USA > West Virginia > Mineral County > Keyser > History of Keyser, West Virginia, 1737-1913 > Part 3
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As for Edward McCarty Armstrong, he went from New Creek to Salem, Virginia. He expected the Norfolk and Western RR to install yards, shops and a round house there. Relying on this, he bought much land there in Salem. The railroad did not build at Salem, leaving the colonel "land poor." He spent the rest of his life in "genteel poverty" in Salem. A street there is named for him as is one in Keyser.
Keyser had no public schools before the War. After the War, a school for white children was held in one of the abandoned Union Army Commisary buildings on the river bank back of Argyle Street. This building was on a six feet high foundation of wooden posts. In a couple of years after it began to be used as the schoolhouse, a high wind blew it off its foundation and it had to be abandoned. School was then held in the basement of the new Court House (built 1868). About 1870, a new brick, two story, school house, with belfry was erected on Court House Square, where Ludwick's Garage is now. This was the school house until 1882, when the large brick school house on South Mineral Street was built at a total cost of $15,000.00.
Soon after the end of the War, the first Negro school was held in the second story of Hubert Moss' store, corner of Armstrong and North Water Streets. The site is now a parking lot. The first teacher of the Negro school was Walter Lowery, an ex-Union soldier from Ohio, who had been stationed at New Creek during the War. He was the grandfather of T. Warner Lowery and G. Richard Davis.
As to the church edifices here after the War - the oldest existing still in use in Keyser is the Janes' Methodist, a Negro church, built in 1876, at the corner of E. Piedmont and Church Streets. The trustees at the time it was erected were:
Emmanuel Jacobs
Madison Tross
Robert Hiteshaw
Barbour Stewart
Isaac Perry
After the War, the Presbyterians built a church at 116 East Street, which is still standing.
The Methodist of Frostburg, Maryland, were building a new church and sold their old church building to the Methodists at New Creek, who hauled it to Keyser and re-erected it at the corner of Main and Center Streets, where Minnich's Flower Shop is still housed in the old building.
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The first Roman Catholic mass was celebrated here sometime during the Civil War by Rev. Father Butler, D.D., chaplain of Col. Mulligan's "Irish" Chicago Battalion, which camped not far from their present church. The first Roman Catholic Church building was St. James' Church, for which James Street was named.
The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, held their first services in the early 1870s, in the front room of the "Old Stone House," in Mrs. Sidney (Athey) Murphy's apartment. Later, ministers from the Piedmont Southern Methodist Church, preached in the basement of the Presbyterian Church here.
Simon Rudolph, tinsmith, a devout man, started a Southern Methodist Sunday School in the Court House basement in 1874 with 13 pupils. He paid, out of his own pocket, $20.00 yearly rent for its use.
There was plentiful employment here after 1874, when the railroad moved its Division headquarters, repair shops, and round house to New Creek.
New Creek was still unincorporated. To induce the railroad to move its facilities here, the town was incorporated on November 16, 1874, under the name Keyser, in honor of William Keyser, first vice- president of the B&ORR. Garrett County, Md., had been named for the president of the railroad, John W. Garrett.
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HON. T.B. DAVIS,
A man who has worked his way from poverty and obscurity in boyhood to affluence and prominence in mature years, ranking among the ablest and best known financiers and developers. He has done more for this community, perhaps, than any other man. As a recognition of his worth and popularity, he now bears the distinction of being a genial Democratic Congressman in a Republican district.
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CHAPTER 9 The Town of Keyser, W. Va.
Keyser was incorporated by certification of the Mineral County Circuit Court, the records:
"The Circuit Court held at Keyser, Mineral County, West Virginia, on November 16, 1874, upon petition of J. T. Hoke, John Hughes, William M. Welch, F.M. Reynolds, and Thomas B. Davis, issued a certificate of incorporation to the town of Keyser, Mineral County, West Virginia, formerly the unincorporated town of New Creek, Mineral County, West Virginia."
It is estimated there were about one thousand in the town at that time. An election was held in January 1875. Elected to office were:
Mayor - J. T. Hoke
Councilmen:
James I. Barrick
Thomas B. Davis
William M. Welch
Arnold Gerstell, M.D.
Fred Huffman
Recorder - Orlando Shay.
John H. Payne was appointed Town Sergeant at a salary of $2,000.00 yearly.
One of the first ordinances passed by the Council was "An ordinance to prevent the ill treatment of females and lewd and lascivious behavior." Early municipal concerns were a request made to the B&O RR to not let their trains pass through Keyser at a speed of more than 10 miles per hour. The name of High Street was changed to Piedmont Street. The newly incorporated town had no street lights, only a few board walk pavements, no sewers, a few drainage ditches, the water supply depended on private wells, no paved streets, a few stepping stones at the more important crossings; pigs, chickens, and other animals roamed at large on the streets and alleys. They were very muddy in wet weather. The streets around Court House Square - East, West, and Court Streets - were paved with cobble stones. There was an outdoor privy at the court house.
In the minutes of the town council of August 14, 1876, it was "Ordered that the Sheriff be notified of the condition of the Privy in the Courthouse Square and he be requested to confer with the Court in regard to removal of same."
The first licensing of saloons was April 25, 1875, when seven licenses to sell "at retail spirituous liquors, wines, porter, ale, and beer and drinks of like nature." In1880 the census gave the population of Keyser to be 1,693; there were 12 saloons licensed by the town that year, which was one saloon for every 141 men, women, and children in Keyser. Each saloon did a flourishing business.
There was very little social life here. Most people worked so hard they had little time for recreation. The B&O employees worked 12 hours each day, 7 days each week at $1.00 per day. The family which
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could afford a parlour organ and lace curtains considered themselves fortunate. Men came home from work, tired out from the 12 hour day (from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.), "washed up" outside the kitchen door in a wash basin, ate in the kitchen and if it was winter, sat in the kitchen to smoke; if it was summer, work in the vegetable garden until dark, but whether winter or summer, 9:00 p.m. was bed time for the working man.
Some of the men would go to "lodge" a couple of nights each month, yet had to be home by 9:00 p.m., in order to be at work by 6:00 a.m.
The first fraternal organization (lodge) in Keyser was the Queens Point Lodge No. 78, I.O.O.F., instituted September 25, 1875; the second lodge was Olive Branch Lodge No. 25 Knights of Pythias, instituted March 3, 1876. The Davis Lodge No. 5 A.F.&A.M. was instituted February 24, 1889.
The Odd Fellows Lodge established the Queens' Point Cemetery in 1875. Prior to that, burials had been in the Mt. Hope Presbyterian Church yard, the Alkire Burial Ground, where Keyser's Radio Station is now and earlier in the Mosley graveyard in the western end of Maple Avenue. Many people, both white and colored, were buried there in the early days. The graves go back to 1825. Mr. and Mrs. James Mosley are buried there, as is Cornelius Long (father of I. M. Long) and William Thistle, a relative of the Romulus Thistle mentioned earlier in this history. Part of the graveyard became the site of the Potomac Pottery. When exacating for the pottery many human bones were unearthed. The remant of the graveyard is now in a very sad condition, being part of a motor-trailor court.
Just before the establishment of Queen's Point Cemetery, a cemetery for white people was started in the field now belonging to the Coach Lough estate on Radical Hill. There were four or five white interments there. The minutes of the Town of Keyser of March 29, 1875 say' "Paid John H. Payne, Town Sergeant, for removing the remains of an unknown man, $7.25." This was a white stranger, his burial was in the Radical Hill Cemetery. Several years after his burial, the man's wife traced him to Keyser. Mr. James Rine, Herndon Athey's grandfather, was able to show the wife just where her husband was buried and she had his remains moved to another city. The Radical Hill Cemetery soon became the nego burial place of Keyser and is called "Thorn Rose Cemetery." Now negros and whites may, if they so desire, be buried in any cemetery of this community.
Epidemics of typhoid fever, scarlet fever, and diptheria were annual and dreaded occurrences; there were also cases of small pox. In September, 1877, among other items listed, the town bought of John Keys, one quart of whiskey, price $2.10 for use of a small pox patient.
Sanitation was not at all good in Keyser in those days. I shall give one example. On North Church Street in 1876, in a 30 ft. by 15 ft. back yard were - a coal house', a board walk, a privy, a well, a chicken
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pen and a pig pen. In the pig pen were raised that year 2 hogs, which - butchered at 450 lgs. weight each. This was not considered unsanitary. The dwelling there had no screens over the doors nor windows. Flies were numerous and came and went into the house at will. Also, cut apples were dried on the kitchen roof as well.
A hall for meetings, home talent shows and other public entertainment was built at the corner of North Church and Center Streets in 1875 and was called Fraser's Hall. The Town minutes of February 21, 1876, read, "It is ordered that a Theatrical performance be permitted to be given without payment of a license in Frazer's Hall, for the benefit of the Independant Band of Keyser." Within a year after this, the Hall burned to the ground. The home of Mrs. Myrtle Rogers, Center Street, now occupies the site.
Soon after this, a hall was provided in the newly built brick building, corner of Main and Center Streets, which had an upstairs auditorium, and was called Johson's Hall. The pool room is now there.
The first public program in the new Johnson's Hall was a home talent show, complete with villain and pursuing police, put on by the Volunteer Firemen of Keyser. Keyser has been very fortunate in always having volunteer firemen who have been ever ready to fight its fires, both efficiently and courageously. For many years there were two companies - Vigilent Reel and Hose Companies No. 1 and No. 2; one at the council chamber, the other on West Piedmont St. Co. No. 2 had a hand drawn hose reel and a hand pump on wheels. These were the predecessors of our present Fire Company, a group of men, efficient and faithful, who have our confidence and respect.
February 5, 1877 found a committee of the council considering the installation of coal oil street lamps. The lamps could be bought in Baltimore for $5.00 each. They planned to ask the residents to furnish the oil. By June 2, 1883, there were 15 street lamps in Keyser, the western most one was at James and West Piedmont Streets. On that cate it was ordered that the lamp-lighter (the first one was W. N. Athey, salary $9.99 monthly) extinguish all street lamps at 10:00 p.m., except five which were to be let burn all night. These were - one each at:
Mineral and Piedmont Streets
Mineral and Armstrong Streets
Main and Center Streets
Armstrong and Main Streets
Armstrong and Main Streets
The first doctors here before the Civil War were Dr. Green, who lived on Green Mountain and Dr. Arnold Gerstell. Soon after the War, Dr. Thomas H. West came to practice as Dr. Gerstell's assistant. Emergency operations were done in the Court House basement on ordinary table tops. Gerstell and West had a drug store and office over it where Markle's store is on North Water Street.
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Dr. Charles S. Hoffman began his practice of medicine here in 1876. He later built Keyser's first hospital in 1903 or 1904.
Most of the births were in the homes and were attended by midwives. Three negro ladies and the daughters of two of them were the principal practicing midwives of Keyser - Mrs. Sarah Rossen, nee Hollingsworth, Mrs. Jane Biggs and her daughter, Mrs. Emma Gillum, and Mrs. Rebecca Hardy and her daughter, Miss Harriet Hardy. All of these were highly esteemed and respected by the entire community.
KEYSER, WEST VIRGINIA 1885
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CHAPTER 10 Keyser Becomes Modern
Among the many changes made in Keyser between 1885 and 1900, the following were considered extremely modern - even luxuries.
A High School was added in 1885. It was housed on the upper floor of the grammar school. The graduating class of 1889 consisted of one girl, Miss Blanche Harrison.
The Town water works, built in 1892, at the expense of $45,000.00, derived its water from a spring on a mountain south east of the town, 290 feet higher than Keyser, with j resulting pressure of 126 lbs. per square inch.
Keyser had as yet no bank. Merchants and others of Keyser used the Davis Brothers Bank of Piedmont. The National Bank of Keyser was chartered July 15, 1886, F.M. Reynolds, president; James Thornton Carskadon, cashier; John D. Gelwick, George T. Carskadon, N.J. Crooks, and J.H. Markwood, directors. Capital was $50,000.00
An electric light company was organized. The Keyser Light and Power Company, began operation in 1895. The capacity was 1,000, sixteen candle power incandescent lights, and 40, two thousand candle power "arc lights." The president was F.M. Reynolds ; the directors, William Ellsworth Crooks, Harry G. Buxton, J.H. Markwood, and James Thornton Carskadon.
Main Street extended south only to Cliff Street, where it ended. The "down town" streets were bricked between 1900 and 1911.
A telephone company built a line from Keyser to Burlington in 1892.
In front of the Court House a public drinking fountain was installed in 1892. It was in three levels or basins, one for man, one for horses, and one for dogs.
A second railroad, built by the Davis Brothers and their brother- in-law, Senator Stephen Elkins, the West Virginia Central RR, began to serve Keyser in the 1880s and had its passenger station in the middle of North Main Street at the rear of Mozelle Street. The train backed across a bridge from McCoole, Maryland, to and from Keyser.
After 1900 the pace for improvements increased. A new High School building was erected in 1904.
Natural gas for illumination and heating was piped into the city in 1905.
In 1904, the Hoffman Hospital was built.
The state established a Preparatory School connected with the West Virginia University. This school was built on Fort Hill on the site of the Civil War Fort. The land was donated by Col. Thomas B. Davis. F.M. Reynolds assisted in getting the school built here. It began to function in 1904. It is now Potomac State College.
Keyser had a most oustanding Band - the McIlwee Concert Band; their leader and director was William H. McIlwee, a very gifted musician. If there was a spark of music in a man, Mr. McIlwee could bring it out. The band was in the inaugural parade in 1912. Professor.
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McIlwee, as he was called, became the Director of Music at Hamley High School, Winchester, Va. He could inspire a genuine appreciation of good music in everyone.
Keyser also became the home of people of many different nationalities. A German, Mr. John G. Koelz, had a famous bakery and confectionary here. Lawrence Wippel, an Austrian, had a bakery here. The first Jewish tailor here was Barnet Herschovits. Hyman Kaplan, a former rabbi, began his famous Kaplan's Clothing store; a Greek, Mr. Argiroupolis, began the Royal Restaurant, Mr. Daskal had a Confectionary.
Keyser even had a Chinese Laundry, beginning in 1904, with Wing Kee, Charlie Yee, Yee Sam Sing, Jim Yee, Paul Yee and ending with Mah Kim.
An Italian green goods wholesale company, Fertitti and Aversa, operated here on Armstrong Street.
There were many Irish people here whose descendants are some of the best citizens of Keyser today. Thomas Naughton of Green Mountain; also the Deegans, the Dorseys, Wards, the Dugans and Gilmores, Burns and McClandishs, Tahaneys, Melodys, and many more.
Keyser was a true melting pot.
A large number of splendid Italian people came here mostly from Caulonia, Reggio Calabria, in southern Italy; the Calemines, Fazzalores, Pezzanites, DeMasis, Alveros, Mayolos, Franklins, the Citarellis, Cirillos, the Femias, Fantis and Fantos, DelSignores, and Centifontis, Corbaccios and many others. All were good people.
Many fine Jewish people engaged in business here; the Shapiros, Shears, Dr. Koplovitz, Moses Kaplon, Cy Davidson, David Shapiro and others.
For a small town it is surprising how cosmopolitan and international in origin Keyser's people are.
Among the famous eating places of former days were: the Martin House Hotel, the Keys House, Mrs. Mary Richmond (Rich) Athey's south end hotel, Mrs. Rose Greenwade Yate's Restaurant, Mrs. Bier's Hotel, Hamill Brothers' Rosemont Restaurant, the "Beanery" at B Street, Walker Roger's Greasy Spoon Restaurant, and many others.
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CHAPTER 11 South Keyser
The town's limits toward the south ended in a market garden field at what is now 175 South Main Street and beyond that the entire "southend" extended to Carskadon Lane and was a market garden operated by Col. Thomas R. Carskadon, and also at one time by Walter Lowery.
On South Water Street at the corner of Chestnut Street, Mr. Willhide had a wagon making shop. Farther south on Water Street, Jack Athey and his wife, Mary Richmond (Rines) Athey, had a hostelry for travelers and stables.
The owner of this land from Lincoln Street south was Col. Thomas R. Carskadon of the Radical Hill Farm and mansion. Col. Carskadon was born in Hampshire County, May 17, 1837, died here in 1905. He was a farmer, stockman, a fluent, "silver-tongued" public speaker, a progressive thinker, a pioneer, stalwart Methodist, and was the candidate for Vice-President on the Prohibition Party's ticket of 1884. He prided himself on his advanced opinions on many issues of the day; for this reason he named his home and farm "Radical Hill." He began to sell off building lots in south Keyser in the late 1880s and in the 1890s. Soon there were several houses there and the residents became interested in incorporation.
On December 10, 1903, a meeting was held at 7:30 p.m., at Kime's Drug Store, North Main Street, to consider incorporation of the Carskadon addition to Keyser.
William D. Stewart was elected temporary chairman: H.H. Poling, secretary. It was moved and seconded that the town be called Brooklyn, West Virginia.
A census committee was appointed as follows: W. Roy Kimes, William Stewart, O. Orndorff and William T. Mulledy.
James Trenter was appointed to have hand bill struck.
On March 10, 1904, a meeting was held and a collection taken up to pay D.G. Martin, surveyor, and O.A. Hood, lawyer, for services rendered by them in the incorporation of South Keyser.
South Keyser by this time had been granted a charter by the West Virginia Legislature. The Town of Keyser was only incorporated by certification of the Circuit Court.
Those contributing to pay cost of incorporation were:
George McIlwee
Thomas R. Carskadon
William A. Willhide
Frank L. Fisher Charles Cook H.H. Poland L.A. Iser
William D. Stewart John Biser Boyd Linthicum Aaron Welton R.W. Richmond Charles F. Rice
William T. Mulledy
James H. Trenter
Harry O. Willhide Dan B. Biser
A mayor, recorder, and council were elected in August 1904. The newly elected officials held their first meeting in Willhide's Wagon
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Shop, corner of Chestnut and South Water Streets, on September 2, 1904. Present were:
Mayor - Thomas R,Carskadon Councilmen: James H. Trenter Charles A. Rice William A. Willhide
John Biser Dan B. Biser William D. Stewart
and William T. Mulledy
The officers for 1905 were:
Mayor - Luther Stafford
Councilmen -
Daniel B. Biser
James H. Trenter
William D. Stewart
John Biser
Charles A. Rice
George H. McIlwee
and William H. Wenner
Mr. Wenner resigned and James S. Cowger was appointed to fill his term.
The officers for 1906 were:
Mayor - Luther Stafford
Councilmen -
James S. Cowger
Dan Biser
James H. Trenter John Biser
William D. Stewart
Robert Ludwick
The town had a council chamber and jail. It continued to function as a separate town until it was joined with Keyser as the City of Keyser in 1913.
View of Keyser, West Virginia from Potomac State College Campus
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CHAPTER 12 The Town Becomes the City of Keyser
There was strong feeling that the two towns, Keyser and South Keyser, should unite as one city. A charter for the City of Keyser was passed by the state legislature in 1913, uniting the two.
Richard A. Welch, a young attorney, was the city's first Mayor. The new charter re-organized the entire municipal government, reduced the council to three members, provided for a City Clerk, who would also be the judge of the Municipal Court, provided a police department under a chief of police, etc.
The city still operates under this charter.
This brings this history to 1912; let others continue to write it beyond this date.
P.BROW TOBACCA CI
Armstrong Street, Looking East - KEYSER, WEST VIRGINIA - 1895
ARMSTRONG, ST. KEYSER, W. VA.
The same view as above years later with sidewalks added
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CHAPTER 13
A List of Those Buried in the Mt. Hope Presbyterian Churchyard, Herewith is a list of those buried in the Mount Hope Presbyterian Churchyard, Keyser, W.Va., copied some years ago before the removal of the graves and the destruction of the grave stones to make a site for the Boy Scout Cabin.
SUSAN C., wife of Washington Mosley, died April 10, 1896, aged 68 years, 8 days, born 1828.
GEORGE WASHINGTON MOSLEY, died 1897.
GIBSON MCCARTY, died October 10, 1864, aged 7 years, 10 months, 27 days.
ANNIE D. MCCARTY, died September 27, 1864, aged 5 years, 7 months, 1 day.
CHARLES MCCARTY, died December 5, 1862, aged 11 years, 10 months, 14 days.
SUSAN MCCARTY, died October 28, 1862, aged 8 years, 7 months, 16 days.
Note - the above four McCarty children's parents were Joseph C. and Sally C. (Mosley) McCarty and all died of scarlet fever. The McCartys had no other children.
SARAH C. MCCARTY, wife of Joseph C. McCarty, died September 19, 1893, aged 74 years, 3 months, 22 days. (born May 22, 1811)
JOSEPH C. MCCARTY, died November 19, 1881, aged 71 years, 5 months, 28 days. (born May 22, 1810)
"The pains of death are past,
Labor and sorrow cease,
And life's long warfare
Closed at last,
His soul is found in peace."
WILLIAM D. TROUT, died May 28, 1873, aged 36 years, 10 months, 5 days, (born June 23, 1836).
Note - Mr. Trout, unmarried, was related by marriage to the late William S. Caldwell. He had a general store on the corner of Patrick and East Streets. He went to Baltimore to do some spring buying. On his return to Keyser, he soon developed small pox. He boarded at Mrs. Eliza Davis's, 213 North Water Street, where he died. He was buried at night by two negroes, who took his body to the graveyard in a wheel barrow, lighted by a lantern.
GEORGETTE BODINE, daughter of George and Sarah M. Bodine, died February 8, 1870, aged 3 years, 5 months, 20 days.
Note: There is a birth record in the Mineral County Court which reads: "Georgette Bodean, born August 12, 1866 in Ohio, daughter of George and Sarah F. Bodean." Mr. Bodine was, I am told, a brakeman on the B&O RR.
ARTHUR K. HUGHES, son of John and Eliza Hughes, died August 20, 1867, aged 7 months.
----- WEST, infant son of Thomas H. West and wife.
JAMES CRAWFORD, Co. E, 57th Pennsylvania Infantry. No date of death given. He was a Union Soldier who died here during the Civil War.
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Presbyterian Graveyard, Overton Place
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CHAPTER 14
List of Victims of the Influenza Epidemic of 1918
The 1918, so called Spanish Influenza, epidemic of a most fatal disease which encircled the entire world towards the end of the First World War.
This list is a condensation taken from the obituaries in the Keyser Mineral Daily News of October 22, 1918, giving the names of all those Keyser people who had died between October 1st and October 15th, 1918. Not all died in Keyser, for example, William Shank of Keyser, died in Camp Lee, yet he is included. All except one are listed as having died with the influenza.
MRS. BESSIE OSTER, a housewife and mother.
ROBERT W. BOYCE, aged 24 years.
MISS LOLA MCILWEE, aged 15 years.
ROY ROTRUCK, at Camp Lee, Va.
FAYE HOFFMAN RINARD, aged 1 year.
VIRGIL TEPHABOCK, Camp Lee, Va.
SLOAN HOOD, aged 10 years.
PATRICK F. WHITEHOUSE
MISS KATIE THOMAS
SAM BRADY, B&O Engineer.
JAMES M. PARIS
WILLIAM B. LEATHERMAN
PAUL EDWARD GRAPES, aged 9 years
ALBERT S. LILLER, aged 17 years, son of H. P. Liller.
WILLIAM SHANK, Camp Lee, Va.
MISS BESSIE S. WAGELEY, school teacher, October 5th.
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