USA > West Virginia > Kanawha County > Charleston > History of Charleston and Kanawha County, West Virginia and representative citizens > Part 33
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115 | Part 116 | Part 117 | Part 118 | Part 119 | Part 120 | Part 121 | Part 122 | Part 123 | Part 124 | Part 125 | Part 126 | Part 127 | Part 128 | Part 129 | Part 130 | Part 131 | Part 132 | Part 133 | Part 134 | Part 135 | Part 136 | Part 137
Mercer School
Miss Hattis Wilson, Principal
L. Josephine Mathews, Primary
Ella J. Spradling, Primary and First
Erna E. Young, First
Sybil M. Ball, Second H. Madeline Keely, Second
Ida M. McGee, Third Katherine Blackwood, Third
Ella Smoot, Fourth
Gertrude Humphrey, Fourth
Roberta Hopkins, Fifth
M. Frances Arbuckle, Sixth Ethel Jackson, Seventh
Mary Ella Craig, Seventh
Mabel F. Gibbons, Eighth
Mabel C. Spencer, Assistant.
The Mercer School, facing on Washington and Lee Streets, contains fourteen rooms and an auditorium. It has a large yard, which is much enjoyed as a playground. The building
248
HISTORY OF KANAWHA COUNTY
was erected in 1889 at a cost of $60,000 for has been the efficient principal of this building land and building.
Kanawha School
Minnie S. McWhorter, Principal
Olive M. Wildman, Primary
Mabel C. Spencer, Assistant First
Thelma F. Wallen, Second
Minnie G. Slack, Third
Carrie Hill, Fourth Grace D. LeMaster, Fifth and Sixth Flora Miles, Fifth
A. Belle Dashiell, Fifth
Florence E. Dick, Sixth
Nan M. Grabill, Sixth
Marion E. Jenks, Seventh
Eleanor C. Hopper, Eighth.
The Kanawha School, erected in 1907, is a twelve-room building. It is situated on Eliz- abeth Street, and the lot extends from Lee to Quarrier Street. It is in every respect a mod- ern building. The land and building cost about $70,500.
Lincoln School
Mattie A. Rust, Principal
Katie T. Farley, Primary
E. Belle Cunningham, Primary
Marion L. Board, First
Myrtle N. Stalnaker, Second
Nelle G. DeWees, Assistant Second
Annie E. Finney, Third
Pearl R. McGee, Third
Myra Howard, Fourth Berenice Howard, Fifth
Olive V. Thurston, Fifth
Mary E. Hagerty, Sixth Katherine E. Joachim, Seventh Daisy B. LeMaster, Seventh May Jackson, Eighth.
The Lincoln Building, erected in 1898, orig- inally contained ten recitation rooms, but in 1910 the growth of the population necessitated the addition of four new rooms, while another addition of four rooms is now (19II) being built. The building is situated on Maryland and Delwood Avenues between Fayette and Roane. It has a very large yard. Miss Rust
ever since it was erected. The building and grounds cost $56,500.
Bigley School
Maggie P. Lette, Principal
Mrs. Lette, Primary
Ida S. Given, First
Sarah C. Barber, Second
Sallie Humphreys, Third
Minnie Morris, Assistant Helen E. Cavender, Fourth
Mary L. Branch, Fourth Elizabeth Whiteside, Fifth
Eva L. Meeks, Fifth
L. D. Smith, Sixth
Leonora Hardway, Sixth.
The Bigley School was built in 1907. It is a modern building of the same type as the Ka- nawha, but with fewer rooms. It is situated on Bigley Avenue and Glen. The building and grounds cost $41,000.
Tiskelwah School
Henry C. Robertson, Principal
Ella Orth, Primary
Annie C. Thornhill, Primary
Lucy B. Barber, First
Christina Orth, First
Nellie Hastings, First Vernie M. Chase, Second
Nellie M. Hard, Second
Anna M. Popp, Third
Maude E. Harmon, Third
Pernae E. Stout, Fourth
Virginia B. Cunningham, Fourth
H. C. Robertson, Fifth
Nelle G. DeWees, 1/2 day assistant . M. O. Weems, Sixth
This modern twelve-room building was erected in 1910. It is one of the handsomest buildings in the city. The house and lot cost about $54,500. It is situated on Florida Street.
Elk School
Muriel L. Porter, Principal Mrs. Porter, Primary Minnie M. Morris, Assistant
249
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
Hallie M. Hall, First Mary Farley, Second
Bessie Jordan, Third
Kate N. Bower, Fourth
Beech Hill School
Lucy J. Javins, Primary and First Elsie Javins, Second and Third
The Elk and the Beech Hill Schools are small frame buildings which the city took over when the west side was incorporated. An- other building of brick is now being built on the Elk lot.
COLORED SCHOOLS Garnett C. W. Boyd, Principal
Annie E. Simpson, Primary
Maud S. Viney, First
Hattie E. Peters, Second
Esther E. Fulks, Third
H. B. Rice, Fourth
Naola M. Farrar, Fifth
Estella B. Greene, Sixth
Rhoda A. Wilson, Seventh & Eighth
Beatrice Calhoun, Primary Assistant
Garnett High School
J. F. J. Clark, Principal L. C. Farrar
Nina H. Clinton, English & Music
Flora M. Webster, Commercial Helen M. D. Truxon, Domestic Science
The Garnett School, built in 1889, and the Garnett High School, built in 1910, stand on the same lot on Jacobs Street. The Garnett School is an eight-room building. The High School is one of the finest buildings in the city. It contains a large auditorium, laboratories, and domestic science rooms in addition to reg- ular class rooms. The Garnett School and lot cost $20,000; the Garnett High School $25,000.
Washington School
M. J. Tyler, Principal Lizzie O. Hopkins, Primary Ammie Hutchinson, First & Second Amelia R. Wilcher, Second & Third Mrs. Tyler, Fourth & Fifth
This is a four-room brick building on Don- nally Street. It is so constructed that an ad- dition may be made to it whenever the growth of the population makes it necessary. £ It was built in 1902. The house and lot cost $6,000.
The Island School is a one-room frame build- ing, which was acquired when the west side was added to the city. I. C. Cabell teaches from the Primary through the Third inclusive.
HISTORY OF NEGRO EDUCATION IN WEST
VIRGINIA Revised Ed. 1907
The problem of negro education is by no means a simple one. How to lift an ignorant and uneducated race to the plane of twentieth century requirements, fitting it for the compli- cated economic and moral duties of life, giving it the fibre to contend patiently for place amid the maddening competition of the business world; to lay bare the mistakes and follies of the first intoxication of long prayed-for free- dom and inspire with the real spirit of real lib- erty and true citizenship, millions of unfortu- nate but native born Americans,-challenges the sacrifice of the deepest thought and the truest patriotism.
In studying the question, we must not elim- inate from our calculations the fact that we are dealing with the children of a race scarcely a generation removed from slavery and around whom still cling many of the sad results of their parents' unfortunate past. In the minds of most of these children education and labor are distinct and opposite concepts. Education is associated with luxury and idleness, labor with ignorance and drudgery. To teach the nobility of labor, and that the greatest useful- ness and the highest happiness are the hand- maids of diligence, is the mission of our school. In the work we must guard against unfair standards of comparison, and observe that the educational progress of a race cannot always be measured by a progress of things. Building and apparatus measure largely the progress of things, but time is a very important element in ascertaining definitely what has been the ul- timate progress of hand and mind.
The West Virginia Colored Institute like other agricultural and mechanical schools for the colored race, is a child of the Morrill Bill.
250
HISTORY OF KANAWHA COUNTY
This bill was approved by Congress Aug. 30, 1890 and entited "An act to apply a portion of the proceeds of the public lands to the more complete endowments and support of the col- leges for the benefit of agriculture and the mechanic arts established under the provisions of an Act of Congress approved July 2, 1862." By this act West Virginia was apportioned $18,000 and by act of the legislature (session of 1891), $15,000 was given to the West Vir- ginia University and $3,000 to the West Vir- ginia Colored Institute, established by the same act. By the conditions of the act these sums were to be augmented until the university should receive $20,000 and the institute $5,000 annually, which sums would be the maximum.
Mr. J. Edwin Campbell, the first principal of the West Virginia Colored Institute, gives the following account of its establishment :
An appropriation of $10,000 was made by the legislature with which to purchase a farm of not more than fifty acres and to build a suit- able building for such an institution. As the act provided that the institution should be lo- cated in Kanawha County, it was first thought best to purchase the property known as Shel- ton College, situated on the lofty hill over- looking the village of St. Albans. But the committee appointed after investigation re- ported adversely. It was then decided to erect a building at some suitable location.
Finally thirty acres of level bottom land was purchased from Mrs. Elijah Hurt, near "Farm" on the Great Kanawha River. This land is a part of the estate left by Samuel Cabbell, deceased. Upon this farm the board of the school fund erected a building. Ground was broken August 25, 1891, and the corner stone laid Sunday, Oct. 11th of that same year. The building was completed about the first of April, 1892, and was received by the board of the school fund on April 20th. The main or academic building, Fleming Hall, was the first erected. at a cost of about $10,000. It was carefully designed and planned to meet the needs of modern education. Since its erection the building has been considerably enlarged and is now 80 feet long, and 76 feet wide, and is modern in its appointments. Besides an ad- ditional purchase of 38 acres of land, a mod-
ern barn and seven other buildings have been erected on the institute grounds. Five of these are built of stone and brick, the others are frame buildings.
MacCorkle Hall is a large and beautiful building, 106 feet long and 50 feet wide and accommodates 100 girls. Atkinson Hall, the young men's dormitory rivals MacCorkle Hall in convenience and beauty. The A. B. White Trade School is the most commodious and by far the largest building connected with the school being 244 feet in its greatest width with ornamentations of stone and roofed with slate. It would be a credit to any institution. This building was erected at a cost of $35.000 and finished by the students of the school. It is intended to contain all the industries for boys. This is ( with the exception of the Armstrong- Slater Trades School at Tuskegee) the larg- est building of its kind in the United States and without exception the best lighted and most convenient.
Dawson Hall. the building for Domestic Arts and Sciences. now in course of construction ( 1907) when finished will be the most beau- tiful building on the campus. This hall, built of brick and stone, will contain all the girls' in- dustries, and the third story will be utilized as a Senior Girls' Home. These buildings to- gether with West Hall, a large frame build- ing containing the library and departments of agriculture and cooking and with the princi- pal's home. a large and convenient frame build- ing. constitute the buildings of the institution. All of them are heated by steam and lighted by electriciy.
In all 161 students have graduated since 1896. Of these 85 are engaged in teaching. three are pastors, two are machinists, one an attorney-at-law. sixteen are carpenters. six blacksmiths. and twelve dressmakers. The majority are teachers growing out of the de- mand for teachers. Many of these teachers follow their trades during vacation from school duties. The course of study is the same as pursued in other normal schools in the state. In addition to the book work every student is required to learn some useful trade before graduation. The six grades are divided into equal divisions, one half doing book work in
251
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
the forenoon while the other half are in the shops and in the various departments and vice versa. In this way the pupils are given equal opportunities for mental and manual training. The school has six well equipped departments under the direction of twenty-two teachers : normal, agricultural, mechanical, domestic, com- mercial and musical. The normal department has been previously discussed. In the mechan- ical department, smithing, wheelwrighting, steamfitting, carpentry, woodwork, bricklaying, plastering. printing and mechanical drawing are taught. The agricultural department, be- sides giving a good course in scientific farm- ing, also offers to students entering it practical opportunities in dairying, poultry raising, stock judging and general farm work. The commer- cial course-designed to give the student a knowledge of business forms-besides a short course in bookkeeping, has an excellent course in shorthand and typewriting. The musical department, besides giving instruction in sight reading, voice culture, and ear training, offers an excellent opportunity for instructions on the pianoforte. Pupils pursue the course of study in this school at a very small cost and with no extra charges for the use of a piano for prac- tice.
Military Department-Besides the well or- ganized departments above mentioned, the state provides for the appointment of 60 cadets, who received their uniforms, room rent, books and stationery free of charge. The course in this department is both theoretical and practi-
cal : the first includes recitations in drill regu- lations, supplemented by lectures on minor tac- tics, army organization, administration and dis- cipline; small arms, firing regulations and oth- er military subjects. The practical course in- cludes military drill and gymnastics, target practice, military signaling, marching and cas- tramentation, numbers.
The school at present (1907) has an en- rollment of 225 students, which is the largest in its history. This fills the dormitories too full for comfort. Students are in attendance from eight states. The number of graduates is 161 and a large number have gone forth to fill places of usefulness in life who have been students but are not graduates.
The income of the school is derived from two sources : First, an annual amount of $5,000 received from the Morrill Fund; Secondly, legislative appropriation. The money received from the United States Government can be ap- plied only to instruction in agriculture, the me- chanic arts, English language, and the various branches of mathematical, physical, natural and economic science, with special reference to their application in the industries of life, and to the facilities for such instruction. The state has dealt very generously with the West Virginia Colored Institute, as the following list of ap- propriations will show: 1891, $10,000; 1893, $14,000; 1895, $16,000; 1897, $29,000; 1899, $39,000; 1901, $66,000; 1903, $54,000; 1905, $64,000. Total state appropriation from 1891 to 1905, is $352,705.
CHAPTER XV
CHURCHES AND RELIGIONS
Religious Creeds of the Early Settlers-Intolerance-The Distinction Between Religion and Church-Early Kanawha Churches and Pastors-The Baptists, Presbyterians, Episco- palians, Catholics and Others-First Presbyterian Church of Charleston-Methodist Episcopal Church-United Brethren, and Others-Churches in Charleston in 1811-Our Sermon.
The county of Kanawha was settled princi- pally by the people of Virginia, and from that part of Virginia known as the Valley of Vir- ginia, the country west of the Blue Ridge. This part of Virginia was settled principally by the Scotch-Irish and Germans.
The people of England, Ireland and Scot- land were under the government of the Eng- lish King, or Queen, and the English Parlia- ment, and in so far as their churches were con- cerned, they were the English church, the Ro- man Catholic and the Presbyterian. The Scotch were Presbyterians and the Irish were chiefly Roman Catholics. Owing to the re- bellions in Ireland, the people were outlawed, the lands confiscated to the crown, and in the province of Ulster, alone, there were one-half million acres at the disposal of the King, and these lands were parceled out to the Scotch and English for services rendered or expected ; these Scotch in Ireland were called Scotch- Irish. It was said that the province of Ulster enjoyed peace, which was because the same was depopulated.
Between these sets of people, English, Irish and Scotch, they made a very poor kind of a country. It was war, pestilence and famine, most of the time, and this was kept up until the Colony in America offered to them all a land of religious liberty, a healthy, hearty country, the only drawback being the Indians, who had no religion and altogether too much liberty.
The Scotch-Irish were persecuted by the English and by the Irish, and the Irish by both
the others, and it was a continuous fight, which seemed to be founded on their respective churches.
There is a wonderful difference between Re- ligion and Church, as was long ago discovered and the fact became almost established that in the churches there was no religion, each striv- ing to compel all others to conform to their own ideas of a church and to destroy them when they declined to do so. More people have been destroyed, more cruelty practiced, imposed and suffered in the name of the church than from all other causes known, not even excepting politics.
The effect of these troubles in Europe, not only in England, Ireland and Scotland, but also in Germany and France was to drive the people to a country where they could live in peace, where they could enjoy liberty in all its forms and the country of America is still re- ceiving from the Old World the oppressed and distressed of all kinds. Along about 1729 the Scotch-Irish immigrated by thousands to Phila- delphia and many from Europe would sell their services for years, to pay their passage to America-made servants of themselves to get to America.
To a great extent the Germans were glad to get away from all churches and when they settled in Pennsylvania, it was said they had less religion than the Indians; but the Scotch- Irish, that settled in Augusta County, Va., held on to their church and faith. It is hard-
252
253
AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS
ly fair to call a cruel church organization a religion.
When the Revolution was over, Virginia by law did away with all church as connected with the State, and abolished all religious tests -so called-and the people of Kanawha county never had any church or religious trouble to contend with; the people organized their churches and did in this respect as they chose.
If the past history of any church should be called up to prove its orthodoxy, we fear none of them would be entitled to a certificate of the true faith; and at the same time we would certify that among them all are good people, in spite of their creed or church associations. This is because of their true religion.
EARLY KANAWHA CHURCHES
The general supposition has always been, that the pioneers had neither time nor inclina- tion to attend to churches while engaged with the Indians, bears, snakes and such, but this was only true for a while as to time, for no sooner were they allowed time, than they all gave attention to church services and church building.
The Morris family were the first settlers and they were Baptists and they began early to have both churches and services.
Dr. Henry Ruffner was a pioneer Presby- terian, wrote of the Morris settlement and said at an "early day" there came to the Kanawha Valley a Presbyterian minister known as "Lit- tle Bobby Wilson" through the wilderness to Major William Morris's residence, and that the Major was rather dictatorial in manner, although really kind and generous at heart. That he was a Baptist wholly and exclusively and did not entertain any special liking for Presbyterians. Rev. Mr. Wilson reached the Major's on Saturday and desired on the next day to have church services and began his in- quiry as to the subject and learned that the Morris family were of the Baptist persuasion and he learned that there would be no church services next day nearer than the mouth of Elk, so Mr. Wilson announced that he was a minister and if it was agreeable, he would like to preach to the people in the neighborhood. The Major asked of what profession he was
and was told that the preacher was a Presby- terian and the Major promptly responded that he could not preach about here ; that they were all Baptists and did not have much of an opin- ion of "the preacher's sort of people." Mr. Wilson moved on and reached the village of Charleston and found a Mr. Johnson, a Bap- tist, preaching under the trees, who invited Mr. Wilson to preach, which he did, and he also preached the next day in the Court House.
The "Early day" is rather indefinite as to time, but from the other facts something might be learned as to date.
The court house had been built and this was soon after 1789. There had been erected a Baptist church at an early day at Kelly's creek, just when it is not stated, but probably as early as when Mr. Wilson called, but the Morris family and the people were all Baptist, and they had been in that locality since 1774. There was a little village at the mouth of Elk; so we are disposed to assume that it was soon after the Clendenins had begun to make a county and a town at the mouth of Elk, and before they had ever made a church of any kind, and we will not be criticised for saying that it was "a long time ago" when the Morrisses would not tolerate a Presbyterian sermon. Now many of that family are mem- bers of other churches.
Mr. Atkinson would date the first sermon in the Valley as that of the Rev. Steele, a Meth- odist minister in 1804, as will be seen by his History of Kanawha County, page 153, and mentions Jesse Spurlock and Thomas Buffing- ton, as Methodists in the County on the Ohio river, but not in Kanawha Valley.
Mr. Atkinson speaks of the first Methodist sermon, under the head of "Religious History of the Kanawha Valley" and he mentions no other, sermon or services, he must have given this as the first; or else he intended us to take it as the only religious ceremony of that kind.
It appears from Dr. Ruffner's statement that William Morris and George (or John) Alderson were the first delegates from Kan- awha county to the General Assembly. that Mr. Alderson was afflicted with a stammering tongue and often had to make three or four trials at a word.
254
HISTORY OF KANAWHA COUNTY
Dr. Hale gives the list of delegates for 1790 as George Clendenin and for 1791 George Clendenin and Daniel Boone and William Morris for 1792, 1793 and 1794, etc., and Mr. Alderson is not given as a delegate from Kan- awha; Hale's list of delegates was taken from the "Kanawha Republican" a newspaper in 1847 and supposed to be the only list in exist- ence. All this would have little to do with the church or first sermon but for the fact that Mr. Alderson was a missionary Baptist preacher, and no doubt he preached one of the first sermons, long before 1804. whether he was elected or not, or whether he stammered or not.
BAPTIST
Mr. V. P. Lewis says that Rev. John Alder- son was pastor of the Lynnville Baptist church, in Rockingham county ; that in 1775 and 1777, he made no less than three visits to the Green- brier valley, and while on these visits baptized three persons, two of whom were John Griffith and Mrs. Keeney. These were the first per- sons ever baptized in the western waters of Virginia. He now resolved to remove to the west, and early in the year 1777 set out with his family. He was halted by Indian troubles at Jackson's river, but reached his destination in October. His first location was in Jarrett's Fort, on Wolf creek, now in Monroe, but after a short time he settled on the east bank of Greenbrier river, where Alderson now stands, and cleared a farm on which he after- ward followed the plow with his gun swung to his shoulder. In two years he succeeded in organizing a church of twelve members, him- self and wife included. They considered themselves as a branch of the Lynnville church, but transacted business as a separate body. On the 24th of October, 1779, they were reg- ularly constituted a working body known as the "Greenbrier Baptist Church," and the fol- lowing year it was admitted into the Ketocton association of Loudoun county, Va.
Notwithstanding the members were dis- persed over a wide area, measures were taken as early as 1783, to erect a house of worship, and in May of that year, the site on which the Greenbrier church has since stood, was fixed upon as a suitable location. In July, the fol-
lowing year, the building was so nearly com- pleted that it was used for public worship. This is believed to have been the first church building erected on the western waters of the Kanawha. Mr. Alderson continued his la- bors here seven years before he met with a single Baptist preacher, but in 1785, Rev. James Johnson came over the mountains and was induced to settle on the Kanawha. The latter in 1793 organized the Kanawha Baptist church, one and one-half miles below the mouth of Paint creek, on Meeting House branch, the first in the valley west of the Kanawha Falls.
From 1793 to 1807, a period of fourteen years, all the Baptist churches of the New River. Kanawha region, belonged to the New River association, but in the last named year, the Greenbrier association was organized, and comprised ail the churches down the Kana- wha toward the Ohio."
"In the year 1800-three years before Rev. Johnston removed to Kentucky-Rev. John Lee came west of the mountains and halted in Teays Valley. now in Putnam county. He was born and reared in southwest Virginia, and when he entered the ministry he was very illiterate, but by constant application he not only learned to read but became well ac- quainted with the Scriptures. He was re- markably successful in the ministry, and in him was verified the Scriptural declaration that "God hath chosen the weak to confound the mighty." By the year 1806 he had organized the Teays Valley church, which. the next year, was admitted into the Greenbrier association, with a membership of fifty-two. Mr. Lee ex- tended his field of labor and continued to gather in the sheaves, and at the meeting of the association in the year 1808. the Mud River church, organized entirely by his own labor, was admitted into that body with twenty-two members. When we remember the sparsely settled condition of the country at that time we are struck with surprise at the success which crowned the labors of this lowly man. He remained with these churches until 1825. when he removed beyond Ohio, where he con- tinued his labors until he fell by the hand of death.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.