When I tell people where I live they immediately know the house. “Oh yes the Minnick house,” they respond. “That’s the one,” I reply. Excited to know if they have any information for me regarding the history of the home. I get a lot of stories, mostly of the people who lived and built the ranch style home in 1952.
Douglas Lee Minnick and Hazel L. Ranalli Minnick were the previous owners of our home. They owned and operated Minnick’s clothing store in Martinsburg for 22 years. Both very active in the community. Mr. Minnick was involved in the Chamber of Commerce, served as City Councilman, and a member of the Republican Party. He was a veteran of World War II and a member of Otterbein United Methodist Church. He passed away Monday, April 2, 1984. Mrs. Minnick was a successful businesswoman for more than 32 years and set the bar for fashion in Martinsburg, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Md., and surrounding areas. She was the 14th "First Lady of the Year" and honored in the community for activity in civic, church and home life. She was a past Junior Civic League president and was affiliated with various projects for betterment of the city and civic projects. Mimi as she was called passed away in February 2011. The couple had two children.
I have been told many stories regarding the parties, home decor and the children of “The Minnick House”. It is fun to know what went on in the house before we called it home. I do know that Mrs. Minnick had lush white carpets and her color pallet was a bright teal. The color can still be seen on some of the baseboards in the closets. The home has since changed drastically, but in the basement there is still a mural of the couple at a bar scene and I sometimes wonder what there life was like living in what is now our home
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