If the unmistakable rust-red and ochre brick walls of the Golden Rule Building could talk, what stories would they tell? Perhaps they would mention when they were first laid in 1902 by the enterprising merchant and part-time architect Luther Shinn. Or they would gush about the unique water-powered elevator, among the last of its kind, that can carry 30 tons up and down the building. But most likely they would beam about the town of Belington itself, a place that has long relied on the Golden Rule and in the building’s darkest hour, brought it love and new life. The Golden Rule Building in Barbour County, began as a grocery store, grew into a bustling department store, and today houses apartments, the Belington Bakery, the Barbour County Family Support Center, and a welcoming community space open to all.

Luther Shinn had shown ambition from a young age. Born in 1850, he spent his adolescence hauling an oxcart around West Virginia, selling produce from his family’s farm. His entrepreneurial journey began in Buckhannon, Upshur County, where he worked as a hotelier until he established his own dry goods store and photo and print studio in 1892. As a budding architect, he adopted the Italianate style of architecture which had surged in popularity decades earlier. The building he constructed, now holding the Buckhannon Upshur Chamber of Commerce and Visitor’s Center, became the model for his next and most enduring venture in Belington.

The Shinn Building is located in between C.J. Maggies and the Opera House

Shinn’s energetic enterprising capitalized on the commercial upswell brought on by the logging and mining booms in the Appalachian Forest. During this industrial era, the Italianate style spread rapidly across the United States, popularized through pattern books advancing the aesthetics of rustic Italian farmhouses. Despite its romantic lean, the Italianate style rode the waves of Industrialism itself. Innovations like scroll saws and molding machines made it possible to mass-produce ornamental Italianate-style features that could then be shipped along new and expanded transportation routes. For example, the upper facade of Shinn’s 1892 Buckhannon building was crafted from pressed metal in Louisiana and ordered directly from a catalog. By the early twentieth century, Italianate style had come to define the look of main streets across America .

Belington railyard, with The Golden Rule and gristmill in the background, via Isabel Thornton

In Belington, several transportation routes converged: the Beverly-Fairmont Turnpike passed through town while the Grafton and Belington Railroad (a subsidiary of the major Baltimore and Ohio line) intersected with the Western Maryland Railroad. In this strategic hub, Shinn constructed the Golden Rule Building, first operated as the Valley Grocery Store, with an adjacent grist mill attached to it. The buildings lay in a prime location right beside the bustling railyard. Locomotives regularly screeched to a halt beside the mill to unload corn where it was ground into cornmeal and shipped out across West Virginia’s railroad network. On the eve of the nation’s greatest economic collapse, Shinn expanded his store.

In 1929 Luther Shinn transformed the Valley Grocery Store into the Golden Rule Company, naming it after the principle that he drew from the Bible, “treat others as you would have them treat you.” As the nation plunged into the Great Depression, Shinn upheld that value above profit. He became known for his quiet generosity, extending credit to customers for essential goods and inventing jobs to support the newly unemployed. His 1933 obituary exalted him for being “honest in business [and a] friend of the needy” since “the man who went to him for distress never came away empty-handed.”

The company’s subsequent owners carried on the legacy of the Golden Rule. Luther’s son, William Shinn operated the store until his passing in 1968 after which his wife, Wanda, assumed ownership. Wanda Shinn too, is remembered in Belington for her compassion, continuing the practice of offering credit and flexible repayment to those in need.

Though the business had withstood decades of change, it eventually closed its doors in 1999, sitting vacant through its centennial birthday. By 2014 the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia had listed the Golden Rule as an endangered property. Years of neglect, vandalism, and pest damage had taken a toll on its interior, pushing the structure to the edge of abandonment. Yet, in the face of decline, the Belington community rallied behind the beloved landmark that had symbolized amnesty and stability in turbulent times. Fueled by the memories of those who had shopped, gathered, and found dignity in the Golden Rule for over a lifetime, a grassroots effort gained momentum. Thanks to the tireless advocacy of local supporters, the Woodlands Development Group acquired the building, and in 2021, the Golden Rule reopened.

The building’s noble longevity is intertwined with its Italianate design. The brick exterior conveys a sense of permanence, while the ornamentation evokes a humble beauty. The curved lintels atop the windows and doors stand out like uplifted, joyous eyebrows while distributing the weight of the wall above them. The cornice overhang provides a geometric crown and protects the erodible spaces between materials. Inside, massive old-growth timber beams, harvested during the height of the logging boom, stand out as unmistakable pillars of support. Slowly grown in an ancient dense forest, these trunks boast a tight, durable grain. Since the almost-total clearing of the Appalachian Forest, such high-quality timber has become nearly impossible to source today.

Today, the Golden Rule remains a place for the community to gather, connect, and find support. Beneath two floors of housing, the Barbour County Family Support Center operates as the first of its kind in the city, offering vital services and resources to meet local needs. Just beyond, a welcoming café space serves as a “third place” to meet friends, escape the weather, hold meetings, or host birthday parties. Within the café, the marketplace showcases the work of local artisans alongside artifacts from the days of the department store. Beside the café space is the Belington Bakery which sells bagels and baked goods, earning the affection of locals and visitors alike.

The legacy of the Shinn family lives on in the Golden Rule. While the Italianate facade, rare water-powered elevator, and department store furnishings still survive as remarkable features, it is the spirit of the building that endures most powerfully. Etched in the brick and timber of the Golden Rule is the tradition of reciprocal generosity. Just as the store once supported the community, the community has, in turn, sustained the store, preserving an intrinsic warmth that has lasted over a century and promises to carry forward for generations to come.