Then and Now
Russell Lilly House
Homes Demolished; Replaced with Dollar General
Linda Hill Mann
Phyllis Mays Keatley, David Baxter, Garland Elmore Photos
Russell French Lilly (1858-1939) was a farmer, living in the Jumping Branch area of Mercer County, West Virginia in the Camp Creek area. He and his wife, Lucinda V. Lilly (1858-1938), had eight children, seven who lived to adulthood. According to his great-great granddaughter Phyllis Mays Keatley he wanted all of his children to have the best education possible. He decided the way to do that was to move his family to Athens, West Virginia, home of Concord College (now Concord University). By 1910 he and his family were living in a large, beautiful, two-story home with a wraparound front porch on North State Street in Athens. Russell went on to build two more homes in the area for his family, a large grand brick home on Broadway Street and another in Lerona, West Virginia.
In 2014 the Lilly home on North State Street was demolished and a Dollar General occupies the space where this stately family home once stood.
The Lilly Home on North State Street before it was demolished to make room for Dollar General. A smaller home on the south side was also torn down.
Final Walk Through and Demolition
