of the basement walls were covered in cedar planks, giving the space a warm, rustic feel. Windows were small, rectangular, and near the ceiling, covered with decorative brown, white, and orange curtains. That side of the basement had a brick fireplace. Jean kept a glossy black ceramic panther statue on the mantle, an iconic piece of mid‑century home décor. The statue later appeared in the living room upstairs. Ralph and Jean often entertained downstairs. The finished side of the basement was furnished with a couch that relatives slept on when visiting, and various chairs, including lawn chairs. One of the chairs matched the green and white striped sofa they first had in the living room upstairs. That sofa may have been moved downstairs when a new one was purchased for the living room. Ralph added a small bathroom with a shower in the unfinished portion. There was a desk on the unfinished side where he kept an old adding machine that his niece and nephew loved to play with. The basement had two doors—one that led into the garage and one into the backyard.
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Early 1950s |
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Early 1950s |
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Early 1950s |
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Ralph and Jean's niece and nephew (early 1960s) |
The photos below were taken at a family Thanksgiving dinner that took place in the mid‑1950s with members of the Murphy and Dudley families. Several folding tables were set up in the basement—for eating and laying out the Thanksgiving feast. Two doors are visible—one leading to the downstairs garage and the other to the backyard. The doors were of the same wood as the paneling to blend in. In the second photo you can see a pull‑down screen hanging over the door so Ralph could share his slide collection of their travels with visitors.
The house had two single‑car garages, one recessed into the front main level and another located at the back basement level, directly under the main‑level garage and on the unfinished side of the basement. There was one window on the side of the main‑level garage. By 1960, the main‑level garage door was replaced, which is notable from the number of windows on the door.
Ralph owned an AristoCraft Torpedo 14 Boat which he and Jean often took to Tygart Lake in Grafton. He housed the boat in the basement garage, using the side road to maneuver the boat inside the garage. Photos show he eventually replaced the garage door.
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Basement garage (1960) |
The Yard
When Ralph and Jean moved into the home in 1950, the landscape of the yard was simple. Two small evergreen shrubs were placed close to the façade—one on each side of the front door—and taller, narrow evergreens stood at both ends of the front. A small dogwood grew on the left side of the lawn, just beyond the window. Ralph photographed that dogwood tree many times as it matured.
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The front yard with Boogie standing guard at the end of the driveway (early 1950s) |
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An elderly Boogie in the backyard (late 1950s) |
By the mid‑1950s, the landscaping continued to evolve. The shrubs on the end of the house now nearly reached the edge of the roof. The dogwood had grown considerably, and a flowering tree had been planted opposite the dogwood at the edge of the driveway. The flowering tree eventually overtook the dogwood, doubling in size.
Ralph and Jean planted many flowers, bushes, and flowering trees in the backyard. The backyard held at least two white poplar trees. Their dog Boogie was buried beneath one of them after his death.
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Dogwoods in full bloom (late 1950s) |
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Bushes and spring flowers planted on the side of the house (early 1950s) |
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Ralph and Jean's dog, Boogie |
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Early 1950s |
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Early 1950s |
Shortly after purchasing the property, Ralph and Jean built a stone wall on the Washington Street side of the house, later planting hedges and flowers along its length.
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Ralph working on the stone wall (early 1950s) |
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Jean working on the stone wall (early 1950s) |
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Early 1950s |
Ralph also photographed the street being paved in September 1951, capturing neighboring houses in the background as workers moved equipment up and down West Virginia Avenue and Washington Street.
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1952 |
Side Porch
The side porch of the house was a small, practical entry built onto the left side of the home (standing in front of the house), providing a convenient side entrance near the kitchen. It had simple white wooden railings with cross‑brace panels and square posts supporting a shallow roof overhang. The door opened directly onto the porch, with a short flight of wooden steps leading down to the yard. Beneath the porch, the foundation was a mix of brick and wood framing. Two brick piers rose from the ground, each topped with a white wooden post that supported the porch above. Metal trash cans were stored beneath the porch. A wooden lattice panel was later added beneath the side porch, enclosing the open area that was used for trash storage. This change gave the porch a more finished look and helped conceal the space below while still allowing ventilation.
A Home Remembered
Through Ralph’s photographs and family memories, the house at 501 West Virginia Avenue in Nutter Fort, West Virginia emerges as more than a structure—it becomes a setting for family and friends, projects completed, a yard where Boogie grew old, and small joys like a dogwood tree blooming year after year. It was the backdrop of Ralph and Jean’s early married life—a home they tended with care and made their own for more than two decades.
The house still stands today, though changes have occurred. The stone façade and side porch remain, and the wooden steps have since been replaced with concrete. If the stone wall still stands, it is hidden behind a wooden fence. The landscaping has changed, and Ralph’s favorite dogwood tree is gone now. The main‑level garage was enclosed and an addition added, giving more living space for families residing there today.
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Google Street View of 501 West Virginia Avenue, Nutter Fort, West Virginia, Google Maps (September 3, 2026) |
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Google Street View of 501 West Virginia Avenue, Nutter Fort, West Virginia, Google Maps (September 15, 1026) |
The image quality of these photos varies, largely due to my learning curve in converting Ralph’s slides to digital files. Even so, they provide a clear window into the house Ralph and Jean shaped over two decades, capturing the everyday details that made it their home.
To see others from his collection, click here.
References
- Obituary, Muriel “Jean” Dudley Murphy, Amos Carvelli Funeral Home; https://amoscarvelli.com/funerals/obituaries/muriel-jean-murphy/1927/.
- Personal memories of Charles Murphy and Mary Wampler.
- Ralph J. Murphy photo archive.
- U.S. Federal Census, Nutter Fort, Harrison County, West Virginia, 1950.
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