Glenwood, located at 800 Orchard Street on the West Side, was once owned by three of the most important families in the Kanawha Valley. In 1852, James Madison Laidley, a newspaper editor and member of the Virginia legislature, hired builder and stonemason William Preston to build the house. Preston used easily available materials, including timber from the estate, bricks made nearby, and sandstone from a local quarry.

In 1857, Preston sold the house to Judge George Summers, after whom Summers County is named. The house was restored in 1954 for Lucy and Elizabeth Quarrier, who were descendants of Judge Summers. The house has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1978, and it is currently owned by the Historic Glenwood Foundation.