USA > West Virginia > Logan County > Logan > History of the city of Logan, W. Va. [West Virginia], 1823-1916 > Part 6
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Benjamin O. Holland was the next to fall into the good graces of the administration and the office having at this time grown to such proportion that it was a paying prop- osition to the incumbent, Mr. Holland proceeded to hold on with both hands.
His first appointment was dated June 8, 1897 anu ne suc- ceeded himself regularly until October 30, 1913, the political status having undergone a change James M. Moore, the present incumbent, looked good to the administration and he was told to hold his hat for the reception of the plum. Mr. Moore is the present postmaster and fills the position to the satisfaction of the people of Logan and he is sur- rounded with an office force that is equally efficient and ac- comodating.
Of course when the office was first established it was placed here as an office of the fourth class. All postmasters of the Fourth class offices receive a compensation to the amount of the cancellation at their respective offices. When the business of the office has grown to th point where the amount of cancellation exceeds $1,000 the office is then ad- vanced to the Third class and the postmaster's compensa- tion fixed on a salary basis. We find the local office was ad- vanced to the Third class on October 1, 1904, and the salary of the postmaster fixed at $1,100. On July 1, 1905 the salary was increased to $1,200. July 1, 1906 another increase of $100 was tacked on to the postmaster's salary. The same
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thing occured on the first day of the next July, with the ex- cepcion that the increase amounted to $200. The salary remained at $1,500 until July 1, 1910, when it was advanc- ed to $1,700. On the succeeding first day of July in the years 1912 and 1913 the office salary was again raised $100 each year. In the year of 1914 it took a leap amounting to $300 and the salar yat this time was fixed at $2,200 and the office advanced from Third to Second class. On July 1, 1915 the salary was again increased to $2,300.
The gross receipts at any post office in the world is the best barometer to trade and if you go into any city and de- sire to know the amount of business being carried on in the place simply inquire of the postmaster the amount of postal receipts of his office and you have the information in a nut- shell. Therefore we point with pride to the figures of the local office for the past eight years and leave it to the read- er to draw the comparison in the figures.
Gross receipts of the post office for the year of 1908, $4,325.71; 1909, $4,520.90 ; 1910, $5,817.41; 1911, $6,680.27; 1912 $5,097.25 1913, $8,056.52; 1914, $10,547.92; 1915, $12,- 155.32; 1916, $13.553.
The number of money orders issued last year with the exact amount remitted was, number issued, 9113, amount, $109,928.76 with money order fees amounting to $698.42.
The post office has at the present time 220 postal savings accounts with approximately $1,300 on deposit.
Postmaster Moore is ably assisted by the following cler- ical force : R. R. Buskirk, Assistant Postmaster ; H. R. Dodd, Money Order Clerk; C. B. Justice, Mailing Clerk; E. R. Brumfield, General Delivery and Stamp Clerk with Dallas McCormick filling the role of Janitor.
The office is now entitled to city delivery service and this would in all probability have been granted by the Depart- ment but for the fact that the business people of Logan are not very heartily in favor of the movement just at this time. We have also been promised a Federal building wth which to care for the ever icreasing amount of business
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and we have it from United States Sen. William E. Chilton, that Logan will receive this building within the next two years.
Logan Schools and School Houses
The hardest proposition encountered by the author in the preparation of this book was securing the following in- formation relative to the early schools of Logan. We inter- viewed numbers of the older inhabitants, but owing to their faulty memories we were unable to obtain anything accu- rate. Nor were the county school officials able to give us any information regarding the schools of the early period. In making mention of this fact to Professor W. W. Hall of Stollings, who is District Superintendent of the free schools in Logan district, he graciously offered to secure as much information as he could from an old lady by the name of Sarah Dingess, who lives near his home. Thus, when we thought that we had exhausted every effort along this line, we were surprised and doubly appreciative of the efforts of Professor Hall, who secured for us the data from which the following article was compiled :
When the first settlers of Logan left the civilization of the East and came to the fertile Guyan Valley to carve homes for themselves and their children out of the forest, they brought with them a desire for schools for their off- spring. One of the first pioneers of this Valley, Peter Din- gess, very early in the last century, erected a pole cabin up- on the ruins of the Indian lodges on the Big Island, for a school house. That was the first school house erected with- in the limits of Logan county. In that house the children of The Islands (the first name of Logan) were taught "read- in', writin' and spankin'." After they ceased to use that house for school purposes, the people annoyed Mr. Dingess so much, wanting to live in the building, that he had his son, John, go out at night and burn it down. Thus the first school house for the children of Logan disappeared.
General View of Monaville Coal Operation of Logan Mining Company
Residence of C. McD. England
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After the cabin on the Big Island ceased to be used for a school house, Lewis B. Lawson erected a round log house near the mouth of Dingess Run, where W. V. Vance now resides, for a school building. In that house George Bryan taught the children of Lawnsville (the name of Logan at that time) for a number of terms. A Mrs. Graves from Tennessee, wife of a Methodist circuit rider, also taught several terms there. Her work was of high order as a few of the older citizens yet attest.
A short time after Mr. Lawson built his school house at Dingess Run his brother, James, erected a school house on his land at the forks of Island Creek in the Old Fork Field, where J. W. Fisher now resides. The Rev. Totten, a famous and popular Southern Methodist circuit rider, taught the urchins of Aracoma (the name of Logan at that time) for several terms in the early 50's of the last century.
After the passage of the Free School Act by the Gen- eral Assembly of Virginia in 1846, the people of Aracoma and Dingess Run erected a boxed building for a school house by the Big Rock in the narrows above Bill Ellis' hol- low. The county paid the tuition of poor children in that school. Rev. Totten taught for several years in that house. He was teaching there when the Civil War began, when he discontinued his school, joined the Logan Wild Cats, marched away to Dixie, and never returned. Each of the three last named houses was washed away in the great flood in the year 1861.
When the Civil War was over and the soldiers had re- turned to their homes, they immediately set about to erect a school house. They built a hewn log house on the lower side of Bill Ellis' hollow. That was the first free school building erected within the present limits of the city of Lo- gan. In that house one-armed Jim Sidebottom wielded the rod and taught the three R's. He was strict and a good teacher in his day. That house served as an institution of learning till in 1883 the Board of Education bought about an acre on the hill where the brick school houses now stand
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from Hickman White. A few years later additional land was bought of John B. Floyd in order to get a haul road from Coal street opposite the residence of Joe Ferry's to the school building. 'The old frame building was erected on the hill in 1883, and it furnished ample room for the . dren for more than two decades.
After the completion of the Guyan railroad to Logan the phenomenal growth of the city began. The growth of its educational facilities has kept pace with its material progress. In 1907 a brick building of four more rooms was added. Then they thought they never would need any more room. In 1911 they built a two story frame school house. In 1914 the magnificent new High School building was erected,> Today, nineteen teachers are employed in the city, and within the next few years several more teachers must be employed, while the buildings are already taxed to their capacity.
In the year 1911 the Board of Education employed W. W. Hall as district supervisor. He asked for the establish- ment of a high school, and the citizens strongly endorsed his recommendation. The high school was established and Mr. Hall went at his own expense to the state university at Morgantown to find a principal for the high school. He secured F. O. Woerner, and the school was organized in 1911, on August 28. The next year Miss Maude Swartwood of Cleveland, Ohio, was added to the high school teaching force. In 1913 J. A. McCauley was employed as a teacher in the high school. Mr. McCauley died from typhoid fever be- fore the school closed, and George M. Ford was employed to finish the term. In 1914 the school offered for the first time a standard four-year high school course and was class- ified by the state authorities as a first class high school. Today it is regarded as one of the best high schools in the state. It has more than one hundred pupils enrolled and employs seven regular high school teachers. It has a bet- ter equipped domestic science department than any other high school in West Virginia. When the high school was
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organized in 1911, there were only seven pupils in eighth grade in the city school. These seven were taken and pitch- ed bodily into the high school. Of that first class, Fred Kellerman, Leland Hall, Roscoe Hinchman, Leon Smith, Kate and Beatrice Taylor continued in school until they were graduated June 2, 1915.
The first common school diploma examination ever held in Logan county was conducted by Supt. Hall as the close of his first year's work at the head of the Logan District schools. He also conducted the first common school grad- uation exercises ever held in the county, in the old Southern Methodist church, on May 28, 1912.
Logan is indeed proud of her schools and the efforts made by the faculty and school officials toward the train- ing and educational development of young America meets with the hearty approval and commendation of all citizens.
Those in charge of the county schools are:
Lon E. Browning, county superintendent; W. W. Hall, Logan district supervisor, and the Logan district board of education is composed of J. L. Curry, president, and J. L. Chambers and L. G. Burns, commissioners. Chas. Avis is secretary of the board.
The faculty consists of F. O. Woerner, Principal of the Logan High School and instructor in mathematics; Joel Lee Jones, languages; Minnie Cobb, science; Isabella Wilson, cooking and sewing; Maud Ryder, commercial subjects ; Jen- nie Mitchell, history and civics, and Mrs. R. E. Petty, music.
Lucile Bradshaw, English, literature and mathematics; Florence Hughes, geography, history and physiology, of the sixth and seventh grades departmental.
The following are the teachers in the grades: G. O. Nelson, Principal; Athelyn Hatfield, Pearl Staats, Brooke McComas, Lillian Halstead, Elma Allen, Lettie Halstead, Pearl Hundley, Kittie Virginia Cleavinger and Bertha Allen.
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Logan's Financial Institutions
The Guyan Valley Bank, the "Old Stone Bank" and just is solid as its name or true indicates, was organized N. J. Cary Alderson, on November 22, 1899, and first began busi- nes on January 1, 1900, in a little one room frame structure about 18x20 in size, that had been used for an office by Messrs. Moore and Holland, merchants. The site of this small building was on the present site of the Guyan Drug Co.
The first officers of this, the oldest bank in Logan, were the following: S. S. Altizer, President; J. R. Henderson, Vice President; J. Cary Alderson, Cashier, and these gen- tlemen together with Bruce McDonald and H. C. Avis, con- stituted the Board of Directors. The Bank was first capit- alized 'at $25,000 with a paid in capital of $2,500.
The Bank began business on this $2,500 paid in stock and taking into consideration the capital stock and financial standing of the Bank today we believe the record of this institution will challenge the admiration of the financial world for a bank located in a city the size of Logan.
This bank remained in their first home until 1905, when the present building, which had been constructed by the Bank, was completed at a cost of approximately $10,000.
The business having grown to such proportions the of- ficials found it necessary on the 1st. day of January, 1912, to increase the capital stock to $100,000 fully paid in, with undivided profits of $75,000.
The Guyan Valley Bank has had a very successful car- eer since its organization and each year it has always paid a profitable sum to its stockholders.
At present it has about 1200 depositors with about $800,- 000 in deposits.
The destiny of this Bank has been under the personal guidance of J. Cary Alderson, and needless to say that the vast amount of success of this institution is in a large meas- ure due him for the manner in which he has so successfully
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supervised its affairs. They have a record second to none in the matter of courteous treatment to the Bank's patrons and they extend every accommodation, consistent with safe and sound banking, to all persons who may have business dealings with them. The financial statement of this Bank, to be found upon another page, is commended to the attention of the reader and a careful study of this state- ment will amaze a majority of the people when taken in connection with the fact that this institution is only sixteen years of age at the present.
The capital stock remains at the same sum of $100,000 while they have a surplus fund of $100,000 and undivided profits of $23,349.73.
The present officers of the Bank are the folowing:
J. Cary Alderson, President ; Bruce McDonald, Vice Presi- dent ; L. G. Burns, Cashier; F. H. Adams, Assistant Cashier ; J. C. Buskirk Teller; with Harry Robertson and J. Neddie Bryan as bookkeepers. J. Cary Alderson, Bruce McDonald, R. L. Shrewsbury, F. S. Martin, J. C. Chapman, Thos N. Perry and H. S. Burgess, constitute the present Board of Directors.
Logan is proud of all her institution and especially is she proud of her banks. You will not find in any town of equal population nor in town of much larger population, banks that equal ours in the amount of busines transacted. And we will gladly offer our banks officials, for comparison with the bankers of the world for kindness and courtesy shown to the public and favors extended to the patrons. Every effort is made by them to please you that is consistent with good sound banking.
The First National Bank. of Logan, began business on April 2, 1906, in a small, one room, one story frame build- ing that stood on part of the site of the Logan Hardware Co. They opened for business with a capital stock of $50,000 and the following officers to guide her destiny : Scott Justice, President ; S. A. Draper, Vice President; Naaman Jackson, Cashier; and the folowing Board of Directors: W. R. Lilly,
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H. Ewart, H. H. Morris, J. M. Mitchell, S. B. Lawson, Scott Justice and S. A. Draper.
The following year after organization the officials began the construction of their present home, built of brick, three stories in height and containing a large, comfortable room for banking purposes and in addition a large room for the use of the Board of Directors.
This Bank has enjoyed a healthy increase of business each succeeding year since organization and is considered one of the strongest institutions of the Guyan Valley. It has, at the present time, about 1500 depositors with an ap- proximate deposits of $500,000.
The present capital remains $50,000 while they have a surplus fund of $55,000 and the present officers are the fol- lowing: S. B. Lawson, President; W. F. Farley, Vice Presi- dent; Naaman Jackson, Cashier; G. W. Raike, Assistant Cashier ; E. R. Mulins and Paul Barrett, Bookkeepers.
S. B. Lawson, W. F. Farley, J. W. Hinchman, Henry Mitchell and Naaman Jackson constitute the present Board of Directors.
Logan Hospital
ยท The writer called on Dr. L. E. Steele, relative to the his- tory connected with the Logan Hospital and after obtaining from him a bit of information the Dr. very kindly request- ed the writer to pay the hospital a personal visit. Having had a desire for some time to inspect this haven of mercy we were only too glad to accept the kind invitation and avail ourselves of the opportunity. Whereupon the Doctor call- ed the hospital over the phone and instructed one of the nurses to pilot us through. Needless to say we were more than complimented by being met at the door by a very beautiful and attractive lady who very patiently and grac- iously answered every question and took especial pains to show us every part of the establishment.
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The first hospital established in Logan was estblished in 1908 by an incorporated stock company, which was pro- moted by Dr. S. B. Lawson, who converted the residence on Dingess street, formerly occupied by C. V. White, into a hospital building.
An addition was built to this building and the stock com- pany remained owners for a period of about two years when the stock, or principally all of it, was purchased by Drs. L. E. Steele and H. H. Farley.
Then in 1912, Dr. S. B. Lawson, became a purchaser of a part of the stock and the owners are the three Doctors mentioned above.
The new hospital building was begun in May, 1915, and completed in May, 1916, at a cost of approximately $30,000. The building consists of four stories, being 40 feet in width by 94 feet in length. The cheap cost of construction was accomplised through shrewd business deals on the part the owners and not through anything cheap in the ma- terial used in the construction.
On the left, in entering the building, we find a nice large waiting room for visitors while directly opposite we find a private office for the use of the hospital authorities. Next we have the dressing room, utility, ladies surgical ward, diet kitchen, two bathrooms an extra room and in this room we met John. This is John's permanent home. He never leaves the room. We were not particularly pleased with the introduction and did not shake hands with John. John merely acknowledged the introduction with a rattle of his bones. We did not like his looks. Somehow he caus- ed a creepy feeling to run over us and we did not care to remain long in his presence for John was a grewsome spec- tacle of a human skeleton. Next we have a private room, colie men's ward and men's surgical ward.
On the second floor we find, beginning at the rear of the building, two bath rooms, one utility, one diet kitchen, two wards, one linen closet, while at the front we find a large,
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cool and convenient room used as the nurse's sun parlor. This room being arranged in such a manner that it can be turned into a ward in any emergency.
On the third floor we find at the rear a large, convenient room, flooded with sunlight which we at o: as the operating room. One lady was engaged, while we were there in rearranging this room, for only this morn- ing an operation was performed here.
Next we reach in succession, a drug room, linen closet and several other rooms. In one of these we inspected the "Ster- ilizer" an equipment which alone cost the sum of $800. This equipment appeared to the mind of the writer, who is un- acquainted with equipment of this kind, to be some kind of an engine or motor car, yet it was very beautifully con- structed.
In all we find about ten rooms for private patients, about twelve for miners, with nurses quarters, sun parlors, opera- ting, anesthetic and sterilizing room.
The primary object of the hospital was to care for the unfortunate miner, who through accident or sickness needs medical attention and it was for the benefit of these men who risk their lives underneath tons of earth and rock in order that industry may continue each day and then when the cold blasts of winter weather come to keep us warm and comfortable.
While the primary object was to care for the miner the hospital has always received private patients yet they never have turned away a miner to give room to a private patient but on the other hand have never taken private patients when they would in any way interfere with the attention given to the miners.
However since they have constructed the new building they are amply able to care for all the private patients who may apply and render service and attention to all that may enter.
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1
H-NY907
LOGAN-HARDWARE CONFANY
Ware room of Logan Hardware Gompany
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In my inspection we found everything comfortable and convenient and absolutely clean and if there be any truth in the old adage that 'cleanliness is next to Godliness" then we feel sure that the nurses here have a through ticket through the Pearly Gates.
It is human nature, in thinking of hospitals, to asso- ciate the thought with thoughts of sicknes and suffer- ing, but since visiting this haven of mercy the writer feels, now, less fear for hospitals and taking into consideration the kindness, sweetness and beauty of the nurses to be found here we are quite frank to say that we would not mind very much of being a little sick ourselves.
The nurses, seven in number, work from 7 A. M. to 7 P. M. yet they have two hours during this time for recreation and they each in turn are allowed one full Sunday free of duty. The names of these angles of mercy are as follows:
Miss E. M. Davis, Superintendent of Nurses, Miss Irene Warden, Senior Nurse ; Miss Minnie Stumbo, Surgical Nurse Miss Grace Farley, Senior Nurse on first floor ; Misses Ester Browning, Ethel Powell, (the writer's chaperone) and Murna Nelson.
Dr. White's Hospital and Sanitorium
In strong comparison to the methods of treating human ills during the early days of the pioneers through this sec- tion when herbs and harks were used in the treatment of all ills and in many cases the old method of "bleeding" was the only method used, and the advanced method used by the medical profession during the present day was clearly demonstrated to the mind of the writer through an inspec- tion of Logan's newest acquisition in the hospital line, name- ly, Dr. White's Hospital and Sanitorium located in teh Ros- azza building, on Stratton street.
Medical science has discovered that in the treatment of a great many ills of the human family is best accomplished through certain baths, such as electric light baths, dry hot
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air, vapor, sea-salt, cold and hot water stimulating baths, such as shower and Scotch douche baths.
During an inspection of this hospital, in which we were personaly conducted by Dr. White, we reached the room equipped for giving these baths. The writer believes in the old adage that "If you don't ask questions you never learn anything" therefore we began to quiz the Doctor.
Dr .White turned and noked us full in the face and we are quite sure that he is a good judge of human intelligence for he cast aside all technical terms and in plain English which we easily understood he clearly described the man- ner of treatment and the benefits to be derived from certain baths in the treatment of certain ailments. For instance we take the electric light bath of which we were skeptical and he explained to us that by using certain colored lights in the treatment of certain illness he would be able to ob- tain results. His explanation was so clear that we could readily comprehend his line of thought. On returning to the office of the Doctor he quoted from a medical Journal figures to prove his assertions in the treatment of patients through the means of these identical baths. We. remember that the percentage of cures in the treatment of rheuma- tism, gout, neurasthenia (nervous disorder) obesity, fatty degeneration of the heart, sciatia, affections of joints kid- ney disease, lumbago, cronic headache, lagrippe, syphillis and many other diseases were ver y gratifying. Dr White frankly informed us that this line of treatment that we have just described would not cure all diseases. It must be remembered that the baths are not the sole treatment, for such other medical remedies are used in conjunction that in the opinion of the medical knowledge is needed.
Dr. White has his establishment arranged in such a con- venient manner that he can have private rooms for indi- vidual patients and at the same time, in case of an emer- gency, can turn all these rooms into one large ward.
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Dr. White informed us that patients suffering from every kind of illness, save some special contagious diseases would be received at his hospital for treatment for a period of one hour, one day, one week, or any period of time that the ail- ment might require. Patients suffering from injuries will be received, and in a few days he will receive an equipment that will enable him to install every necessity in the operat- ing room.
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