USA > West Virginia > Lewis County > A history of Lewis County, West Virginia > Part 31
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The effects of the construction of the interurban line were seen at once. Weston was placed within an hour and a half of Clarksburg and the main line of the Balti- more and Ohio. Many Weston people took advantage of the opportunity to do their shopping in Clarksburg to the great disgust of the business men of Weston. The competition of the Clarksburg merchants was, in the long run, of great advantage to the people of the town and the local merchants as well, for it compelled Weston mer- chants to keep more up-to-date stocks of goods. The completion of the trolley line to Weston led to the re- vival of the proposal to connect Glenville with the out- side world and in 1915, the Kanawha Traction and Elec- tric company was incorporated by Weston business men. Officials of the Monongahela Valley lines inspected the proposed route, and the extension for a time seemed a matter of course to the people of the western Freeman's Creek district.
The old fair ground owned by Mrs. Minnich was cut up into town lots and sold about the time construction
407
THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
work on the interurban line really indicated that it would be built. The cheap means of communication has made Shadybrook a thickly settled suburb. The broad meadow at Turner stop has also been built up to some extent. The tract of land on which stood the Jackson homestead and Jackson's mill was purchased by the traction com- pany for use as a memorial park. A bridge was soon af- terward constructed across the river at that point by the county court. The park has become a favorite picnic ground for the people of Weston and surrounding points. The location has made Jackson's Mill a shipping point for oil well supplies for the Freeman's creek field. Tank cars convey from the siding there the product of the gas- oline plant at the mouth of Freeman's creek. Below Jackson's mill the trolley nears the site of Westfield, which may after all be a town. Jane Lew has received a large accession of population as a result of the trolley, and the further growth of the town is assured. Some years ago, when an extension of the line to Buckhannon was being urged by Upshur citizens, the people of Hack- er's creek and Jane Lew began a movement to have the line go by way of Hacker's creek and Buckhannon run. All the territory along the trolley line has been built up and the farms have been improved.
The great war led to considerable activity in the development of coal in Lewis County. For the first time since the construction of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad the principal movement of coal was from the county and not to the county. The operations on Stone Coal creek were continued until the close of the war when the mines were temporarily closed. At the close of 1919 preparations are being made by the Coal Land Development Company to open a mine just below Brownsville and to operate it on the co-operative plan. Preliminary construction, including a ventilating shaft, slope, spur track and the surveying of a town site at the mouth of Washburn run, has been completed.
Beginning about 1901, most of the coal lands of the
408
A HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY
county available for quick development have passed out of the hands of the farmers. Much of the coal on Fink creek, Leading creek and other sections has been pur- chased by large corporations.
The chief political movement of importance in the twentieth century was the campaign against licensing saloons. The prohibition movement had been a factor in politics from 1869, when a prohibition ticket was elected to fill the offices of Weston. The victory was not long enjoyed. In the country districts the saloons were grad- ually forced out of business by the increase of federal and state license fees. The sentiment of the people of the county in 1888, when the vote on the prohibition amend- ment was taken is shown by the vote of 983 for and 1082 against. In 1890 the conditions following the construc- tion of the railroad resulted in a movement to abolish saloons in Weston. Speakeasies sprang up on all sides, and after a brief period of ineffectual enforcement of the law, the regulated traffic was restored. The oil and gas boom brought another wave of vice and crime. By 1904 prohibition sentiment was shown to be very strong when J. G. Jackson, candidate on the prohibition ticket for county commissioner, ran second only to the Republi- can candidate. Though the election was hardly a fair test owning to the personal popularity of Mr. Jackson and other issues, yet it showed that considerable anti-saloon sentiment existed. In 1906 J. W. Duncan, an avowed anti-license candidate, was elected on the Republican ticket. A brief period without saloons followed, and li- censes were again granted. The election of E. M. Stal- naker in 1908 made certain the triumph of the prohibi- tion forces, and on 1 July 1909 the saloon passed out of Lewis County. The vote of the people on the prohibi . tion amendment submitted in 1912 was 3,264 for and 700 against.
In 1909, following much heated discussion concern- ing the license question and public utilities, a new char- ter was granted to Weston by the Legislature. Aside
409
THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
from extending the term of the mayor, doubling the num- ber of councilmen and calling the corporation the "City of Weston" instead of the "Town of Weston", there were few changes from the old charter. It failed to include any of the numerous suburbs or to improve the form of government to any great degree. Sentiment for a new charter which will place the government of the city in the hands of a commission has been increasing. Mc- Gary Addition, North Weston, Kitsonville and a part of East Weston have recently been included in the city. In 1913 the people of Polk creek, Shadybrook and Hale- ville voted on a proposition to incorporate a new town to include all three suburbs. Fortunately the movement failed; all three suburbs are part and parcel of the social and economic life of Weston, and should take part in the political life of the city.
Though Weston has always been one of the most progressive communities in the state, though it has many modern improvements, yet the municipal government has not approached the limit of service to the people. The fire department should be reorganized; the flood waters of Stone Coal and Polk creek should be controlled in some way; a garbage reduction plant and reruse cre- matory plant should be built; a sewage disposal plant is a pressing need of the people; aid should be given in the establishment of a hospital; and better sanitary arrange- ments should be made in other ways to protect the health of the people. Once these improvements have been taken up, the citizens, by a community effort, will establish a Y. M. C. A. and a public library. One of the business needs of the city is a chamber of commerce. Good work has been done by the Rotary club, but that organization should be supported by an association of business men with an energetic secretary.
The setback in agriculture which followed the oil and gas development was only temporary. A revival of interest took place about 1911, which has increased until farmers in all sections of the county are taking up
410
A HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY
scientific farming as never before. The passage of the Jewell bill in 1905 which provided that beef furnished to state institutions should be inspected both on foot and dressed, created a home market for Lewis County cattle. Though the act was soon removed from the stat- ute books, its influence continued to be felt for some years. The establishment of a stock farm at Crawford by E. G. Davisson, who kept only purebred stock, gave a great impetus to the pure bred stock industry in the southern part of the county. The Halls, the Laws, C. L. Cookman, W. R. Jewell and numerous others did much to awaken interest in pure bred stock in other sec- tions. The telephone, rural mail delivery and the auto- mobile have made country life more pleasant. The farms gradually came into the possession of men inter . ested in agriculture. The fields which had been allowed to grow up in filth were cleared again, the broken fences repaired and the land was again productive.
The year 1911 will long be remembered in the agri- cultural history of the United States because of the fail- ure of the hay crop. Farmers, unable to winter their stock, shipped them to markets where they entered into competition with many more than the usual number The result was that prices fell steadily. By fall the live stock raisers of Lewis County faced the alternative of selling their cattle at ruinous prices or having them un- derfed the next winter. In the emergency several farm- ers in different sections of the county determined to build silos, and thus secure the greatest possible food value from their corn crops. From the small beginning, the construction of silos has been extended until scores have been built, and more are being added every year. Greater attention to scientific methods of feeding stock and to the use of fertilizers has followed.
One of the first measures taken to revive interest in agriculture was the organization of boys' and girls' clubs by Perry G. Alfred in 1907-08. The work has been continued, largely under his direction until taken over
1
411
THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
by a paid agent of the government in 1919. In 1914 the Lewis County Agricultural Association was organized with John W. Smith as president and Perry G. Alfred as secretary. The purpose of the association was to re- move obstacles to the development of agriculture and to improve conditions on Lewis County farms through united efforts. Co-operative purchasing of supplies was begun. In 1917, as a result of considerable agitation by members of the association, the county court agreed to pay part of the salary of a county farm bureau agent who should devote his entire time to the work. D. W. Parsons was the first agent.
By far the greatest contribution of the agricultural association to the county has been the inauguration of a policy of building permanent roads. In order to avoid the necessity of having to travel over roads which had been condemned in winter because they were unsafe, members of the association secured the passage of a special act by the Legislature enabling the county court of Lewis County to lay a levy of twenty-five cents on the hundred dollars for the construction of permanent roads. The county court, after much consideration, laid the levy, and in the spring of 1916 construction began on the four main roads leading out of Weston. Since that time a short stretch has been added each year. In 1916 it was proposed to bond the county for $1,000,000 for the construction of permanent roads, but the move- ment failed. Proposals have also been made in several of the magisterial districts to issue bonds for the con- struction of brick or concrete roads.
In keeping with the educational progress of the state, Lewis County has made improvements in schools. At Weston two small brick buildings on the corner of Court and Third, with the addition of several ramshackle wooden structures, remained the educational plant of the town until 1911. Efforts were made as early as 1904 to provide for the erection of a modern high school build- ing through a bond issue, but the people were apathetic.
412
A HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY
In 1910, after the bond issue had been defeated several times, the citizens of the district finally voted to issue bonds to the amount of $75,000 for the erection of a high school and three suburban buildings. Improvement in the instruction of the schools has followed the erection of new buildings.
The board of education of the Jane Lew independ- ent district established a high school in 1912 which has steadily improved both in quantity and quality of in- struction. During the administration of M. L. B. Linger as county superintendent, 1911-1915, efforts were made to establish high schools in most of the magisterial dis- tricts. The voters failed to authorize the expenditures. The fact that three of the districts meet at Weston and that the railroad connections of the others make for division of territory, has prevented agreement as to the site to be chosen in any of the districts.
Three citizens of Lewis County have recently pub- lished books which deserve notice. In 1900, Frances Moore Bland published "Twilight Reveries," a collec- tion of poems which has been favorably received by the critics. In 1915, the history of the settlements in the upper West Fork and Buckhannon valleys was told in an interesting way by Lucullus Virgil McWhorter in his "Border Settlers of Northwestern Virginia." The book is the product of years of patient research and is a very distinct contribution to the historical literature dealing with the American frontier. A scholarly work which is appreciated far more by students of the political history of the country than by the people of the county is Judge Henry Brannon's exhaustive study of the Fourteenth Amendment. It is one of the most important contributions made in recent years to American political thought. Besides the publication of this work, he has also made a contribution of national importance to the development of legal knowledge. The decisions of the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals on questions affecting leaseholds, most of which were written by him,
413
THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
have been adopted by the courts of other states where oil development came at a later time than in West Vir -. ginia.
Progress was made also in the religious organiza- tion of the county. All the denominations represented at Weston have erected new churches within the past generation. Jane Lew has two brick churches which should be the pride of the town. Improvements have been made in many of the churches in the country, and in some of the less well organized communities new churches have been built. Higher salaries are now being paid to pastors in all parts of the county. The organ- ization of the Lewis County Sunday School Association early in the century has caused an increased interest in Sunday school work and has broken down denomina- tional prejudice to some extent.
A student of Lewis County history thirty years from now will probably come to the conclusion that the life of the people of the county in the year 1919 was rather crude and old-fashioned. Though great developments have already taken place, others must come in the fu- ture. Lewis County seems now to stand on the thres .. hold of a new era of social development greater than any it has yet experienced.
3
APPENDIX A
SKETCH OF COLONEL CHARLES LEWIS
Lewis County, whose pioneers made a brilliant rec- ord in the Revolution and the Indian wars which suc- ceeded it, was appropriately named for Colonel Charles Lewis. Of all the Indian fighters of Virginia he was perhaps the most intrepid in time of danger, the most tireless in pursuit and the most skillful in planning a campaign. He had no peer among the scouts on the bor- der. Fifty years after his death there were few fam- ilies in Northwestern Virginia in which the name and deeds of Charles Lewis were not familiar household words.
Colonel Lewis, like most of the people of western Virginia, was of Scotch-Irish descent. He was born in Virginia a short time after the emigration of his parents to the New World in 1730. In 1733 his father settled near the present site of Staunton in what is now Augusta County, Virginia. The pioneer home of the Lewises was then on the most western frontier of Virginia, and the primeval forests surrounded it on every side. Young Charles Lewis during his early life was inured to the perils and hardships of the wilderness. From his earliest recollections he had been taught to fear and hate the Indians. As soon as he was old enough he entered the service of the Virginia colony against the French and Indians, and it is said that from the time of his first en- listment until the date of his death he was never out of the service a whole year. In the French and Indian war, he was regarded as one of the most promising young officers in the Virginia service. When Lord Dunmore led his expedition against the Ohio Indians Charles Lewis was in command of one of the regiments in the army of his brother, General Andrew Lewis.
415
SKETCH OF COL. CHARLES LEWIS
When the Virginia army was surprised by the In- dians at Point Pleasant Colonel Lewis formed his men hastily, and without taking time to remove the red coat which he was wearing, he led his men to repel the as- sault. His conspicuous dress made him an easy target for the Indian marksmen, and he fell mortally wounded at the first onset. Against his will he was removed to his tent where he expired within a few hours.
Withers, in his "Border Warfare", pays the follow- ing tribute to the hero of the battle of Point Pleasant: "Few officers were ever more, or more deservedly, en- deared to those under their command than Col. Charles Lewis. In the many skirmishes, which it was his for- tune to have with the Indians he was uncommonly suc- cessful; and in the various scenes of life, thro' which he passed, his conduct was invariably marked by the dis- tinguished characteristicks of a mind, of no ordinary stamp. His early fall on this bloody field, was severely felt during the whole engagement; and to it has been attributed the partial advantages gained by the Indian army near the commencement of the action."
APPENDIX B JUSTICES OF THE PEACE UNDER VIRGINIA Appointed by the Governor
Name
Date of Commission
Philip Reger
13 Jan. 1817
Thomas Cunningham. 13 Jan. 1817
John Hacker
13 Jan. 1817
William Powers.
13 Jan. 1817
John Bozarth
13 Jan. 1817
Daniel Stringer.
13 Jan. 1817
John Jackson 13 Jan. 1817
I hn Mitchell.
13 Jan. 1,17
William Hacker
13 Jan. 1817
William Simms
13 Jan. 1817
William Peterson
13 Jan 1817
Abner Abbott.
13 Jan. 1817
John Hardman
13 Jan. 1817
George Bozarth
13 Jan. 1817
Elijah Newlon
13 Jan. 1817
Peyton Byrne 13 Jan. 1817
Jacob Lorentz. 13 Jan. 1817
Samuel L. Jones
13 Jan. 1817
James Keith.
13 Jan. 1817
James M. Camp.
13 Jan. 1817
Nicholas Gibson
8 April 1817
Asa Squires
8 April 1817
Benjamin Riddel
8 April 1817
Daniel Stout.
8 April 1817
Michael Stump Jr
8 April 1817
John McWhorter. 8 April 1817
David Smith 8 April 1817
George Bush. 8 April 1817
Joseph McCoy
8 April 1817
417
LIST OF JUSTICES
Beniah Maze 8 April 1817
David W. Sleeth 8 April 1817
Robert Young.
18 July 1818
Aaron Smith
18 July 1818
Edward Jackson
18 July 1818
Weeden Hoffman 1 June 1820
William I. Davis
20 September 1822
Thomas Bland 17 November 1824
Martial Lazell
15 December 1824
Levi Maxwell
9 March 1826
Richard P. Camden
6 March 1828
James Bennett.
7 July 1830
John Vincent.
1 March 1831
Elias Lowther
1 March 1831
Thomas C. Hinzman.
5 March 1833
David Bennett.
5 March 1833
Jesse Cunningham
5 March 1833
Alexander Huffman
4 June 1833
Samuel L. Hays
4 June 1833
Simon Rohrbough
4 June 1833
Jacob J. Jackson
7 October 1834
Minter Bailey
6 November 1834
Newton B. Barnes.
13 September 1836
James Malone.
13 September 1836
David Hall
29 July 1837
Salathiel G. Stalnaker
29 July 1838
Daniel Ayres
9 October 1838
Matthew Holt
8 September 1840
John Lorentz
8 September 1840
Alexander S. Withers 8 September 1840
William A. Lowther
8 September 1840
Currence B. Conrad
8 September 1840
Richard Dobson
8 September 1840
David S. Haselden 8 September 1840
William Bennett 8 September 1840
John Crawford
2 July 1841
George A. Jackson 2 July 1841
2 July 1841 William Morrison
418
A HISTORY OF LEWIS COUNTY
Philip Cox Jr.
16 August 1843
Robert S. Beeson.
16 August 1843
Allen Simpson 16 August 1843
Robert Ervin. 16 August 1843
John J. Burr.
9 August 1844
Festus Young
9 August 1844
George Bastable, Jr
9 August 1844
John F. W. Holt.
9 August 1844
Blackwell Jackson
9 August 1844
James Bunten
9 August 1844
William J. Bailey
9 August 1844
James N. Norman
9 August 1844 20 July 1846
Adam Spitler.
John W. Marple
20 July 1846
David Bennett.
20' July 1846
Amos Brooks
20 July 1846
John White
20 July 1846
William J. Bland
20 July 1846
Jesse Woofter
20 July 1846
Felix L. Hale.
20 July 1846
Henry Steinbeck. 20 July 1846
Joseph Darlington 9 August 1849
Alexander K. Holloway
9 August 1849
Kosciusko Hopkins.
9 August 1849
George Clark
9 August 1849
William Gibson. 9 August 1849
George I. Marsh
9 August 1849
Richard B. Hall
9 August 1849
Presley McIntire. 9 August 1849
Jesse Bouse.
9 August 1849
<
LIST OF JUSTICES
419
Elected by the People Under the Constitution of 1851.
First District (now Collins Settlement)
1852 1856
1860
George T. Duvall
Jesse Cunningham James Bruffey
John Crawford : John Crawford
Marshall Clark
Robert Clark
William A. Watson
William A. Watson
Porter M. Arnold
Porter M. Arnold
Porter M. Arnold
Second District (now Skin Creek and Court House)
1852
1856 1860
John McWhorter
Thomas S. Wood Jesse Woofter
William W. Warder
Jacob J. Jackson
William C. Compton
David Hall
David Hall John W. McCoy
Jesse Woofter
Hanson M. Peterson Hanson M. Peterson
Third District (now Hacker's Creek with the addition of Gee Lick and Polk Creek)
1852
1856 1860
Allen Simpson
Blackwell Jackson Mansf'd Mcwhorter
Blackwell Jackson
John Talbott Maxwell W. Ball
Thomas C. Hinzman
Philip Reger
Thomas C. Hinzman
John Starcher
Allen Simpson
Isaac P. McBride
-
Fourth District (Freeman's Creek and Leading Creek)
1852
1856 1860
Vincent Alexander
Vincent Alexander
Henry Steinbeck
Israel Ramsburg
Henry Steinbeck
Thomas Rogers
William Woofter
Reuben A. Kemper
Richard B. Hall
Marcellus White
Isaac Woofter
Jacob Clipstine
INDEX.
Page
Aberdeen Angus cattle intro-
duced
377
Abram's Run, settled,
139 ;
development
204
Alfred, F.
314
Alfred, Perry
G
410
Alkire, Nicholas
201
Alum Bridge
379,
382
Andersons come to county.
204
Anderson, John S.
317
Anti-slavery sentiment
283
Arms of Pioneers
119
Arnold Station,
established,
378 ; decline
405
Arnold, George
142
Arnold, George J.
205, 233, 235, 327, 345
Arnold, Porter M., killed
306
Arnold, William E., 233, 235, 327
Asbury, Bishop Francis, quoted
Austin
114, 120,
126
346
Averill, General
313
Bablin
404
Bailey House, established,
185 ; new building 226
Bailey, Carr
144, 161
Bailey,
Minter,
establishes
Weston Hotel, 185; de-
linquent lands commis-
sioner, 231; partnership
with
Camdens.
232 :
Weston hospital
327, 329
Bald Eagle murdered
45
Baltimore and Ohio R. R.
construction, 352; leases
West Virginia and Pitts-
burgh R. R., 365; ab-
sorbs
Coal
and
Coke
R. R.
405
Baptists,
126; Broad Run,
159; Freeman's Creek,
144 ; Murphy's creek, 202; Mt. Zion, 263; Weston, 344
Barbour Co. formed
240
Barnes, Dr. N. B., 194, 202, 331
Barrett, S. E. .382, 284
Bastow factory
399
Battelle township formed,
317 ; disfranchisement in, 320; schools 350
Batton, Thomas H.
180
Beall's Mills, 346 ; oil
391
Beech Fort
65
Beeghley, John
373
Page
Bendale bridge
252, 303
Bennett, Jonathan M.,
194;
land speculator,
233 :
Mayor of Weston,
247 ;
president Exchange bank,
257 ; and state hospital,
260; First Auditor
of
Virginia,
286;
returns
to county
320
Bennett, Louis
351
Bennett, William
139,
204
Bennett, Wm. G.,
358
Berlin
345
Big Skin creek
134
Bland, Frances M.
412
Bland, Meigs
351
Bland, Thomas
187-273
Bland, Wm. J., 194, 294; at
hospital
327
Boggess, Caleb
289,
327
Bond, Samuel
203
Bott, Henry
133
Bouse, Isaac
204
Bowen, Capt. Lot
310,
312
Boyd, E. W.
382
Brake, William
306
Brannon, Henry, clerk of su- pervisors, 317; railroad,
357; author and jurist .... 412
Brannon, John
225, 327, 363
Braxton Co. formed
240
Bridges .... 219, 224, 251, 336, 375
British stir up Indians
52
Broad run
201
Broad Run church
159
Brooks, Amos
283
Brown, John
284
Brownsville, settlement, 135 ; postoffice, 377 ; coal,. 407
Buckhannon, attacked by In- dians, 67, 82 ; established as town 158
Buckhannon and Little Ka-
nawha turnpike
250
Buckhannon and West Fork
R. R. Co.
361
Buckhannon valley, settled,
32; discontent
243
Buffaloes
19
Buggies introduced 264
Bulltown massacre 45
347
Bunten's Mill
183
Burnside, John
143
Bush, Adam
143.
167
Bush, George
Bush, John
76
Bush Michael G.
134, 203, 273
Bush's fort
55
Bush's Mills, 131 ; P. O.
203
Bushwhackers
304
422
INDEX
Page
Butcher, Gasper 288
Butcher, Paulser 146
Butcher's fork 390
Byrne, John 139
Cabins
112
Camden
226
Camden-on-Gauley
366
Camden, Bailey and Cam-
den
.232-38
Camden, G. D.
232, 347
Camden, Henry
139
Camden, Johnson N.
327, 356, 363, 366
Camden, R. P.
182,
232
Camden, T. B. 331
Camden well
385
Camp, James M.
173, 180,
231
Canning fruit
265
Canoe Run
293, 384
Carbon factories
394
Carnifex Ferry, battle 304
Carouthers, John 205
Catholics
235, 237, 255, 344
Cattle .. 103, 211, 264, 339, 376, 410
Chalfant, F. M .. 291, 317, 338
Chapman
402
Chenoweth, Lemuel 224
Cheuvront, Rev. Joseph 125
Chidester, G. M. 377
Chidester, Phemeno 205
Churchville, settlement 148, 378, 383
Civil War 281-310
Clarksburg P. O., 154; im-
pedes railroad 355
Clarksburg, Weston and Glen-
ville R. R.
357, 362
Clarksburg and Weston turn- pike 247
Clawson, Rev. Samuel
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