History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and representative citizens, Part 23

Author: Laidley, William Sydney, 1839-1917. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Chicago, Ill., Richmond-Arnold publishing co
Number of Pages: 1066

USA > West Virginia > Kanawha County > Charleston > History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and representative citizens > Part 23

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

The officers of the company are: President, W. O. Johnson, Chicago, Ill .; Secretary, Wal- ter M. Johnson, Chicago, Ill .; Treasurer, W. C. Davisson, Charleston, W. Va.

The Southern Bell Telephone & Telegraph Co. The head office of this company is lo- cated in Atlanta, Georgia. The company op- erates in seven states, this territory being di- vided into six divisions. Operations in Charleston, W. Va. were begun in 1888 or 1889, at which time the company has in all less than one hundred telephones. The long dis- tance lines of the American Telephone & Tele- graph Co., with which the Southern Bell Tele- phone & Telegraph Co. connects, were brought into Charleston in October, 1897. Following the general development in Charleston, the tele- phone system also grew, and by 1901 700 tele- phones belonged to the Charleston exchange be- sides fifty miles of toll lines from Charleston ..

In 1901 Mr. Williams, who is now commer- cial and traffic superintendent of the Charles- ton Division of the Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Co. began his duties as man-

ager of the Charleston Exchange and has been promoted successively until he has reached his present position. Under Mr. Williams the Southern Bell Telephone & Telegraph Co. has increased from 700 to 3,550 telephones in the city of Charles and 1,000 miles of toll lines into Charleston and connections with long dis- tance lines of the American Telephone & Tele- graph Co., with which the Bell Telephone & Telegraph Co. coming into Charleston con- nects and controls. The Southern Bell Tele- phone & Telegraph Co. has been under the present management since 1901. There are twenty-five exchanges in the Charleston Divi- sion giving regular employment to 265 people in this one division and at times many more in the extension of lines and improvements. The physical condition of the lines is good which adds materially to the business. Of these em- ployees, consisting of the office force and those engaged in outside work, about 100 are in Charleston. Mr. Williams was the first and only commercial traffic superintendent of the Charleston Division since the creation of the same. Charleston is not only the district but division headquarters. Charleston is supplied with the most up-to-date equipment in use anywhere in the country. The first home of the Southern Bell Telephone & Telegraph Co. was in what is now the barber shop of the Ruffner Hotel, sharing the office with the Western Union Telegraph Company and the city ticket office of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad until 1896. In 1896 the Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company moved into the building where the Western Union Telegraph Company is now located, both oc- cupying the same building. The Southern Bell Telephone & Telegraph Company was on the floor above the Western Union Telegraph Co. In 1906 and 1907 the Southern Bell Tele- graph & Telephone Company erected its splen- did office building at 210 Hale St. and moved into it in 1907.

The local officers are Mr. Williams, first su- perintendent division offices at Charleston; C. M. Boren, district and commercial manager ; W. G. Rauch, division plant superintendent ; D. J. Collins, district plant chief ; J. S. Kirk, dis- trict traffic chief.

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HISTORY OF KANAWHA COUNTY

The Charleston Home Telephone Company began business in Charleston in 1895 and in 1901 rebuilt and installed a new plant. This concern was absorbed by the Southern Bell Telephone & Telegraph Company during the summer of 1911 (Aug. 27, 1911). The South- ern Bell Telephone & Telegraph Company has four large office buildings in Atlanta, Georgia.

CITY CEMETERY

The deed to the first cemetery tract of land made to the town of Charleston was for one acre on the road above the city and was made by Daniel Ruffner in 1831. Just what dis- position was made of the dead previous to that time we are not advised. There was an- other .graveyard on said road nearer the town, but it was not conveyed to the town but be- longed to Lewis D. Wilson.

About 1859 a company was formed-the Kanawha Cemetery Company-which pur- chased about 20 acres on the hill just back of the town and a good road was built up to it, just at the beginning of the Civil War, being finished perhaps in 1860 or 1861. This road was made by Henry Chappell, but there were but one or two burials made when from the United States hospitals and the ranks of the Federal Army in the valley a few soldiers were buried in the new cemetery, called the "Spring Hill Cemetery," which name was given be- cause of the spring at the foot of the hill on which the cemetery was located. This tract contained some twenty acres and since this purchase by this company, it was bought by the city, and other lots or parcels of land have been added to the cemetery. One, for in- stance, by purchase from E. A. Bennett of thirteen acres, and others of smaller dimen- sions-all of which will be found of record in the office of the clerk of the County Court of Kanawha County.

We refer to deed book H, page 3 for deed from Daniel Ruffner to the town, to deed book No. 37, page 270, where information will be found in reference to the original purchase by the company. See also the exchange of deeds with Richard Walls, p. 272 and also exchange leeds with the Hebrew Ed. Society in 99, p. 532, and in deed book No. 47, p. 26 and 28.

In the vicinity of the original tract were lands laid off in lots by G. L. Jeffries, some of which have been purchased. A map thereof is found in map book No. 1, page 72 and lots 5, 11, 14 and 15 were conveyed by Mr. Ben- nett in 47 p. 26 and by others since.

There was purchased a tract adjoining that held by the city in the rear, where the Roman Catholic Church buried its dead. The Hebrews have a lot adjoining the City Cemetery, which they use.

A company has erected a cement building near the city cemetery called a "mausoleum," where persons are entombed above the ground.

Spring Hill Cemetery has been laid off into lots and roads and has been kept in fairly good condition, and there have been erected therein many monuments, some imposing, some beau- tiful, some handsome, and all good.

CHARLESTON CITY OFFICIALS IN 19II.

While there are a large number of council men, the business of the city is done by the Board of Affairs, and this board is made of four persons, two Democrats and two Republi- cans, and one of the four becomes the Mayor for a certain time, which is what is called a nonpartisan arrangement, and is a late thing in municipal government. For the year 1911, the officials were :

Mayor-James A. Holley. Recorder-J. Shirley Ross.

City Sergeant-Chas. I. Hubbard.

Treasurer-J. F. Bedell.

City Solicitor-Upshur Higginbotham. Auditor-H. L. Flournoy.

City Engineer-William A. Hogue.

Police Judge-A. D. McCorkle. Chief of Police-A. T. Guill.

Chief of Fire Dept .- C. C. Rand.

Lock-up Keeper-M. P. Spradling. Health Commissioner-O. L. Aultz.

Street Commissioner-William F. Kain. Building Inspector-James H. Cain.

BOARD OF AFFAIRS.

J. A. Holley, J. B. White, H. B. Buster, and L. L. Price. During the year there was an election-White and Buster retired and J. F. Bedell and O. A. Petty were elected and Bedell

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became Mayor. Upshur Higginbotham, so- licitor, died in September.

Charleston, Kanawha C. H., W. Va., popu- lation in 1900, 11,099; population in 1910, 23,000. From Charleston it is 63 miles to Wheeling; 23 miles to the head of navigation.

Charleston is on the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad, the Kanawha & Michigan Railroad,

the Coal & Coke Railroad, and the Kanawha and West Virginia Railroad, and the Virginia Railroad comes to the Kanawha river at deep water, and has its trains come to Charleston on the C. & O. tracks.

The Coal River Railroad makes connection with the Chesapeake & Ohio at St. Albans.

CHAPTER X

PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS

The Charleston Public Library-Sheltering Arms Hospital-Charleston General Hospital and Training School-Charleston Day Nursery-Young Men's Christian Association.

THE CHARLESTON PUBLIC LIBRARY.

By Miss Mabel Delle Jones, Librarian.

The Charleston Public Library was founded June 3, 1909, by the Woman's Kanawha Liter- ary Club, theactive committee being Mrs. George Lounsbery, Mrs. Fred Paul Grosscup, Mrs. M. P. Ruffner, Mrs. John E. Norvell, Mrs. Benjamin Caruthers, Mrs. M. M. Will- iamson and Miss Sue Staunton. The commit- tee interested the public through personal ap- peal and public mass meetings, and since its organization has been in charge of Miss Mabel Delle Jones, a graduate librarian of the Western Reserve University of Cleveland, O. It has been maintained by popular subscription and public entertainments. At a recent session of the state legislature a law relative to founding and maintaining a city library was passed. This is a free public library to which every white citizen of Charleston is welcome. The methods of conducting it are modern and ex- pansive, so that the library may not be called upon to change the system as it develops. The two library rooms are given free of rent by the local Y. M. C. A. and were furnished by the Library Association. At the opening of the library there were 800 books on the shelves, all of which had been donated. After two years of existence there are 3,300 books, 2,200 borrowers, a daily circulation of eighty books and more than 100 daily visitors to its read- ing and reference rooms. The library board is made up as follows: George S. Laidley, president ; Mrs. Benjamin Caruthers, secretary ; Miss Sue Staunton, treasurer; and C. M.

Alderson, Mrs. George Lounsbery, William Burdette Mathews, Mrs. William E. Glass- cock, Mrs. Frank Woodman, A. J. Hum- phreys, W. E. Connell and Rabbi Leon Vol- mer. The future prospects are bright for the permanency and extension of the library, the Chamber of Commerce having recently recom- mended the purchase of a lot and the providing of a fund for the maintenance of the public library, a Carnegie library being among the possibilities.

SHELTERING ARMS HOSPITAL.

This admirable institution had its origin in January, 1886, and was organized and has been maintained for the purpose of healing the sick and injured of the Kanawha and New river districts, special reference being had to the mining population and to the men employed on the railroad. For this purpose suitable property was secured at Paint Creek (now Hansford), on the C. & O. Railway, in the heart of the mining region, and about twenty miles east of Charleston. This prop- erty, which was purchased at a cost of $2,500, included about thirteen acres of land and sev- eral small buildings.

By the efforts of Bishop Peterkin, Archdea- con Spurr, and others, further funds were se- cured and in 1888 additional buildings were erected, costing about $2,000, and the hospital was opened in the fall of that year, having a capacity of about twenty patients. During the summer and fall of 1891 about $3,000 were raised and spent in further additions and im- provements and the capacity of the institution

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was increased to about thirty patients. For these first years-1889, 1890, 1891-the cost of maintenance was about $2,000 annually.

The people were at first somewhat slow to appreciate or avail themselves of the privileges offered, but soon about 600 names were en- rolled on the list at the nominal rate of ten cents a month, a rate increased in 1907 to fif- teen cents a month. Up to the summer of 1890 the hospital has about 27 patients, a number that had increased to 116 by the year 1893-94. In 1907-08 the hospital cared for nearly 800. During these years additions were made to the building and heating and electric light plants installed at a cost of about $10,000. A neat chapel and a home (costing about $4,500) to serve as the headquarters of a missionary, etc., were also erected on the grounds, and up to the summer of 1907 the whole property had increased in value to somewhere near $25,000.

In the meanwhile a kind friend in New Jer- sey, the late Mrs. Chas. S. Olden, of Prince- ton, left a legacy amounting to $17,160. The institution also benefited by $1,000 from the estate of Mrs. Waters, of Charleston, and by an anonymous gift of $5,000 from someone in Virginia. The increase from these legacies with the Thanksgiving-Day offerings of the church throughout the diocese, ranging from $500 to $1,000, supplemented by boxes of supplies from branches of the Woman's Auxiliary and other friends; all these added to the regular income from the dues of the miners, which range from $10,000 to $12,000, enabled the management to carry on the work successfully, the income from pay patients being compara- tively small. To the original institution a Training School for Nurses was now added, from which several are graudated each year.

The present neat and commodious building was opened July 15, 1908, at which time Bishop Peterkin delivered an interesting ad- dress, among other speakers being President Stevens and Archdeacon Spurr. The oc- casion was a notable one and many distin- guished guests were present. The hospital now has accommodations for more than 100 patients, with an average of sixty patients a day, and twelve hundred patients a year are treated.

The hospital received patients with acute, curable, and non-contagious diseases, without distinction of creed, nationality or color. Pa- tients not able to pay receive free treatment. There are a limited number of beds in wards for pay patients, and also a department for pay patients in private rooms. Visitors are admitted daily between 2 and 5 p. n.

The following are the officers and directors of this institution, as given in its twenty-first annual report.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS.

Rt. Rev. Geo. W. Peterkin, D. D., L.L. D., president, Parkersburg.

Rt. Rev. W. L. Gravatt, D. D., Charles Town.

Capt. W. R. Johnson, vice-president, Cres- cent.

Rev. R. D. Roller, D. D., chaplain and sec- retary, Charleston.

D. T. Evans, Powellton.

C. A. Cabell, Carbon.

Archdeacon B. M. Spurr, Moundsville ..

C. C. Beury, Claremont.

E. W. Grice, Hinton.

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.

Rev. R. D. Roller, D. D., Charleston.

C. A. Cabell, Carbon.

D. T. Evans, Powellton.

TREASURER.

C. A. Cabell, Carbon.

BUSINESS MANAGER.

Ben R. Roller, Hansford.

STAFF.

Superintendent-J. Ross Hunter, M. D. Resident Physician-S. H. Yokeley, M. D.

Superintendent of Nurses-Miss Mary J. Parry, R. N. Head Nurse-Miss Amy C. Dunlap, R. N.

CHARLESTON GENERAL HOSPITAL AND TRAINING SCHOOL.

The Charleston General Hospital and Train- ing School, a brick construction located on Richmond Drive, was erected by the city of Charleston in 1896 at a cost of approximately

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$30,000. The institution is modern in both architecture and equipment. The contract for grading and building was let on April IO, 1896, to Minnotti and Summers, the contract price being $24,311.50. However, owing to changes in the specifications not called for in the original contract the building when turned over to the trustees cost several thousand dol- lars more than the contract price. For illus- tration-the grading for the foundation called for the removal of dirt, but instead there was found a large amount of stone which had to be removed by blasting, and this had not been contemplated in the original contract. The site on which the hospital is located was owned by the city of Charleston a number of years before the institution was erected. The hos- pital was conducted by the city until March 4, 1904, and after that date Dr. F. S. Thomas was for a time in charge.

Since March, 1906, a body of prominent physicians formed a corporation to take over the institution, the personnel of which is com- posed of the following physicians, viz .: John W. Moore, M. D., president; G .. C. School- field, M. D .; H. H. Young, M. D .; R. T. Davis, M. D .; Eugene Davis, M. D .; and J. E: Cannaday, M. D.

The city in turning the hospital over to the new management and paying a stipulated amount and providing the public service con- veniences, has made appropriate arrangements for the care of all city patients. It is con- ducted as a general hospital and is open to all physicians of good standing. There are two general wards-male and female-besides twenty rooms for private patients. There are fifteen nurses under training for a period of three years. The hospital has accommodations for fifty patients and from eight hundred to a thousand patients are received and treated an- nually.

The present is the first and only board of trustees and is composed of the following: J. Q. Dickinson, president; George Minisker, secretary; J. F. Brown, J. R. Seal, Charles Capito, Charles Loeb and Peter Silman.

The Kanawha County Infirmary is located about eight miles below Charleston in Union District on the right bank of the Kanawha

River and on the line of the K. & M. R. R. The county purchased the farm, consisting of 200 acres of land in 1882, paying $1,319.76 therefor. The first buildings were small cot- tages, but by 1890 these had become practi- cally unfit for use, when the county court de- cided that it would be more practical as well as economical in the end to put up a suitable building. John S. McDonald and W. S. Laid- ley were members of the county court or com- mission. The work was done by the county at a cost of about $20,000. The building is a large plain brick structure, cut off into rooms, being two stories high over the cellar. The water is pumped from a pure stream for some distance in the rear of the building. The build- ing is heated through with steam. In addi- tion to the main building there is a separate house for the superintendent. The products grown on the farm are all consumed on the premises. The infirmary during 1910 cost Ka- nawha County $7,080.53. The entire poor fund raised and paid out in 1910 amount in round numbers to $14,000. This includes the cost of the infirmary and the amount used in the districts in helping those in need. The total cost in 1907 for maintaining the infirmary and the county poor reached $19,000.

THE BARBER SANATORIUM AND HOSPITAL, CHARLESTON.

This institution was founded by T. L. Bar- ber, M. D., which at first consisted of a few rooms for electric and . orthopaedic treatment. The hospital was opened April 1, 1905, as an orthopaedic institution but later was made a general hospital under Dr. John Cassaday after the failure of the health of Dr. Barber. The present building, a brick structure, was erected by Dr. T. L. Barber in 1907 and has nine private rooms for the care of patients and contains two wards, one for male and the other for female patients. The institution furnishes accommodations for the treatment of fifteen patients. Dr. Barber, the founder, died in February, 1910, but the hospital has been in charge and under the management of Dr. Hugh C. Nicholson since the fall of 1908. It is located at 1012 and 1014 Virginia street.

... .........

VIEW OF CHARLESTON FROM THE RIVER

SHELTERING ARMS HOSPITAL (Main Building)

THE BARBER SANATORIUM AND HOSPITAL, CHARLESTON

CHARLESTON GENERAL HOSPITAL, CHARLESTON

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THE DAVIS CHILD'S SHELTER

The Davis Child's Shelter, located at No. 1118 Washington Street, Charleston, W. Va., was named in honor of Hon. Henry G. Davis, ex-U. S. senator, who donated the Home for charitable purposes in May, 1896. The insti- tution is state-wide in its operation and is maintained by charities chartered under the laws of West Virginia. Mr. Davis purchased the property at a cost of $13,500 and subse- quently built an addition to it at his own ex- pense, its present value being in the neighbor- hood of $30,000.

The institution receives all children sound in mind and body from twelve months to twelve years of age, and also infants under twelve months, provided the mother of the children is dead. At the present time from 15 to 20 are received monthly, the highest num- ber in any one month being 22. As soon as possible the children are placed in good homes, preference being given to such persons as may desire to legally adopt them. The character of every person seeking to adopt a child is care- fully investigated before the latter is turned over to them, the qualifications chiefly required being financial responsibility and moral fitness. There are now forty-seven children in the home in preparation for placement.

Since it was founded up to the present time (October, 1911) the Home has cared for 625 children. Its capacity is 50 inmates, though a few more can be accommodated by crowding. There are at present 47 inmates, and the larg- est number at any one time has been 49. The Home is well furnished and presents a neat and attractive appearance. Mr. Davis contrib- utes $100 per month to the institution, which is the only permanent fund it has, the rest of the funds needed being raised by annual sub- scriptions all over the state. The work has grown to the point where it requires to meet the field expenses of the transportation of the children to and from the institution, $800 per month.

The Home is under control of an Executive Committee chosen by the State Board of Di- rectors, and at present consisting of the fol- lowing individuals : Hon. G. W. Atkinson, LL. . D., Rev. R. D. Roller, D. D., Rev. T. C. John-

son, D. D., Hon. Geo. E. Price, Hon. H. G. Davis and Hon. H. C. McWhorter.

We append a summary of the report of the Home for the year ending May 31, 1911-

RECEIPTS DURING THE YEAR

Children carried from last year 41

Children committed during the year 52

Returns for placements 45

Total to be accounted for. 138

CHILDREN DISPOSED OF DURING THE YEAR By first time placements 44

By placements oftener than first time. 58

Total placements I02

Returned to parents, or relatives. 6

Died during the year 3

Committed to other institutions. 2

On hand at the close of the year. 25

Total accounted for 138

It will be seen by the above report that 93 different children have been cared for, and the 45 returns will give the equivalent of 138 children cared for without a cent of cost to the State.

This is our Child Rescue Campaign for the last 12 months.

Our 15 years of Child Rescue Campaign em- braces 579 different children cared for at Davis Child's Shelter, which number furnished about 220 returns for replacements in homes, making an equivalent of 747 different children cared for, without a cent of cost to the State.

There are 32 counties from which we have the average of 10 children, taking some out of the County Infirmaries, and saving others from going there. Allowing $100 for the care of a child for a year, and it will appear that we are saving these counties the great sum of $32,000 annually, so long as they would have cared for these children. And while we are saving this money for these counties, we are making their dependent little ones into good citizens. Are we not worthy of help and en- couragement ?

Without hesitation, we answer the above query in the affirmative.

There is published at the Home a monthy paper, entitled "The Children's Home Friend,"

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HISTORY OF KANAWHA COUNTY

edited by Rev. N. O. Sowers, state superin- tendent of the Children's Home Society of West Virginia, which gives much detailed in- formation in regard to the institution and its work, and which contains interesting pictures of some of its inmates.

CHARLESTON DAY NURSERY.

The Charleston Day Nursery was organized about 1903 by Mrs. T. M. Jones. The object of the institution is to aid mothers to take care of their children and not to give them up. About $60 per month are received from sub- scriptions, the mother, or other parent paying one dollar a week for the board of the child. The ladies interested in the institution also raise some additional funds. The nursery is well patronized, there being usually from 30 to 37 children accommodated, which is about its full capacity. It is located at the corner of Morris street and Piedmont road. Mrs. E. W. Bowyer is superintendent and the board of management or control is composed as fol- lows : Mrs. Malcolm Jackson, Mrs. D. W. Patterson, Mrs. Harrison Smith, Mrs. J. R. Thomas, Mrs. William Tilton, Mrs. E. W. Knight, Mrs. J. D. Lewis, Rev. R. D. Roller, D. D., and W. C. D. Moore.

YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION.

Charleston is a loyal Y. M. C. A. city. As far back as 1871, Charleston sent A. F. Gib- bens to the first state Y. M. C. A. convention. The Association here at that time was an or- ganization in name only.

In the early nineties there was an Associa- tion organized which had rooms over Ruby Bros. grocery store, and which in 1891 had a membership of 250 although the population of the town at that time was only 6,742.

The Board of Directors consisted of J. D. Baines, president; F. W. Schwabe, vice-presi- dent; Wm. Keely, recording secretary; Neil Robinson, treasurer; Geo. S. Laidley, J. C. Roy, Bradford Noyes, H. C. McWhorter, H. B. Smith, G. F. Coyle, A. F. Wallen, Dr. T. L. Barber, David Dick, and J. R. Shanklin. Of the above, Prof. Laidley is the only mem- ber of the present board.

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History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and representative citizens, Part 23

Author: Laidley, William Sydney, 1839-1917. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1911 Publisher: Chicago, Ill., Richmond-Arnold publishing co Number of Pages: 1066

Author: Laidley, William Sydney, 1839-1917. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1911
Publisher: Chicago, Ill., Richmond-Arnold publishing co
Number of Pages: 1066