Elizabeth Irwin Moore (1832–1930)Find a Grave memorial page for Elizabeth Irwin Moore (1832–1930), Memorial ID 8405975, citing Oak Grove Cemetery, Morgantown, Monongalia County, West Virginia, USA. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/8405975/elizabeth-moore (accessed 22 March 2022). was an American educator and principal of the Woodburn Female Seminary in Morgantown, West Virginia from 1865–1866.West Virginia University Neo-Classical Revival Buildings. National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form. December 19, 1985. https://wvculture.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/64000968.pdf
Career
Civil War In 1863, Moore invited Confederate troops intent on invading Morgantown to obtain horses, in for "bread, butter, and coffee". Her action was credited with saving the Woodburn Female Seminary from being burned.Doherty, William T.; Festus P. Summers (2013). West Virginia University: Symbol of Unity in a Sectionalized State. West Virginia University Press. p. 9. ISBN 9781938228391.
While working as the principal at Woodburn Female Seminary, Mrs. Elizabeth I Moore was cited to be one of the only female teachers at the school."Homework" and Nineteenth Century West Virginia Women- Barbara J. Howe (March 1989)https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED308041.pdf In the 1870 Morgantown census, Moore was only one of the very few working women mentioned, alongside Prissie Clark, to be working in a field other than housework."Homework" and Nineteenth Century West Virginia Women- Barbara J. Howe (March 1989)https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED308041.pdf This opportunity to work outside the house was rarely granted to women at this time, making Moore's accomplishments extremely revolutionary in 1870's West Virginia.
Legacy and ghost Jason Burns, educator, journalist and West Virginia storyteller, calls Elizabeth Moore a figurehead symbolizing the women's rights movement in West Virginia.Listen: Haunted History Month – Jason Burns (October 28, 2019) by Chris Schulz, The Dominion Post. https://www.dominionpost.com/2019/10/28/listenhaunted-history-month-jason-burns/
The construction of Elizabeth Moore Hall marked an increase in "the role of women," ... and the "need for facilities for women students and the new realization of their role" at West Virginia University.West Virginia University Neo-Classical Revival Buildings. National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form. December 19, 1985. https://wvculture.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/64000968.pdf
The ghost of Elizabeth I. Moore is repeatedly reported to appear to women in Elizabeth Moore Hall, the building named for her.Paranormal W.Va: E. Moore Hall and Mountainlair Ghosts. By Shyla Parsons and Shayla Klein. WBOY News. Updated September 28, 2021. https://www.wboy.com/only-on-wboy-com/paranormal-w-va/paranormal-w-va-e-moore-hall-and-mountainlair-ghosts/.
References
Resources