ISSUED: 18 November 2018
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — The public will have an opportunity to see renovations made to Shepherd University’s historic home, Popodicon, during a Christmas Open House on Saturday, December 8, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Sunday, December 9, from noon-5 p.m. with admission by donation. Popodicon, the business residence of Shepherd’s president, is located at 109 Shepherd Grade Rd. Popodicon will be beautifully decorated for the holidays by the Friends of Popodicon. Cookies and warm cider will be offered to guests.
Popodicon is a three-story Colonial Revival house that was designed by architect Stuart H. Edmonds of Winchester, Virginia, and constructed by S.A. Westenhaver of Martinsburg in 1907-1908 for Henry W. Potts, a civil engineer who came to Shepherdstown to survey a section of the Norfolk and Western Railroad. Potts met and married a local woman, Eleanor Powell, and the family settled in Jefferson County. The house was named in honor of Delaware Indian Chief Popodick, who was said to be buried on the grounds of the Potts family’s ancestral home in Pennsylvania. The gardens were designed by noted Philadelphia landscape architect Oglesby Paul. The state of West Virginia purchased the 126-acre estate for Shepherd in 1964.
For the past several years, the Friends of Popodicon have led efforts to restore the house and gardens. Interior improvements include a complete renovation of the kitchen, laundry room, and powder room. The historic garden beds have been restored and planted with pollinator-friendly vegetation.
For more information, contact Sonya Sholley, executive assistant to the president, at 304-876-5107 or ssholley@shepherd.edu.
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