Harris - Baker Farm "Kaybern"

422 Clearview Ave (Reilly & Delaplain Road), Wheeling WV
422 Clearview Ave (Reilly & Delaplain Road), Wheeling WV

The Charles J. Milton book “Landmarks of Old Wheeling,” published in 1947, includes on page 91 a picture of the “plantation house” built about 1855 by Dan Harris. The caption states, “The small building at the right was a smoke house, with slave quarters above. The fine brick cornice is barely discernible under the eaves. Now the residence of Bernard J. Baker. Located on Reilly-Delaplain Road.” The current street address is 422 Clearview Avenue.

Daniel Harris was born in Ohio around 1819. On August 22, 1844, he married Rachel Wilson, daughter of Joseph and Rebecca McColloch Wilson. By the time of the 1850 census, the household consisted of farmer Daniel (age 31), Rachel (26), Joseph W.(5), Elizabeth (4), Rebecca (2), and William (4 months old in September), along with laborer Walter Burns (20) and Angeline Null (17).

By the time of the 1860 census, the family had grown to include three more children – Lewis (age 7), Sarah (3), and Margaret (1). The family doesn’t appear in either the 1870 or 1880 Ohio County Census records. Rachel Wilson Harris was buried at Short Creek Methodist Cemetery. Her parents are buried in Wilson Cemetery not far from the farm.

Family records provided by Vincent Baker indicate that Bernard J. Baker (1885-1958) owned the farm by around 1934 and lived there for more than 32 years. He was followed by his son, Bernard V. Baker (1924-1989), and then his grandson, Paul Baker. The Baker family originally operated a dairy farm, selling their milk to Town and Country Dairy. Later, beef cattle were raised there. In December 2020, Paul Baker sold the property, consisting of about 98 acres at that time, to Tunnel Ridge Coal Company.