OLD NEWSPAPER ARTICLES - 1923
Scanned By Howard Osburn
Presented by The Wayne County Genealogical & Historical Society
(WCN - 1/4/1923) HIGH SCHOOL IS WARDED TO KING LUMBER COMPANY
Work on the Wayne County High School building, at Wayne, will be underway within thirty days, according to agreements reached Tuesday between the School Board and the King Lumber Company, who were successful bidders on the new building. $38,000 are now available for the building and the three year levy will amount to approximately $78,000. It is estimated that this figure will practically complete the new structure.
The King Lumber Company was also the low bidder on the new court house which is now being built at Wayne; an extra force of workmen will enable the company to carry on both the high school and court house projects at the same time. This company is one of the largest contractors operating in this section of the company is one of the largest contractors operating in this section of the country and were the successful bidders to be awarded contract for the building of Camp Lee in Virginia during the World War.
The present County High School Board is composed of the following members,
representing their respective districts: Thos. Vaughan, president, Stonewall;
Robert Rayburn, Butler; Gilbert Maynard, Grant; A. B. Milum, Lincoln; Homer
Booton, Union; and County Superintendent W. H. Peters, member ex-officio. After
the first of July when the new school officers of the county take seats the
personnel of the High School Board will undergo complete change as follows: Mrs.
Hulda Finley, Stonewall; Milton Bartram, Butler; James Jones, Grant; Lewis
Marcum Lincoln; G. B. Booth, Union; and J. H. Beckley, as county superintendent,
memebr ex-officio. The Board is made up of the presidents of the several
district boards of educator together with the county superintendent./
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(WCN - 1/4/1923) KATONA TO ENLARGE MINING OPERATIONS
With the advent of the New Year comes the announcement of an extensive development of the coal lands near East Lynn,—a step which predicts progress for this section of the county.
The Katona Coal Company which began operation about eighteen months ago in the East Lynn field has extensive improvements underway, whereby their output will be materially increased.
This firm was organized in 1920 by S. W. Perry and others, Mr. Perry came to this county from Alabama and was for several years prominently connected with mining interests in Mingo county; having disposed of his interests there he returned to the East Lynn field. The Katona Coal Company is the outcome of his return.
The company is now operating a thousand acre lease with fully equipped plant. Power is generated by a gas engine directly connected to a generator, and this provides electric current to drive all machinery in and about the mines.
A modern tipple, with shaker screens, picking table and crusher, has been built. The coal is dumped from the mine cars into a large chute from which it is automatically fed onto a largo belt and thus transferred across Twelve Pole Creek into the tipple for screening, picking and sizing. No coal operation in the State has a more carefully planned unit than this.
The company enjoys the privilege of an exclusive contract for fuel coal and thus has a steady market for their output, and furnishing railroad fuel as it does, all of the coal is crushed to what is known as stoker size. The success of the company during the past year and a half has induced the stockholders to expand their operations,
Just recently the company secured a vlease on a large acreage from B. J. Prichard, who owns what has locally been known as the Walter Osburn mineral. To reach these lands a large bridge is being built across Twelve Pole just above East Lynn with long trestle approaches on either side.
This bridge will be 50 feet above high water mark and, including the approaches, will be more than six hundred feet long. Steel track will be laid on the bridge and mine cars will be hauled across to the tipple by electric motors.
In addition to the company's present equipment an additional electric generating unit has been purchased, also 75 new mine cars, a number of new mining machines, new wiring and a quantity of trackage.
With the bridge completed and the new equipment in operation, the company will have a daily tonnage capacity of 1,000 tons. This coming summer the company expects to build a modern mining camp for their employees. These homes will be of the modern five-room bungalow type, with bath, natural gas and electricity.
Associated with Mr. Perry in the Katona Coal Company are several Cincinnati
business men and their faith in the resources of Wayne county, and especially
the vast undeveloped coal fields adjacent to East Lynn, tends to insure
intensive mineral development in this section of the county.
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(WCN - 1/4/1923) PROGRESS MARKS INITIAL YEAR OF NEW HIGH SCHOOL
The Wayne County High School, located at Wayne, is endeavoring to meet the educational needs of the county, according to C. T. Hatcher, principal. The curriculum is built around this ideal. Knowing that the state requirements for teachers will include a certain amount of high school work he is planning to give the teachers a chance to prepare at home.
There are now enrolled sixty eight pupils doing high school work in the following subjects: English, Ancient and Modern History, Latin, Algebra, Commercial Arithmetic, General Science, Agriculture, Vocational Training, Geometry, Domestic Science and Domestic Art.
The local high school sponsors three literary societies that present a program each two weeks. All pupils in the school take part in one of the societies. These meetings have grown into real community meetings and are largely attended by patrons and others interested in educational activities.
The high school temporary building here is equipped to do the best work possible in domestic science. The teacher, Miss Alice Miller, is well qualified and very much in earnest. The popularity of the subjects offered is well demonstrated by the number of girls taking this work. Nearly every girl in school has elected to participate and this department is always humming with industry.
The best science equipment available has been secured and some of the books for the library are ready to be installed, These are two requirements that are recommended by the state in order to qualify the high school as a classified school. This school is classified as a third class high chool this year, a second class next year and a first class the next. This will draw $400 from the state this year, $800 next year, and $1,200 each subsequent year without any additional cost to the county high school board. Of course the state requires other essentials but these are the major ones.
Mr. Hatcher states further that it is the policy of the present faculty is to encourage athletics in every form but to make the acedemic work the main issue. He thinks it advisable to have baseball, football and basketball games within the reach of each pupil and see that enough games are played to develop manhood in the boys under his charge. Physical education is bring emphasized by the state department of schools and Mr. Hatcher expects to be in position to offer this important subject in a well equipped gymnasium next year. Owing to the limited space in the present temporary building very little is being done along this line this year except to encourage athletics.
Mr. Hatcher is very well pleased with the personnel of the Wayne County High School and states that in all of his experience within the past twenty years that he never has seen a finer assemblage of boys and girls. He believes in the capacity of the youths of this county and says that this conviction makes his work pleasant. He feels that the biggest problem that will develop is in taking care of the vast number that will enroll in the future.
The second semester of the school will begin the 29th of January. All pupils desiring to enter at that time should get in touch with Mr. Hatcher. This will give him an idea of the number of textbooks to order and will aid him in planning his work for the last half of the year. Some of the rural schools will close by this time and he feels sure that as many as fifty teachers and many pupils will be ready to begin work. Should their schools continue for a little longer he is planning to take care of this condition.
During the summer a six week's course will be offered to the teachers of the county without expense to them. This will be an opportunity for the teachers to get training under practical instructors that will aid materially in their work for next year. This will be similar to the course offered last year in the Oakview Academy building. A practical course in agriculture will be offered this year.
Mr. Hatcher says that the specific aim of the Wayne County High School is to
put a high school education within the reach of each boy or girl in the county.
He also states that the slogan is "Service to Wayne County's Educational Needs"
and that no effort will be spared to realize this ideal.
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(WCN - 2/1/1923) DEATH SUMMONS JUDGE P. H. NAPIER, ONE OF THE COUNTY'S MOST
NOTABLE MEN
Judge P. H. Napier, probably the most widely known man in this county, died
at his home in Wayne at five o'clock last Thursday morning, January 25, 1923,
following an attack of grippe and influenza which confined him to his room
little more than a week. But Judge Napier had been in declining health for
sometime although this fact was little understood among his acquaintances since
he was not the kind of man who would complain when in ill health. The end was
possibly hastened by injuries he received last fall when [a] N. & W. passenger
train. . . wrecked. He was badly shaken up and was [compelled] to walk with a
cane [after the] accident, Judge Napier was born in this county December 12,
1849, being 73 years old at the time of his death. He was the grandson of Thomas
Napier, one of the . . . most prominent settlers in what is now Wayne county who
came here when it was a primeval forest little known to the white man. The
closest neighbors of Thomas Napier were miles away. The dense woodland was
infested with wild animals which were routed long ago by the advance of
civilization. Thomas Napier was a soldier in the war of 1812, and following his
discharge from service he studied in Virginia and later moved to Wayne county
where he taught school for the greater part of his life. Patrick H. Napier, Sr.,
was the son of Thomas Napier and father of Patrick H. Napier, Jr. Born of
pioneers, Judge Napier naturally inherited many of the strong traits of
character common to our forefathers. When he was a boy, the school system in
Wayne county was meager in comparison to the present opportunities offered;
hence, he was deprived of educational advantages other than those he made for
himself. Early in life he aspired to study law, and he did study law in his own
home around a flickering light. But he overcame those handicaps, and when he
died, Judge Napier was everywhere regarded as one of the most eminent trial
lawyers in West Virginia. When young in years, he was a timberman in this
county; he was later. . .in mercantile business; he was elected county clerk and
prosecuting attorney. He was for many years a prominent figure in State politics
and his influence was instrumental in [determining] the fate of many office
aspirants. He was a Republican, but his views were not of the narrow partisan
kind that prevented him from respecting the views of others. Judge Napier was
successful as a practicing attorney; he had native oratorical ability which
prominently identified him with many speaking campaigns in the State. He was a
friend to the poor man, and it is a well known fact that he never turned a
client away for the mere fact that he was penniless. Judge Napier was everywhere
known as "Uncle Pat." His term as judge of the Wayne-Logan circuit, under
appointment from Governor Hatfield to fill the vacancy caused by the resignation
of Judge J. B. Wilkinson, was a responsible office which he well filled. He was
the same unaffected gentleman, regardless of whether he was practicing in
justice's court or before the State supreme court or sitting on the bench in his
own court. Funeral services were conducted at the home in Wayne Friday by Rev.
A. W. Davison and Rev. W. H. Beale, pastors of the local Baptist and Methodist
churches respectively. The services were largely attended by people from the
county and from Huntington. Burial was made on Little Lynn creek, near East
Lynn, alongside the grave of his brother, W. S. Napier, who preceded him by less
than a year. Through the courtesy of C. Weller, superintendent of this division
of the N. & W., the East Lynn train was delayed for two hours, thus enabling
people to attend the burial services and return to Wayne the same afternoon. The
last rites were the charge of the Wayne Masonic Lodge, of which the deceased had
long been a member. Surviving relatives are his wife, Mr. Delilah Napier; two
children, Mrs. J. R. Keesee, of Huntington, and W. J. Napier, of Wayne; and one
sister, Mrs. Chapman Fry, of Ceredo.
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(WCN - 2/15/1923) 2 INDICTED FOR KILLING OFFICER ABOUT YEAR AGO
Alvis Ferguson and Andy Ferguson, sons of Kelly Ferguson of near Dunlow, this
county, were indicted by the grand jury in session here this week, charged with
the killing of William Meade who was shot and killed at Wells Branch station a
year ago while he was waiting on the station platform for the evening train to
Wayne. The Ferguson boys were each placed under $5,000 bonds for their
appearance at the May term of circuit court. It will be recalled by readers of
Wayne County News that Meade, age 45, was shot from ambush with a high powered
rifle. It is thought that the gun was hidden behind shrubbery on a rock ledge
near the Wells Branch station. He was a prohibition officer and his activities
in raiding stills was thought to have been responsible for the attack which cost
him his life. Meade was shot through the heart, causing instant death.
Blood-hounds were ordered and arriving on the scene they picked up a trail from
behind a rock on a hill-side, some hundred yards from where Meade was standing
when he fell. The dogs led the officers to the home of Kelly Ferguson where
Andy, the youngest son, was taken into custody and brought to Wayne for a
hearing. But at that time evidence was not sufficient to establish grounds for
indictment. The indictments were not returned until the present term of circuit
court and are said to have grown out of information which has come to light
within the past few months.
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(WCN - 2/15/1923) EARLY COMPLETION OF TUG RIVER HIGHWAY PREDICTED
The completion of the Tug River Highway across Southern West Virginia through the counties of Wayne, Mingo, McDowell, Wyoming, Mercer, a distance of 178 miles, is only a matter of a few months, according to assuring information given out this week by the Williamson Chamber of Commerce. It is announced that this Highway will be completed as a first class graded road by December 1, 1923. Later this will be hard surfaced.
The next contract on the Wayne county section of the Tug River Highway will be let on March 9th, being a section of approximately 7 1-2 miles, from Radnor to Dunlow. With the Echo-Radnor contract let in November and the Crum-Marrowbone contract let in December this will total 21 1-2 miles out of the 35 miles required to complete the Wayne County section of the Tug River Highway. One or two more contracts will be let in April of this year.
With the Stafford district, Mingo county, bond election on February 27 to take care of the 7 1-2 mile gap in Mingo county and the Huff Creek district of Wyoming county bond election on March 6th to take care of the 9 mile gap in Wyoming county, it will be seen that the completion of the Tug River Highway is becoming more a reality every day.
Bluefield Meeting
Events are following each other in rapid succession in the progress of road development in Southern West Virginia. An important event will be the meeting of the Bluefield Chamber of Commerce on Thursday of this week, at which time the question of the Eastern connections of the Tug River Highway will be discussed, and plans made for the actual Completion of such connectons.
The Bluefield meeting is called as a result of negotiations between the Williamson and Bluefield Chambers of Commerce, Representatives of the Roanoke Chamber of Commerce and other Chambers of Commerce, Southwest Virginia will attend this meeting, The Williamson Chamber of Commerce will be represented by its secretary, Dr. W, S. Rosenheim, who wil speak on the subject of the "Tug River Highway."
The people of Bluefield and Mercer county and those in Western and Southwest Virginia are very anxious to know the exact progress being made on the Tug River Highway. Under present plans the Highway will be finished as a graded road by December 1, 1923.
To Be Connecting Link
When the development of the Tug River Highway was first planned by the Williamson Chamber of Commerce, it was promised that the projects on this Highway would be not merely local roads, but links in an important Eastern and Western Highway, with valuable connections at each end of the State. The Western connections at Huntington are assured, and now remains the projections of the Eastern connections, which latter will he thoroughly discussed at the Bluefield meeting. Out of this meeting will come committees which will work to bring about a close co-operation of the West Virginia Road Commission and the Virginia Road Commission with the object of completing the connections at the earliest possible date. With the Virginia legislature soon to meet to ratify a $12,000,000 road bond issue, it will be seen that now is the opportune time to arrange for those connections.
Central West Virginia will have its Midland Trail, but Southern West Virginia
is determined that the Tug River Highway shall be completed, if possible, by the
time the Midland Trail is completed. Taking into consideration its Eastern and
Western connections and the fact that the coal fields it serves are unsurpassed
in the United States for wealth and productiveness, this Highway will eventually
prove the most valuable in the State system.
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(WCN - 3/1/1923) WILLIAMSON MEN BUY LOCAL FORD MOTOR COMPANY
The Wayne Motor Company, of Wayne, changed hands this week when S. Jay Vinson sold the entire holdings of the company to Williamson business men. The new organization will be composed of W. F. Toney, Yates Montgomery and Charles R. McCallister, all of Williamson.
The sale includes the Wayne county agency rights for Ford and Lincoln cars together with the new three story brick building, erected last year by Vinson and the good will of the company, It is understood from reliable authority that the purchase price was near $25,000.
The deal was closed Tuesday of this week and the new owners will take possession Saturday of next week, March 10th. Mr. Toney is a native of this county and owner of the new brick filling station built last year near the local N. & W. station. He is also a stockholder in the Wayne County Bank. Mr. McCallister has been associated with the Ford agency in Williamson for four years.
The coming of the new state road through this county connecting Wayne with Williamson causes the local Ford agency to be one of the most desirable business enterprises in this section.
Mr. Vinson will continue to be a resident of the town of Wayne, he announces,
and will re-enter some line of business here within the next few months.
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(WCN - 3/1/1923) ENTHUSIASTIC COMMERCIAL BODY FORMED AT FORT GAY
An enthusiastic meeting was held at Fort Gay, February 22nd, which resulted in the organization of a Chamber of Commerce, composed of the citizens of Fort Gay and surrounding neighborhoods. The meeting was called to order by Rev. S. Y. Dobbins, who delivered an excellent address on the purpose of the meeting. Short r talks were made by W. D. Click, county agent, M. J. Robinett, principal Fort Gay schools, J. E. Hufford and Supt. W. H. Peters.
Following this, seventy-five persons subscribed an annual fee of $5.00. Permanent organization resulted in S. Y. Dobbins, president; Z. T. Peters, vice-president; Lace Wellman, secretary; M. J. Robinett, recording secretary; L. L. Lycan, treasurer, and the following were named as an official board of directors: J. E. Hufford, M. K. Bellomy, E. Wellman, C. T. York, J. S. Lakin, H. B. Workman, Mont Bartram and H. G. Vicars.
The first object of this association will be to seek immediate improvement of road conditions leading into Fort Gay.
Following is a list of the members who were enrolled at the initial meeting of the Chamber:
Byron Darst, Charley Frasher, G. R. Vinson, Henry Dawson, Wm. Raines, Anthony
Bellomy, M. K. Bellomy, U. G. Bartram, Wayne Dawson, Paul H. Billups, William
Lester, Cecil Hewlett, Z. T. Peters, Fred Crabtree, Edgar Crabtree, Benton
Crabtree, Ollie Wellman, Clyde R, Frazier, R. F. Frazier, Roy C. Bartram, L. D.
Bartram, Leonard Miller, Fred Peters, J. R. Raines, Otto Frasher, E. Wellman,
Emmett Boyes, Verge Wellman, Loftus Borders, H. B. Workman, Cain Scott, C. T.
York, B. P. Toney, B. D. Wellman, Fred Hinkle, L. L. Lycan, J. E. Hufford, M. J.
Peters, Luther L. Frazier, W. B. Hoosier, A. H. Snyder, Milton Bartram, Augustus
Snyder, Hugh Hooser, Carl Frasher, J. S. Lakin, Freelin Christian, Oscar Sipple,
J. E. Fluty, Ed Seamour, J. J. Ratcliff, R. G. Tavenner, C. C. Artrip, J. B.
Maynard, R. F. Tavenner, Dave Wheeler, W. B. Workman, J. J. Raines, Wm, Loar, D.
D. Copley, Dock Frasher, H. G. Vinson, J. G. Thompson, M. J. Robinett, A. V.
Osburn, Wm. Dean, Ezekiel Roberts, Wm. Rateliff, S. Y. Dobbins, Mrs. John Shuff,
Clabe Wellman, Lindsey E. Thompson, L. M. Wellman, W. C. Lovely.
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(WCN - 3/8/1923) 750 ENROLLED AT MARSHALL BREAKS FORMER RECORDS
The second semester of Marshall College opened this month with an enrollment of 750 students, the largest during the regular college year, in its history. This enrollment includes graduates from 122 different high schools, and they come from 42 counties in West Virginia, 7 counties in Kentucky, 2 counties in Ohio, 2 counties in Pennsylvania, one county in New York and 3 counties in Virginia. The institution has recently eliminated its secondary department, and has been admitted to membership in the American Association of Teachers' Colleges and placed in Class "A" the highest group in that organization.
A Spring Term will be conducted, beginning April 2. Short Course classes will
be organized in Agriculture, Art, Civics, English, Geography, American History,
Rural Education, General Methods, School Management, and Domestic Science.
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(WCN - 3/15/1923) RADNOR TO DUNLOW CONTRACT IS LET FOR $143,124.00
The Wayne County Court on Friday, March 9th, awarded a contract for a 6 1-2 mile section of the Tug River Highway which lies in Lincoln District, Wayne County, from Radnor to a point near Dunlow, to Beckwith, White & Rich Contracting company, for the sum of $143,124.00.
This letting was covered by funds derived from the sale of the Lincoln District Road Bonds which were voted on last August. The firm which received the contract has at the present time a 12 mile contract on Pigeon Creek, Mingo County, and are regarded as one of the best contracting firms in the state. They propose to start work immediately.
Dr. Rosenheim, Secretary of the Williamson Chamber of Commerce was present at
the letting, as this marked the final step in the Lincoln District project,
which had the close attention of Dr. Rosenheim since its inception.
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(WCN - 4/5/1923) VINSON STILL TO SELL FORD CARS IN THIS COUNTY
In a statement given out Wednesday S. Jay Vinson, of Wayne, announces that he will continue in charge of the Wayne Motor Company, the sale of which to Williamson capital was announced in this paper a few weeks ago. Mr. Vinson's announcement follows:
"Some parties from Williamson, West Virginia, came to Wayne, on February 27th, and bought my brick building here, paying some cash down, agreeing to close the deal up on the 10th of March. From some cause unknown to me the parties failed to carry out their agreement, therefore there is no sale made, and I am now making arrangements to continue the business myself on a larger scale than ever before.
"I wish to thank those who bought cars of me last season, and I respectfully solicit the support and patronage of all Wayne county citizens.
S. JAY VINSON."
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(WCN - 4/12/1923) LOCAL OFFICERS SEARCH FOR MAN WHO SHOT ESTEP
Harvey Estep, age 40, is at the point of death in Kessler-Hatfield hospital in Huntington, and Wayne county authorities are searching for Oscar "Chase" Lindamood, who is charged with shooting Estep following a quarrel. Both men live near Westmoreland in this county. The shooting occurred Saturday evening.
Following a shooting said by witnesses to have taken place in the back yard of the Estep home after Lindamood and Estep had quarreled over troubles that had arisen between children of the two families, Lindamood, according to available information, fled in an automobile from the scene of the shooting and was last seen running from the auto at a point near Ceredo.
A. Wheeler, brother-in-law of Lindamood, was arrested charged with helping
him to escape. Wheeler has been bound aver on a $3,000 bond, according to
information available at the office of prosecuting attorney Wednesday.
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(WCN - 4/19/1923) EAST LYNN MAN PATENTS ANCIENT MEDICAL RECIPE
An old-fashioned remedy, known in this section for its merits in treating cases of diptheria and tonsilitis, has just been placed on the market by Lee Frazier, of East Lynn. The medicine will be marketed under the trade name "Oak Leaf," and it has been registered in the United States Patent Office at Washington, D. C.
"Oak Leaf" is a home remedy, the formula for which has been handed down from generation to generation in Mr. Frazier's family. It was first made by one of West Virginia's pioneer doctors and has been successfully used ever since in this county. The composition consists largely of a vegetable compound, as is indicated by the trade name under which the medicine will be marketed.
Many of the successful patent medicines of the present day have been handed down from old recipes which were first made by our early fore-fathers. In Wayne county there are several home remedies still widely used, especially in the sections remote from physicians. And throughout the whole State and country these home nostrums are looked upon as favorite restoratives by many people.
"Oak Leaf" will be bottled and sold by Mr, Frazier from his home in East
Lynn. Arrangements are being made for having it carried in stock not only by
druggists, but also by merchants who will secure it through their wholesale
grocery jobbing houses. Dr. O. T. Hines, now of Huntington, but formerly located
at Richmond, Virginia, and East Lynn, this county, is assisting Mr. Frazier in
placing the medicine on the market.
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(WCN - 5/17/1923) Soldier Monument To Be Unveiled Here May 30th.
The unveiling of the Soldier Memorial in Wayne Decoration Day, May 30, 1923,
promised to be one of the biggest patriotic events in the history of the county.
The program of the day will be published in this paper next week. The various
committees are working under the direction of Rev. W. H. Beale. The soldier
monument has been erected on the court house square in Wayne at an approximate
cost of twelve thousand dollars, raised from a special levy authorized by a
special act of the 1920 legislature, A bronze tablet on the monument will bear
the names of all Wayne county men who gave their lives in the world war. In
order that there may be no conflict with Decoration Day services throughout the
county, it has been arranged in most places for the services to be held at the
respective cemeteries in the county on the Sunday before Decoration Day, May
27th. This will enable everyone to come to Wayne for the Memorial services the
following Wednesday. Those in charge of Decoration services at the several
cemeteries are requested to announce the unveiling of the monument to be held in
Wayne the 30th.
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(WCN - 7/12/1923) Historic Vinson Estate In Westmoreland Will Be Cut into Lots
And Sold
The existence of the historical Colonel Samuel S. Vinson estate of Westmoreland, the last of the line of old family estates in southern West Virginia, terminated a few days ago, when the vast acreage bordering the old Vinson homestead, which has been owned by members of the Vinson family for nearly half a century, was sold to be developed into a suburban district it became known recently.
Forty-four acres abounding in blue grass and encircled by a never ending line of Dorothy Perkins roses, composed the estate of the Vinson family. The old brick residence, the brick of which were made from the native soil of the estate, has been the mecca of many pioneer residents of Wayne and Cabell counties in many of the Vinson family reunions.
Eleven acres will be reserved by the Vinson heirs from the original plot for the erection of fashionable residences by the children of the late Colonel Vinson, who are Mrs. James A. Hughes, Mrs. Donald Clark, Col. Z, T. Vinson, Dr. Lindsey T. Vinson and their descendants.
The property which will later be developed into one of the most picturesque residential sections in the state, it was stated, was purchased by James A. Hughes, former congressman, and Harold Van Sant, of Ashland.
The old homestead was reserved by the family, as were the eleven acres immediately around it in the transaction closed several days ago. The old mansion will be occupied by Mrs. Donald Clark, the youngest child of the late Samuel S. and Aunt Polly Vinson. The architecture of the old house will never be rearranged, although several improvements will be added to the original structure, Mrs. Clark stated.
After fullest arrangements have been completed in the development of the real estate recently purchased by Mr. Hughes and Mr. Van Sant, that section of Westmoreland will be one of the most beautiful suburban sections in this part of the country, it was stated by friends of the present owners.
Building restriction will be made in the erection of residences in the new sectional division, it was stated.
The brick mansion, which is a land mark in Wayne county was erected in 1847 by the late Isaac Frampton, who was one of the earliest settlers in this section. Some stones composing the foundation are seventy feet long and the rock for the foundation was quarried on Gimlet Creek, named for its course, winding toward the Ohio just south of the estate.
The estate passed to Hiram Frampton, a son of Isaac, whose family was reared there, after the death of his father. Many years later, the estate was sold to a land company, which passed it to the late owner, Col. Vinson.
The acreage of the estate was a part of the land grant allowed James McCormack by King George III of England, which was known as the Savage land grant. The land was later sold for 25 cents an acre, it was stated.
The old James river and Kanawha turnpike passed by the door of the old residence serving scores of travelers who happened to be moving westward in covered wagons. In antebellum days, all river packets landed at the old Vinson landing at the northernmost section of the estate on the Ohio river.
At the beginning of hostilities in the Civil war, Colonel Vinson, who was known as the great leader of his house, joined hands with many of his neighbors in the defense of the south. He was an officer in the yet famous Eighth Virginia cavalry, and survived many battles and returned after the war to his home to again resume leadership of his family.
Another brilliant character in the Vinson family was the wife of the leader
of men, "Aunt Polly" Vinson, who died two years ago. When her funeral was held
at the old homestead a negro slave whom Aunt Polly had befriended during some
time of her long life, walked seventy miles to view the body of his old
mistress.
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(WCN - 7/26/1923) LOCAL PROPERTY GOES AT AUCTION HERE AUGUST 4TH
The farm known as the Emma Bromley farm, in Spunky just South of Wayne, has been surveyed and cut into lots which will be placed on the market at auction, Saturday, August 4th. There will be sixty lots and one 4 1-2 acre baby farm offered for sale. This property is desirably located and is owned by Hartley Ferguson, Emmett Ferguson and Byron Smith.
The property is located just outside the corporate limits of Wayne and near the junction of the roads from the right and left forks of Twelve Pole. The auction sale will be in charge of Johnson & Brannon Land & Auction Company, of Catlettsburg, who recently conducted a successful land sale in Louisa, Ky.
In addition to the sale of the lots in South Wayne the auctioneer will also sell six residences on Keyser street and two vacant lots adjoining. These are owned by Earl Mosser and Russell R. Rucker who built the houses only two years ago. The sale of these homes are expected to be one of the attractive features of the auction sale to be held here August 4th, beginning at one o'clock p. m.
Property values in and near the town of Wayne continue to hold strong as has
been indicated by the prices paid for local real estate during the past several
months. Prospects are exceptionally good for the future growth of the town. The
new Baptist church is nearing completion; plans are being drafted for a new
Methodist church, two new lodge halls a new business building and numerous
residences. Work continuous to progress on the court house and new county high
school building. With the completion of the Tug River Highway thru Wayne, it is
predicted by local men in close touch with conditions that real estate values in
Wayne will mount to unheard-of price levels.
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(WCN - 8/7/1923) OLD TIMER TELL OF KILLING DEER IN WAYNE COUNTY
Bostic Brumfield, Sr., who lives a mile South of Wayne, will celebrate his 75th birthday next Monday, the 13th. Mr. Brumfield is one of the county's pioneers and recalls the days when Wayne county was the home of deer, bear and other wild animals now extinct.
Mr. Brumfield recalls shooting a deer in 1869 near what is now the Millard Johnson farm near Iverson Shoals; in the year '74 he shot another deer at the mouth of Wolfe Creek. In those days the woodland of the country was infested with wild hogs which afforded real sport for hunters. He recalls one hunting experience as follows:
"In the year 1869 while I was going to school to Ligan Bowen at lower Newcomb, at the noon hour one day we heard a pack of hounds coming and we looked and saw a deer leap through the school yard. Saul Harmon and myself got permission from the teacher to follow the deer. The ice was partly frozen on Twelve Pole, but the deer crossed anyway. The creek full of ice bluffed all the dogs except one named "Pot Licker" owned by Fletcher Garrett. That dog never stopped and neither did Harmon and myself.
"As we went along we borrowed an old flint lock rifle from R. M. Luther, who used to be county surveyor. We kept in the chase till we got just opposite "Buger Hollow," near Millard Johnson's. At this point I shot the deer, while "Pot Licker" was close on his heels. Harmon and I skinned the deer, tied it on a pole and carried it home."
Mr. Brumfield recalled going to school to America Showater at Buffalo Shoals in 1858. Of the forty pupils in school then only three are living: Mr. Brumfield, M. F. Drown and Luke Drown. At that time one of the duties of the teacher was to make goose quill pens while the pupils would write their lessons. Brumfield and B. G. Chapman, of Wayne, were school mates 66 years ago. Mr. Brumfield still has in his possession a little book given to him by Mrs. Showater on his birthday in 1858. Mrs. Showater was the daughter of the late Benj. Drown, Sr., and was the mother of M. F. Drown and G. B. Booth, both well known Wayne citizens.
(Due to restocking of deer in Wayne County numerous years ago, the county is
now over-run by deer.)
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(WCN - 8/7/1923) VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE IS ADDED IN LOCAL HIGH SCHOOL
The new department of Vocational Agriculture which will be added to the Wayne County High School when it opens next month will prove an important asset to the school in the opinion of Superintendent C. T. Hatcher. The local high school starts its second year on September 4th. Additional teachers have been added this year and prospects are promising for a highly successful term. In making public the news of the new department, Superintendent Hatcher gave out the following announcement Wednesday of this week:
Ever mindful of the fact that the people of Wayne county wish to be in the front rank educationally, the County High School Board of Education has added to our system the department of Vocational Agriculture. This work is very practical as the students learn to do by actually doing things. They learn to work with the hands as well as to think with the head. . . .
It is entirely likely that the department of Home Economics of the County High School will be enlarged at an early date.
We only hope that every boy and girl in the county, not in school, that is
eligible to enter high school will be with us the beginning of the term.
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(WCN - 9/13/1923) N. AND W. DOUBLE TRACK BIG SANDY IS REPORT HERE
A plan to double track the Big Sandy division of the Norfolk & Western
Railway company is now materializing, according to a report received here
Wednesday. The Norfolk and Western company is understood to be securing options
on property along the desired right of way in preparation to laying a second
track along its main line from Kenova to a point east of Williamson. A double
track between Kenova and Prichard, a distance of from 12 to 15 miles, will be
the first step taken it is reported. An eight-mile stretch from Crum to
Naugatuck will be the second step, according to information to the effect that
the railway company is securing options on property along the proposed right of
way. Double tracking of the Big Sandy division of the N. & W. would open up one
of the richest coal fields in Kentucky and furnish railroad connections over
Norfolk & Western lines that would, it is believed, lead to rapid development of
territory along the main line.
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(WCN - 9/20/1923) N. & W. RETIRES W. D. VAUGHAN AT AGE OF 70 YEARS
W. D. Vaughan, for years employed as assistant station agent at East Lynn,
was retired from active service on July 27, 1923, having reached the age of 70
years, which qualifies Norfolk and Western employees for retirement on pay. Mr.
Vaughan, who is well known in Wayne county, was for a number of years postmaster
at East Lynn when that community was known as Adkins' Mill. He was a singing
school teacher for many years. He began work with the N. & W. on December 17,
1908 at the time the East Lynn branch was taken over by this railroad. During
his 15 years service he was absent from duty only a few days. The recent issue
of the N. & W. magazine, published at Roanoke, Virginia, carried Mr. Vaughn's
picture, together with an account of his retirement from service. Arley Pyles,
son of Eugene Pyles, of Wayne succeeded Mr. Vaughan at the East Lynn station.
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(WCN - 10/11/1923) FIRST FOOTBALL GAME IN HISTORY HERE ON FRIDAY
Notwithstanding the fact that Wayne County High School lost the two opening games of the season last week, Coach C. B. Taylor is enthusiastic in his praise of the local eleven. The team is entirely new, this being the first year for all of the men. In view of this fact last week's scores were not regarded as bad showing.
In the first game Wednesday with West Junior High at Huntington Wayne high lost 25 to 0. Saturday Louisa high school defeated Wayne on the Louisa field 31 to 0. On Friday of this week at 2:30 o'clock the local high school will fight for the pigskin with an all-star junior high team from Huntington. This game will be played on the Wayne field and will be significant in that it will be the first school football game ever to be played here.
Following is the line-up of the county high school that will start Friday's
game: Simmie Booton, left end; Henry Maynard, left tackle; Valca McKinster, left
guard; Harry Sellards, center; Joe Ferguson, right guard; Wallace Ferguson,
right tackle; Wiley Adkins, right end; Jack Jackson quarterback; Clyde Matthews
fullback; Jack Terrill, right halfback and Burgess Ferguson, left halfback.
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(WCN - 10/18/1923) Hard Road To Huntington Will Open November 20th
The new hard surfaced road on McCoy Hill on the Wayne-Huntington route will be opened for travel about the 20th of next month, according to information received by this newspaper Tuesday from H. J. Spelman, Division State Road Engineer, of Huntington, in response to our inquiry about the progress that is being made on the various Wayne county road projects. Mr. Spelman's letter in full is as follows:
Huntington, W. Va.,
October 15, 1923,
Wayne County News,
Wayne, W. Va.
Gentlemen:
Let me acknowledge receipt of your letter of October 11th concerning the Eighth Street Road in Cabell county. It will take about four weeks longer to complete the concrete pavement on this road and two weeks on top of that to permit it to cure so as to be in shape for travel. This makes a total of six weeks which will bring us to about the 20th of November.
These figures are of course only an estimate and it may be possible to complete the road a little sooner but at this time of the year it would hardly be safe to figure upon it.
It may be of interest to you to know that the bridge at Echo on State Route No. 8 will probably be completed Saturday, October 20th, and that very good progress is being made by the Hatfield Construction Company on their contract from Echo towards Fleming. This contract will undoubtedly all be completed before the first of the year.
On the Beckwith, White & Rich contract, very good progress is being made but the work is extremely difficult in character and will undoubtedly require a large part of next season to complete.
Delays have been experienced by the steel contractor for the Jennies Creek bridge in getting shipments of material and it will be late in the fall before this bridge is completed.
In the meantime very good progress is being made by C. E. Price on his first contract between Marrowbone and Crum and if the present good weather continues for another 30 or 40 days, it is quite likely that most of this road will be completed before winter.
Excellent progress is also being made by C. E. Price on his contract from Crum to the head of Bull Creek but it is of course impossible to complete this until sometime next year.
Plans for the remaining section of State Route No. 8 in Wayne County between the head of Bull Creek and the end of the Beckwith, White and Rich contract, are now in the hands of the County Court and County Engineer who are at work endeavoring to secure right of way leases.
The act of the last legislature in taking a large part of the Piedmont Road within the corporate limits of Huntington, has materially reduced the amount of maintenance work which I have had to do in that section of Wayne county. The State now only maintains a short section of road on the east side of Twelve Pole and the road in the town of Ceredo.
Very truly yours,
H. J. SPELMAN,
Division Engineer
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(WCN - 11/22/1923) NEW HARD ROAD TO HUNTINGTON NOW COMPLETED
The last lap of the new hard road connecting Lavalette, this county, with the city of Huntington has been completed and will be opened to the public on Wednesday of next week, the day before Thanksgiving.
This information which is given out by H. J. Spelman, Division Engineer of Huntington, will be received with enthusiasm by the hundreds of Wayne county motorists that have been reaching Huntington by detouring from Hodges by way of 16th street.
The last concrete on the new road was poured at five o'clock last Wednesday afternoon. This new strip of road, which is 6,500 feet long, connects the Eighth street paved road of Huntington with the new hard surfaced road on Camp Creek, this county, making a complete hard-surfaced route from Huntington to Lavalette.
The road is a unit in the Tug River highway, which eventually will run from Huntington to Bluefield. The completion of the strip will mean a hard road from Huntington to the town of Wayne unbroken save for a ten and a half mile unit between Lavalette and Wayne. Completion of the Eighth street hill unit will be an important improvement, as it has held up traffic on hard road on each side of it for months.
The contract for the work was let on last July 26, and work of grading and
draining began about August 1. The first concrete was poured on September 25,
and since that time the work has gone ahead steadily with the exception of
periods when bad weather held up activities.
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(WCN-12/6/1923) TWO INDICTED FOR DYNAMITE IN CAR OF BUTLER SQUIRE
HENRY FRAZIER and RUFUS WELLMAN, of Fort Gay, were indicted by the grand jury
in session here this week, charged with placing seventeen sticks of dynamite
with caps attached in the automobile of Justice of the Peace William Dean, also
of Fort Gay. The two young men were arrested Thursday and bound over to the
grand jury on bond. It was while driving from his home toward Huntington,
November 22, 1923. in his automobile, that Squire Dean noticed a cloud of smoke
arising from under the engine head. The magistrate's two little children were in
the back seat of the car, which then was just passing a school house. Children
from the school were flocking down the road along side the machine. Dean
stopped, puzzled, for he was confident he had filled the radiator with water
before leaving Fort Gay. He lifted the hood. Lying smoking on the exhaust pipe
were seventeen sticks of dynamite wtih caps affixed, the end of several of the
sticks smouldering and almost at the point of breaking into a flame. Rushing to
a nearby house, where a woman was scrubbing her porch, Dean seized the pail of
water and dashed it on the smoking mass, reducing it to a cold charred, and
impotent bundle. A close inspection showed that a wire had been run from the
magneto to the caps, but no fuse had been applied probably the thing which saved
Dean's life, as the heat generated had never reached the point where a flame was
produced. There were seventeen sticks in all, sufficient to have demolished the
machine, the passengers and a large portion of the road bed and adjacent
property if it had exploded. Squire Dean, who is justice of the peace for Butler
district, says that he knows of no motive that could have prompted the attempt
made on his life. The arrests and indictments referred to above were made
following an investigation last week by a special detective of Huntington.
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(WCN - 12/ 20/1923) STURDY PIONEERS OF WAYNE COUNTY EULOGIZED BY Z. T. VINSON IN
REMARKABLE WORD PICTURE
The following letter by one of Wayne county's most prominent sons performs the service of refreshing our minds to a new appreciation of the strong and sturdy stock of our forefathers who blazed the trails for the present generation. The Vinson family has been a vital factor in the progress of Wayne County since its beginning. Colonel Z. T. Vinson himself is known throughout the country as a man of exceptional ability and influence. He has not only achieved distinction in his profession as an attorney of first magnitude but has been highly successful in numerous big business enterprises. He is one of the foremost Bible scholars
and teachers of the whole country and only the last year supplemented his unusual knowledge of the Scripture by extensive travel through Europe and the Holy Lands. There are indeed many stars in Wayne county's galaxy of men who have become famous for their great works, but certainly none of them shine brighter than the eminent son of our soil who writes the following letter of reminiscence. Editor's Note.
From
COL. Z. T. VINSON
Huntington, W. Va.
Dear Mr. Editor:
I am glad you have asked me to write you a letter of reminiscences about some of the people whom I knew in the long ago of my boyhood and youth. When one reaches my age, it becomes a pleasant pastime to frequently open the flood gates of memory and let the throngs of those we knew and revered pass in a delightful pageantry before our eyes.
How their dear faces beam upon us, and their smiles beckon us back to the days of yore, where we may live over again, even though for an hour, the times we once enjoyed with that host of friends that have passed to the great beyond. How much influence their example and character have had upon my life, I will never know, but their wisdom guides me yet, and the lessons that they taught me will always be a perennial blessing.
"Uncle" John Jarrell - The first truly great man I ever knew was John Jarrell, who lived and died on Mill Creek. Every one, young and old alike, called him "Uncle," out of a sense of profound respect and reverence. He was a Baptist preacher and a real saint and a worshiper of God. He believed, taught and lived in righteousness. A patriot in the best sense of the word. He not only governed his own family, which was a large one, but out of his sheer goodness and blameless life he ruled over all the people within reach of him. They went to him as a matter of course when troubles came for help and counsel. If two men had any controversy, they did not resort to court, but they took it to Uncle John Jarrell for settlement, knowing his honesty and believing implicity in his wisdom. His judgment was accepted as final, and no apeal was ever taken from it.
He was a farmer, but everything he raised beyond his own family consumption was given to the hungry and the needy. He was also a shoemaker, and spent much of his time in making shoes for those who were unable to buy them. I have seen barefoot children waiting two or three days at his house until he could finish their shoes. He built his own log church close to his house, where he preached once a month, and the other three Sundays found him preaching at other places. He worked hard every day in the week, and always preached without accepting any money for it. He studied no book but the Bible, but he knew that book practically by heart. If anyone he knew was not living right, he went to him and tried to have him correct his ways. Every one loved him for his kindness and help. They stood in awe of him, believing that he was really inspired of God. Whatever was right and just, he stood for it, and he condemned whatever was wrong or vicious. The influence for good that he had upon the people with whom he came in contact cannot well be imagined; for that influence will keep on widening from one generation to another, until it reaches the very throne of God.
Other Great Preachers - Of the kind of men, living the same sort of life, were four other great men whom I knew and loved, and these, too, were preachers like John Jarrell, doing all in their power to help and benefit their neighbors, and these were William T. Ball, John T. Johnson, Jacob Marcum and Uncle Jimmie Queen. There were two other great preachers that lived at the same time, exercising a lasting influence for the good of the people. These were Burrell Spurlock and Patrick Napier, whom I did not know personally. All these men were great heroic characters, for they were pioneers in righteousness. They felled the forests with their own hands, cleared out their own farms and built their own homes. They used the talents God had given them; their whole life's work was done that they might receive their reward hereafter and be met with the final words: "Well done, thou good and faithful servants." Wayne county should raise an imperishable monument to each of these.
Circuit Court in 1874
Mr. Editor, let's turn back the hands of the clock for a space of fifty years, almost the exact date of my first visit to Wayne court house, and revisit with the people whom I saw there at that time. It was during Circuit court, in June 1874. A session of the circuit court was a great event in those days, for every man of consequence in the county was there. Not that they had court business to look after, but they came to meet each other, socially, and transact their business together, buy and well land and horses and oxen and pay their debts and their taxes. Every one had his riding horse, for there were neither buggies nor wagons then. Most of the men wore long whiskers and homespun clothes, the wool for which was carded, spun and woven into cloth, and then cut out and made into garments by their wives and daughters. Most of this was done by these good women around the firelight at night after the day's work was finished. The sewing was by hand, as no sewing machine had appeared at that time.
The Court Crowd - But who are the men we see here? They are John Bromley, Stephen Marcum, William H. Frazier and Jas. Stone from Cassville; and along up Mill Creek are the Wellmans, Fraziers, Wilsons, Jarrells, Hamptons, Pyatts, and Thompsons. From along Tug River have come the Artrips, Vinsons, Yorks, Ratcliffs, Copleys, Parsleys, Spauldings, and Marcums. From the right fork of Twelve Pole are the Kirks, Damrons, Prestons, Fergusons, Watts, Osburnes, and Christians. From the left fork and Kiah's Creek came the Maynards and Queens, Napiers and Frys. From Beech Fork there were the Bowens, Smiths and Adkins. From down 12 Pole were the Spurlocks and Garretts, Blosses, Newmans, Plymales and McKeands. From Ceredo the Handleys, Hoards, Kelleys and Wrights. From up the Sandy were the Hattens, Cyruses, Chapmans, Smiths, Strothers, and Loars. The lawyers present at that term of court were Judge Milton Ferguson of Louisa, Col. L. T. Moore and K. F. Prichard of Catlettsburg; Eustace Gibson and Ira McGinnis from the Cabell bar; and of local lawyers were Gobe Burgess, George Ratcliff, Joseph Kirk, Col. Witcher, and Mike Tiernan had just come. George Hutchinson was clerk and kept hotel. Evermont Ward was the judge, and, I believe, Lamech Adkins was the sheriff.
County's Prominent Men
Among the more prominent men that one saw on the streets of Wayne at that time were William Ratcliff and Samuel Damron from Lincoln district, judges of the old county court; M. Lamech Adkins, one of the great strong men of the county; B. Hoard of Ceredo; W. W. Brumfield from Buffalo; Lindsey Smith from Round Bottom, who owned the finest farm in the county; William Shannon of Gragston; Charles W. Ferguson, living a mile above Wayne; big Sam Ferguson from the right fork; Lewis Queen from Kiah's Creek; and Johnson Fry from Stonecoal. Of course there were a great many other prominent and excellent men besides these, but I cannot undertake to mention them all in a letter like this.
Uncle Charley Ferguson
I want to take this opportunity of saying about Uncle Charley Ferguson, whom I knew well and intimately up to the time of his death, that in my judgment no more lovable or gentle spirit has ever walked upon the soil of Wayne County. What John Jarrell and the great preachers whom I mentioned, as well as those I have not mentioned, were doing in the way of planting the seeds of religion and righteousness among the people, Charley Ferguson was doing precisely the same thing from the standpoint of the layman. He was not a preacher, yet his life was one of the greatest sermons of history, to settle dispute among his neighbors, keep their accounts, look after their personal welfare, feed and clothe the needy. He stood for everything that goes to make a brighter, better civilization among men. I do not mean to say that he was the only man in the county of this type, but he stood out as being preeminent among a great many others who were endeavoring in every way to imitate and follow in the footsteps of Uncle Charley Ferguson.
Dominant Characteristics
If I had to describe in a sentence or two the prevailing and dominant characteristics of the men whom I saw at that term of court in 1874, I would say that the dominant trait that was manifest in them was strength of character and fidelity to any cause which they espoused; that the next most prominent impression one got was the good fellowship and kindly hospitality that make each feel very welcome at the home or fireside of every other one.
No Party Lines Drawn
Out of the spirit of devotion and loyalty to cause grew many a heated and spirited political contest that swept over the county from one end to the other, wherein the neighbors divided upon their support of one candidate or another, and looking at these contests from this time and point of view, about the best word to describe them is to say that they were not only hot, but, generally speaking, "red hot." I can recall the race between Fisher Bowen and P. H. Napier for sheriff, and there are many yet living in Wayne who participated in that race; also a year or two later, the race of George Hutchinson and P. H. Napier for clerk of the court; and of course I could instance many others. At this time there was no party organization in the county. So far as county offices were concerned, all the voters--democrats and republicans alike--voted for the man they liked, whether he was of the same political party in national affairs as themselves or not.
Log Rollings and Husking Bees
I cannot close this letter without calling to your attention the log rollings and corn huskings that prevailed throughout the whole of the county. When one cleared up a lot of land, the grubbing and the chopping of the timber and the limbs were piled up in a heap, called a "brush heap", and burned, and in order to make the land tenable and prepare it for corn planting, it became necessary to burn also the trees that had been chopped up that grew on the land. Some of these were as much as two feet in diameter and were so heavy that neither one man nor his immediate family were able to roll these logs together, so that they might be burned and the land completely cleared. Whenever the land was ready for the log rolling, the neighbors were notified, and they all gathered in the morning with thir hand spikes, generally made out of tough sassafras wood and seasoned before the fire. Here in these log rollings were exhibited great feats of strength and skill in handling these heavy logs and carrying them to the nearest fire, where they could be burned. This was a great event for the young men in the neighborhood, because a log rolling always meant that the girls too were invited in at the house for a quilting or wool picking or something of that sort, and then when the day's work was finished--and the work they did was truly herculean--the party came on, and it was a rare thing that the party ever closed before daylight the following morning. Of course everybody hd a good time, everybody enjoyed it, and the help that they gave to their neighbor was voluntary and as a matter of course.
Kissed Prettiest Girl
The same thing was true of the corn shucking. After the corn had been gathered in and put under the shed of the barn or crib, then a corn husking was had, and this was mainly confined to the young men and the young women of the neighborhood, as it offered and afforded a good excuse for having a party and bringing the young people together. One of the rules that prevailed at the corn husking was that whenever one of the young men shucked a red ear of corn that entitled him, as a matter of course, to kiss the prettiest girl in the room. In this way people got their barns and cribs and houses erected, and most of the older houses in the county today, especially the log houses, were all erected by the neighbors coming in to what was known as a "house raising." I would like to go on indefinitely and take up the individual men and women whom I knew and spent a great deal of time in their society, but of course that can not be done.
Descendants Of The Great
The question that has often presented itself to my mind is whether or not these strong men, mentally and physically, of fifty years ago have impressed their strength upon their descendants and the people around them. Knowing these men as I did, I cannot imagine any greater blessing that could come into a county than if the descendants of these people would so live as to keep up and continue the great strength of character that was so evident in their ancestors who lived half a century ago. Let me hope, Mr. Editor. . .(copy cuts off)
IN QUIET THOUGHT
Editorial Observations
Wayne county is proud of its great and good men who chopped down trees and
built cabins and thus paved the way for our civilization. We are thankful for
Colonel Vinson's letter in this issue which revives our minds to a new
appreciation of the obligation we owe to these sturdy ancestors of ours. No
county in West Virginia, or in any other state for that matter, is more
distinctive than ours. Wayne county is not patterned after any other county of
the universe. To be a Wayne countian is to be just a bit different from the rest
of the world. No commonwealth under the sun has produced hearts any truer to
their ideas than those found in the breasts of our forefathers. And the great
are not all dead. Today we have great men and women among us. It may take the
prospective that comes from separation by years to make us fully appreciate the
good and great men and women that are now our neighbors. We have behind us noble
forefathers. The blood of brave and honorable men is in our veins. We have been
handed a priceless heritage in the form of a great ancestry. Let us not falter
but take up the torch of progress which has been handed to us and go forward.
Thus we will be true to our trust. Thus we will be a worthy posterity to the
lion-hearted, God-fearing men who founded our dear county and first lighted the
torch that is now ours to carry. . . .
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(WCN - 12/20/1923) REV. W. S. NAPIER IS LIVING IN ARKANSAS, BUT LOYAL TO WAYNE
From
REV. W. S. NAPIER
Prairie Grove, Arkansas
Eighteen years ago, February 17, I left West Virginia and came west. Twelve years ago I visited in Wayne county and August 1923 I made my second visit, and was very much pleased to see the new court house on the old stand. Long may it stand and never be moved. In my travels over many states my most cherished memories go back to Wayne.
All of my five children that are living are married. I have eight grandchildren. One boy died twelve years ago and is buried at Westville, Oklahoma with my sister, Cynthia Mills, wife of James Mills, who lives now in California. Two of my boys are in the furniture business at Fayetteville, Arkansas. My hone at present is on a farm located 15 miles west of the State University and two miles west of Prairie Grove, on the Ozark Trail Pike in a valley rive miles wide and eighteen miles long.
I have a farm of 120 acres, which cost $10,000. We have many favors here, which you all will never have in Wayne county. If we had a wall built around Arkansas we could live and have all the luxuries and necessities of life, nothing lacking.
Prairie Grove nestling in a fertile valley—an Ozark dimple eight miles wide and eighteen miles in length—is ideally located from the standpoint of health. With none of the disagreeable extremes of temperatures it has a sufficient altitude to ward off the undesirable humidity that make such torrid summers and such frigid winters. Hundreds of springs in the valley and on the hill-sides testify to the abundance of delicious, health- giving water.
Prairie Grove is populated with a high class of progressive citizens, all 100 per cent Americans, whose ancestors cleared the ground many a long year ago. The surrounding country is especially adapted to the culture of apples, strawberries, grapes and blackberries, to dairying, to poultry raising, livestock raising, and to the production of bumper crops of grain and hay. The diversity of profitable pursuits gives to Prairie Grove's economic structure a foundation of solid rock.
Prairie Grove is located on the Central division of the St. Louis and San Francisco railroad—a direct gateway with the Northern and the Southern markets. It has a population of 1200; is located only 12 miles from the University; we has a public school and a high school, each with commodious plats. It has five well equipped churches, and a notably high percentage of church-going people.
The country surrounding Prairie Grove is perfectly adapted to so many agricultural pursuits; and is so ideally located in an invigorating climate, that it is fast becoming a Mecca for poultrynen, dairymen, fruit-growers, stockmen, farmers and to those discriminating people in search of a bracing climate.
While I like my native land, I will not come back to Wayne county to live for two reasons: One is, this is a healthier climate, another, there has been too many of my friends who have followed me here and are here to stay. I am preaching to our country people and have all the work I can do.
If Providence smiles on me I am going to visit Wayne county again next
August, and will call on the Editor of Wayne County News, who is a third cousin
of mine and whose father was a good friend of mine. His mother and I went to
school together in the little log school house at East Lynn.
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(WCN - 12/20/1923) HE ROAMED WITH THE U. S. ARMY UNTIL HE BECAME A PREACHER
From
REV. J. B. BLOSS
Florence, Alabama
October 30, 1884 in the Methodist Parsonage just across Twelve Pole from Ardel, I first saw the light of this old world. My grandfather, Rev. Beckley, was then pastor on the circuit. I lived with my grand father, Valentine Bloss, until my father married again. Then I stayed with him until I was fourteen years old. My father was H. A. Bloss of Dickson. Father and grandfather are both living in Wayne county.
I was a bad boy and had roaming in my head. So at the age of fifteen I enlisted in the U. S. army. I was sent to Fort Thomas, Kentucky, and was there one month. I left there August 20, 1900 for China, with Co. L. 2nd U. S. Inf. but they changed our orders and we sailed from San Francisco, September 1, 1900 on the transport, Logan, for the Philippine Islands. We stopped three days at Honolula, Hawaiian Islands, and coaled the boat. We had a great time there then we stopped about two hours at Guam Islands for them to unload mail.
Arrived at Manilla Bay October 1st. 1 saw the mast poles of some of the boats that Admiral Dewey sunk of the Spanish fleet. Also saw the Great Wall around Manilla and the shell holes that were torn in them by the big guns on Dewey's fleet. I stayed in Manilla until the 9th, we then boarded the Spanish boat, Petrorch, and sailed for Pitago on the Masbate Island. It was raining the afternoon we landed there and I was detailed for guard duty. My post was down on the Bay, a good ways from the guard house. Of course I was only a boy. (But I was from Wayne county) and they told me to halt once and then shoot. The next morning I halted some one and he stopped and began to say "Amingo, Amingo." I said no sir, you stand right there and I called the Corporal of the Guard who was a member of the 29th U. S. Vol. and had been over there for some time. He said Amingo meant friend, so it was on me that time. I thought he said "Let me go." We had many hardships while over there. Was in several skirmishes and engagements. There were no battles after I arrived there. The Phillipinos fought mostly with bolos and old Spanish guns and some American guns they had captured.
To make it shorter I stayed over there until November 1902, when I sailed for home on the transport, Thomas. I came back by Nagasaki, Japan, stayed there three days and they coaled the boat. They ran a great barge of coal up by the transport and they had hundreds of little baskets and the men, women and children filled and passed the coal from the barge to the transport.
I went ashore and rode in a Gin Rick Sha all over town. Had a great time. Arrived in San Francisco, December 24, 1902. Re-enlisted in the army February 17, 1903 at Bakersfield, California. Was sent to Monterey, California. assigned to Co. A. 15 U. S. Inf., and stayed there three years and was discharged and went to Columbia, Tennessee and got a job braking for the L. & N. R. R. Co. On March 5, 1906 while there I met a southern girl and became so attached that naturally I did not want to leave, so on May 11, 1906, I was married to Miss Pearl Pilkinton. We now have four children, Clara age 16, Berra age 14, Vera age 12 and Thelma age 10.
Eight years ago I was converted and joined the church. Four years ago I answered the call to the ministry and I am now living in Florence, Alabama, where the great Wilson dam and Nitro plant is located. It is on the Tennessee river. There are about five thousand men employed by the government constructing the great dam. Henry Ford has bid on the works here and we feel like he ought to have it. There has been over s hundred million dollars spent here by the government and the plant is standing idle.
Alabama has many iron ore mines and iron furnaces. The farmers raise mostly cotton. The land is not so very fertile and they all use fertilizer. Florence is a beautiful little town, of about 12,000 inhabitants. Our winters are very mild, some times we have a little snow, but it does not stay long. It is not as mountainous as Wayne county.
I shall always have s place in my memory for Wayne county and a place in my heart for the people of Wayne county. I was in Wayne county last September and met many old friends and relatives. I subscribed for the "News" while there and am always glad to receive it.
The preachers are planning a Home Coming of preachers that were raised in Wayne county for next summer. Hope the Wayne County News will assist in this Home Coming.
I sometimes think I would like to make Wayne county my home again. Would be glad to correspond with any Wayne county people.
Wishing the Wayne County News and all its readers success in life, I am an
old Wayne county boy.
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(WCN - 12/20/1923) Moore Is Typical Regular Army Man; Loyal To Wayne County And
U. S. A.
From
WILLIAM H. MOORE
Tech. Sgt. Ord. Dept. U.S. Army
I was born in Wayne county on Two Mile Creek near my Grandfather's (Mr. Henry J. Lloyd) old home place, on February 15th, 1882. I attended my first school year and for several years thereafter, at the old school house on Two Mile near its mouth. My first teacher was Miss Angieline Fuller (afterwards Mrs. William Ferguson.) I am sure that some of my old friends, especially Mr. Boyd Dickerson, can remember an incident which happened during my first year at school while trying to learn the alphabet, especially the letter "G", when Miss Fuller, our teacher, asked me what my father said to the horse while plowing, when I could not remember the name of the letter "G". I am happy to say, that during the last five years of my life I have learned what the letter "G" stands for, and I am sure that my brethren of the great and honorable fraternity of Free and Accented Masons will understand what I mean by saying this.
How well I can remember those happy days of childhood and school days. Also, my old teachers, Miss Fuller, John and Kim Dickerson, Ash McVey and Miss Mollie Marshall, (now my cousin by marriage, Mrs. Lee Osburn.) Some of the old teachers and schoolmates have passed through the dark valley of the shadow of death and have gone to that undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveler returns.
I enlisted in the army on November 29th, 1904, at the old Adelphia Hotel, Huntington, W. Va. I have only lost twenty-eight days from the service during that time. I was out of the service twenty-two between the first anc second enlistment period and out six days between the second and third enlistment period. All of the balance of my service has been continuous. I was in the army just eight years before I returned home on my first furlough, which was on the 28th of November, 1912. While on my first furlough home, I was married to Miss Susie Virginia Richardson, my old sweetheart, and now my loving wife and companion for life. Susie has been with me all the while except for two visits with the home folks there in Wayne county. She has accompanied me in all my various changes from one station to another in the service. We have two children living and two died in infancy. We have lived very happily together and have gotten along splendidly all these years. My wife seems always to be very well satisfied with the Army life. However, we will both be glad when the time is up for my retirement and we can return to old West Virginia to make our home for the rest of our lives.
I have always liked the service and army life since the first year's service. The first year in the service is always the hardest, due to the fact that everything is new and different and that the homesickness does not wear off until after the first year. After the first year in the service, as the saying goes, "you are on to the ropes." There is one thing you will find in the army, and navy and marine corps which you wil not always find in civil life, and that this, one-hundred percent Americanism. The army and navy teaches the young men who come into the service pure and undefiled Americanism. "Our country may she always be right, but our country right or wrong." You will always find the army and the navy ready and willing to protect arid defend the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign or domestic, and will always stand ready to defend the Flag of our country, that symbol of freedom, right and justice. There are some misguided individuals and organizations thruout this country of ours who would have or like to have the majority of the hundred and ten million people of these United States think and believe that the officers and men of the army and navy are a bloodthirsty lot of men who crave wars and bloodshed. These individuals and organizations are Dementia-Americania, (or in other words bug house, crazy.) That is some thing you never hear a man say in the army or navy, that he wishes there world be war or another war. We do not want war. The men in the service knows what war is and what it means. Therefore, we hope there will never be any more wars. Nevertheless, we stand prepared, ready and always willing if necessary, to protect and defend the Constitution and Flag of our country so that the government of the people, for the people and by the people will not perish from the earth.
We note with pride and pleasure the wonderful strides the people of Wayne county are making in the new system of public schools as well as the system of hard roads throughout the county. "Behold how good and how it pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity." Oh how true is that saying. Where there is union there is strength. Let all the good citizens of Wayne county stand together in unity for that which is good and for the betterment of the county, state and nation. Let all get together in helping to make old Wayne county second to none in the state, and old West Virginia second to none in the union.
Good luck and best wishes to all of you.
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(WCN - 12/20/1923) DR. THOMPSON HAS BEEN AWAY FROM COUNTY 18 YEARS
From
DR. EMERY THOMPSON
Holden, Missouri
I left Genoa, Wayne county, 18 years ago and located here in Holden, Missouri, where I have lived ever since. I am in the practice of my profession and have no complaints to offer.
My two daughters are married and my three sons are yet at home. We are 230 miles west of St. Louis and 50 miles east of Kansas City in a good section of the country. We can not raise as large crops here as some other states, but make fair crops most every year. This part of the country is naturally adapted to blue grass, making this an ideal country for stock raising and dairying. We are close to the best markets in the country.
Kansas City is a wonderful city and is growing rapidly. Our town, Holden, has three splendid banks, one Producers Exchange, one of the best Creameries in the entire state, an ice plant, flour mill and elevator, four churches and four schools. We have a number of business houses and our merchants all seem to be prosperous.
I have never been back to West Virginia since I left there. About all the news I get is in reading your splendid paper. It seems there is wonderful changes in the country. I see you are building good roads and improving your schools. I often think of the good people in Wayne county and sure would enjoy visiting and shaking hands with my old friends once more.
There are a great many West Virginia people here in this country. Once in a while some one drops in for a visit. We sure are always glad to have any one come from West Virginia to see us. Any time any one from that county will come out here and call on us we will give them the best we have.
I wish all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
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(WCN - 12/20/1923) SIDNEY PETERS SERVES IN ARMY AT MARFA, TEX.
FROM
PVT. SIDNEY PETERS
Hq. Troop 1st Cav.
Marfa, Texas
I left Fort Gay about June 20, 1922 and went to Cincinnati, Ohio. I stayed there two days, caught a side door pullman for St. Louis, Missouri. Was in St. Louis about three days. Then I joined the first Cavalry June 28, 1922 and was sent to Jefferson Barracks, which is about 15 miles out from St. Louis and on the Mississippi River. I left there June 20 for Douglas, Arizona. Arrived there July 2, 1922. Douglas is on the Mexican border and has a population of eight or nine thousand. About one half of the population are Mexicans. About all they raise there is cattle. They have two copper smelters. There is a lot of copper ore shipped to them from other parts of Arizona. There are no trees in Arizona only in the parks and yards. I left Douglas December 28, on horse back and arrived here at Marfa, January 19, 1923. We were on the road 18 days for we stopped three days at Elpaso, Texas, a town of about 5,000 people and is 4,964 feet above sea level. It is 60 miles from the border. There is a lot of farming done in the Rio Grande Valley and they raise lots of cattle and cotton.
This is a very healthy county. It is like Arizona when it comes to trees, but there are lots of bushes that grow about three feet high. They raise a few apples at Fort Davis, which is 22 miles from there.
The weather is very changeable here. It is hot one day and maybe the next day will be real cold.
September 21, 1923 the 1st Cavalry went out on field maneuvers. We were out until October 10. The 1st Division contains the following outfits: 7th and 8th Cavalry, 2nd machine gun squad, 82nd F. A., 8th Engineers, 13 Signal Corps and the 12th observation squad, all from Fort Bliss, Texas. These are known as the 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, 5th Cavalry Division, 1st Machine Gun Squad and Brigade Headquarters all from Ft. Clark and Marfa, Texas.
If anyone wants to know more about this country, I would be glad to tell you all I can. I don't know when I will come back to Wayne county but sure am coming back sometime.
Three cheers for old Wayne county.
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(WCN - 12/20/1923) LETTER WRITTEN BY ARTHUR I. BOWEN:
From 501 East Santa Fe Street,
Marceline, Missouri.
I was raised near Shoals, Wayne County. My father left there nearly 25 years
ago with his family going to Meodeska, Kansas. I came to Marceline, Missouri in
the winter of 1904 where I have since resided, running an engine on the Missouri
Division of the A.T. & S. F. Railroad since locating here. The family have all
married and have families of their own. Father (Timothy Bowen) died last
February 1923, which reminds us that we are all going to the undiscovered
country whose borne travelers never return. Mother (Anna Newman) Bowman, lives
with me. We have two nice boys, David and Vernon. I have many pleasant memories
of my boyhood days. I recall on August 23, 1893 Osburn B. Carroll was digging a
well and it being my 11th birthday, I was made to believe that I could push a
wheelbarrow full of dirt out to the bank and dump it. After getting about half
way it turned over with me and of course, everybody laughed. (Timothy was the
grandson of John Baccus & Hester (Haynie) Bowen.)
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(WCN - 12/20/1933) BOOTON FAMILY LEFT WAYNE FOR OKLAHOMA IN 1885:
From Mrs. Job D. Booton,
Welch, Oklahoma.
We left West Virginia in 1885 and went to Western Kansas-Lidderville,
Hodgeman County. We stayed there until 1894. We had lots of ups and downs while
there. The fall of 1894 we came to what was then called Cherokee Nation and
rented land until the Indians were allowed to sell 40 acres of their allotment.
We bought 40 acres at $7 an acre. Later we bought 10 acres at $15 an acre, and
then 30 acres. The children are all married and scattered over the country. Our
oldest boy died two years ago, (Ira Bert) and his children are most all married.
Sarah had three children and they are all married. She lives in Ness City,
Kansas. Cassie lives at Hale, Colorado. She has three girls who are all married.
All are doing very well. Cassie has 600 acres of land which she wants to sell at
$20 per acre. She want to sell on account of poor health. There have been no
births and only one death in our family since we have been here. Simpson lives
in Adair, Oklahoma.
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(WCN - 12/20/1923) O. J. WILKINSON AT CHARLESTON PRACTICING LAW
From
ATTY. O. J. WILKINSON
Charleston, W. Va.
Mr. Herman P. Dean, Editor
Wayne County News
Wayne, West Virginia,
and to the other 26,000 or more mostly good, some few bad, but none indifferent, citizens of the grand old county of Wayne:
It affords me a great deal of pleasure to be allowed to contribute to the "Home-Coming Edition" of your valued paper, which privilege is accorded only to those individuals peculiarly favored by Providence in being allowed to "first see the light of day" within the boundary lines of dear old Wayne.
The first 23 years of the 55 (or more) that I have infested this "vale of tears" were spent in the town of Wayne, then Wayne Court House, sometimes called Trouts Hill and incorporated under the name of Fairview and "making good" under each and every one thereof.
Often, "in memory fond I wander back" to the familiar and loved scenes of this early part of my life, and recall my ambition to write as good hand as "Hop" Trodgen, run as fast as "Jess" Adkins and play as good game of checkers as H. K. Shumate, but in these as many as my other laudable ambitions I did not succeed, but did benefit from the effort.
Since leaving Wayne county I have lived in three different Places: Huntington, Hamlin and Charleston (where I now live), and each time I moved I had for an object the bettering of the conditions, and in this I succeeded, that is, in bettering the conditions of the community from which I moved.
My first recollection of Wayne goes back to the time when the woods extended almost to the edge of the town, and I recall helping to clear the part that lies to the west of town, leading through the pass to Toms Creek, that is to say; I worked two days at this and on the second day I made the mistake of my raising something (which, by the way, was the only thing I ever did raise on a farm). I raised a row with my brother Gallie (now Dr. A. G. of Wayne) and I want to say now that if I had had advanced information as to the outcome of this encounter, my farming experience would have been shortened one day. Doctor is credited with being a good man. I can say from experience that as a boy in a rough-and-tumble, he was not bad.
For the past thirteen years I have been a resident of Charleston, where I have been connected with the Ohio Fuel Company as its Attorney.
My family consists of myself (the ostensible head), my wife (the real head) and our son, O. J. Jr. (the both combined-plus), and it is violating no confidence and imparting no news to our acquaintances to say that both Mrs. W. and I are very proud of the boy.
To all of my Wayne county friends I send greetings and kindest regards and to
them I will say: That in whatever other particular I may have fallen short and
have been found wanting, yet my devotion and loyalty to Wayne has not and could
not be questioned.
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(WCN - 12/27/1933) J. H. MEEK BEGAN ON $26 A MONTH TEACHING SCHOOL
From
JOHN H. MEEK
Huntington, W. Va.
Your letter, advising that you intended to publish a souvenir Homecoming Edition of your paper and requesting a letter from me as a former citizen of the good old county of Wayne, brings before me recollections of "good old days."
I was born at Louisa, Ky., which is "hollerin' " distance from Wayne county, and I came to the county to live when I was a small boy, settling on the head of Big Lynn, where lived some of the best people on earth and the best friends I ever had. I began teaching school there on a No. 1 certificate, for $26.00 a month, but that was a good deal of money for a month's work back then. That was about 1895. Most of my education was received at Oakview Academy, at Wayne, under Prof. T. B. McClure, who in my opinion, was the best school teacher in the world, and I realize that takes in a good deal of territory.
The most important event of my life occurred at Wayne, on Nov. 14, 1901, when I married Dr. George R. Burgess' oldest daughter, Charlie. We lived at Wayne and Dunlow until 1907, during which time we were blessed with two sons and a daughter, and they are still with us. We came to Huntington to live and where, as you know, I am practicing law, being a member of the firm of Vinson, Thompson, Meek & Renshaw. I am making more money than I made at Wayne, but am no happier. I go back to Wayne to try a case every time I get a chance because I love the soil and the people there. The older we get, the more we love our native hearth.
With best wishes for the News and good old Wayne County I am
Sincerely yours,
J. H. Meek
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The contents of this file are
the property of The Wayne County Genealogical & Historical Society
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END -