Mother's Day Shrine

Grafton, West Virginia

The Mother's Day Shrine is located in an old church on Main Street in the crumbling downtown of this once more-prosperous town. It commemorates the first celebration of Mother's Day, which took place here back in May of 1908 (President Wilson made it a national holiday in 1914, probably to whip up "Let's defend our mothers from the Hun" sentiments, pre-WWI.). The holiday was started by a local, Anna Jarvis, who historians say never enjoyed motherhood herself. Compared to Fairmont, WV's simple highway sign noting the site of the first observance of Father's Day, this memorial is at least more substantial.

After perusing the nondescript grounds of the shrine, we enter the deserted main building. After a pause, an older woman sticks her head out of a large wooden door, and says nothing. Neither do we. We eyeball each other warily. She finally speaks.

"What?"

"May we view the church?"

"It's not a church. It's a sanctuary."

Another pause. She emerges from behind the door. "I'm not going to show you around 'til everyone of you gets here." We are all already here. We decide to make conversation.

"When do you get most of your visitors. On Mother's Day?"

"No. Hey -- where are you going? Don't you want to see the sanctuary?"

October 2006: Our original visit to the Mother's Day Shrine and encounter with the "gatekeeper" was in 1994. A New York Times reporter was traveling with us, and frankly, the time saved fleeing Grafton was a blessing that allowed us time 11 hours later to gamble for canned hams on the Jersey Shore. We never actually entered the Mother's Day Shrine, nor visited since, and our account remains the strange doorway exchange.

International Mother's Day Shrine and Museum Program Coordinator Cindy Mason wrote recently: "Although I am well aware that your description on this site is accurate for the time that you visited, it is now in the hands of a much more welcoming team. Our mission is to preserve, promote and develop through education the spirit of motherhood. ...[The Shrine's] Board made a very wise decision to open the doors to the public, conduct daily tours, and focus the facility as a community outreach center. "