Anna Jarvis - the founder of Mother's Day - was born in this wooden two-story structure in Taylor County, WV on May 1, 1864.

The house was built in 1854 by her father, Granville E. Jarvis. It became a focal point of the Civil War when General George B. McClellan used it as his headquarters.

During the war Anna's mother - Ann Marie Reeves Jarvis - was instrumental in saving thousands of lives by teaching women the basics of nursing and sanitation which she had learned from her brother, physician James Reeves.

After the war, Mrs. Jarvis soothed ill feelings among opposing families by holding a service for soldiers and their families and uniting communities torn apart by the war. It was her wish that a day be set aside to honor all mothers.

Her daughter, Anna Jarvis, established the first internationally celebrated holiday - Mothers Day - in her honor, using the anniversary of her mother's death as its date.