Historic Graham House hold annual chili festival

SUMMERS COUNTY, W.Va. (WVVA) -The Graham House is a log cabin on the National Register of Historic Places that predates the founding of the United States of America. It’s also the site of an annual fall tradition that has local vendors, apple butter and apple cider making, live music, and, of course, chili. One volunteer for the event says, besides the opportunity to try their award-winning chili recipe from Michael McClure, a former West Virginia chili champion, it was also a chance to see West Virginian history up close and celebrate fall with friends.

“This is one of the oldest structures in West Virginia. It’s 253 years old. And, you know, the other thing is... we celebrate the fall season, I mean it gets people out, they get to see each other or maybe they haven’t seen each other in a while, and we really get to celebrate our local community in Summers County,” says Matthew Harvey, Graham House tour guide and chili festival volunteer.

Harvey recommends people see the festival for themselves next year. He also encourages people to visit the Graham House other times of the year as well. It’s open weekends from Memorial Day through Labor Day, Saturdays from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm and Sundays 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm You can also call the Graham House to request a visit outside of those times. That number can be found on the Graham House Preservation Society Facebook page.

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