USA > West Virginia > Upshur County > The history of Upshur county, West Virginia, from its earliest exploration and settlement to the present time > Part 41
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The Elkins and Davis people saw the coming importance of a trunk line through central West Virginia making an eastern and western outlet for their wide acreage of coal in Randolph, Lewis, Upshur and Braxton counties, co- operated with the Wabash interests in the building of what is now known as
331
MISCELLANEOUS HISTORY.
the Coal & Coke railway, which will run from Elkins, W. Va., to Charleston, Kanawha county. This road was begun in 1902 and was completed 1906. The southern and northern sections of the road are joined by the completion of the central part and Upshur county has running through it a main trunk line and a branch road, the former the result of the push and energy of Henry G. Davis and the latter the result of B. & O. determination and foresight.
The B. & O. R. R. Co. in 1903 and 1904 constructed a short line from Tygarts Valley Junction up to the Buckhannon river to Buckhannon for the purpose of competing more successfully with the trunk line heretofore mentioned, in carrying freight and passengers to the east. Some claim that the B. & O. propose to extend this Philippi division through Upshur and Lewis counties to join another division of said road at or near Burnsville.
It is known in law as the Pt. Pleasant, Buckhannon and Tygarts Valley railroad.
INDIAN CAMP ROCK.
At different times and different places, spear heads, stone axes, clay pots and other implements of Indian life have been found in Upshur county, but the greatest treasury of finding has been at Indian Camp Rock, a large sand- stone bowlder, whose high projecting roof was a favorite seclusion, resting place and camp of the aboriginees of this part of North America. This rock is frequented by students of history and collectors of Indian relics yet. Its location, on the waters of Indian Camp, which empties into the Buckhannon river, along whose eastern bank the West Virginia and Pittsburg branch of the B. & O. R. K. make it easily accessible and a favorite and interesting locality for picnics, church festivals, and other outdoor entertainments.
It is alleged that under the shadows of this impending stone the first United Brethern in Christ Church was organized and established in Upshur county ; that from this parental organization have sprung up the multitude of classes, organizations and churches of that denomination ; that from this original and first temple of God this denomination claims an inspiration and benediction that is manifesting itself in our county. True it is, that some of the most stalwart and valiant workers in this particular church, have and do live in the neighbor- hood about and with enviable local pride point to the rock and the grove thereabout as the source from whence comes their stimulus to work in the vineyard of the Lord.
In May, 1893, L. V. McWhorter who will be remembered as contributing much to "Thwaites edition of Withers Chronicles of Border Warfare," made a visit to this rock and employed men to dig in the earth thereabout, whose excavations unearthed a great many spear heads, flints, pots, Indian hatchets, and even a skull. These findings proved very conclusively that this rock at some early date was the home, at least the camp, of the Aboriginees of America. What Mr. McWhorter did with the skull, our informant does not tell us, but certain it is, that such a discovery was made in company with Berten Phillips, his son, Earnest Phillips, and others.
There is other data pointing to this rock as the rendezvous of the Indians. On the Buckhannon river west of Sago and Ten Mile, certain stones are planted in the shape of a spearhead, whose sharp end points in the direction of Indian
332
MISCELLANEOUS HISTORY.
Camp Rock. These rock or pointers the author himself has observed and there may be others which aim in the same direction, evidently for the purpose of telling wandering bands of Indians where they might find a safe seclusion, sheltering protection and a temporary home.
In the summer of 1895, the Buckhannon district of U. B. Church held a ministers institute at Alton. Some one suggested that the institute, as a body, visit this camping rock and hold a short session thereunder to celebrate the presumed birthplace of the United Brethern Church in this section of the country. On July 12, 1895, this body convened under this rock, held devotional services, and had talks on the wonders of nature, the American Aboriginees and Prof. S. N. McCann delivered an impressive speech on the treatment the whites gave the Indians.
Before the meeting adjourned, it was decided that an inscription should be placed upon the overhanging rock and a voluntary offering was asked to defray the expense. In the stone is cut, with chisel and hammer, this historical event, in these words :
"Buckhannon District Institute, U. B. C., July 12, 1895."
"BEAR DEN ROCK."
Among the noted places of curiosity for interesting and natural scenery in Upshur county is what is called "The Bear" Den, situated near, and in sight of the B. & O. R. R. , a short distance above the village of Ten Mile and at the mouth of Indian Camp run, on the farm Mr. Hiram Bean owns. It consists of a mass of rock covering nearly one acre of ground, and in places about fifty feet high. At one time it may have been almost a solid rock and by some powerful force of nature was riven into separate blocks, with spaces between them wide enough for a person to pass with ease.
The walls on either side of the spaces are nearly perpendicular and show by the general contour that they were once a solid stone, for there are on the surfaces of the almost perpendicular walls plain marks, sufficient to show that they were once solid.
This rock was once surrounded by a dense cluster of hemlock trees and in one part of the interior there was ice to be found at any time during the summer season, but since the most of the trees have been removed from around it there is not so much ice to be found, and then not during all the warm season is it there.
STORY OF THREE FRENCHMEN.
Some forty years prior to the advent of the Pringle brothers on the waters of Buckhannon river, the colony of Virginia had imported for the purpose of awakening and encouraging an interest in the cultivation of vineyards, a num- ber of French laborers. These Frenchmen applied themselves diligently to their undertaking during the tenure of their contracts with the landlord ; when the con- tract of service had expired, in most cases, renewal could not be had. They were free to do whatsoever they liked. Hard labor and scarcity of money were drawbacks to the wine business in the new country. They saw its doom in the
RACCOON MEETING HOUSE.
HANGING ROCK ON B. & O. R. R.
HALL IN BEAR DEN ROCK, NEAR TEN MILE.
BEAN'S MILL.
333
MISCELLANEOUS HISTORY.
more vigorous pursuit of the people after things more necessary to the sustenance of life in a pioneer country. Naturally, they turned their attention and energy to the pursuit of something more tangible and out of which the comforts of life might be obtained. Some experimented with the growth of the mulberry tree and traded in the possibilities of the silkworm product arising therefrom ; some attained temporary success and notoriety in the planting and cultivation of the cotton plant, whose rank growth and size promised fortunes to those who assiduously followed that business. A few inflamed with the inordinate imagina- tion of youth and ambitious to possess the luxuries of wealth, undertook to achieve sudden success in hunting the glittering sand whose particles of gold would competently pay them for their pangs of exile.
Of course, their search for the precious metal took them up all the principal streams of Virginia ; and when the head-waters of the Atlantic Virginia failed to expose to them the glittering sand which they sought, hope of discovery yet lingered with them and success might crown their efforts should the mountains be crossed. This event actually occurred at least twenty years before the first settlement in the Buckhannon valley. Three Frenchmen had for long years prose- cuted close explorations along the principal streams emptying into the Atlantic ocean and having their source on the eastern slope of the Allegheny mountains. In vain, did they hunt. The crowning ambition of their Virginia residence had not and could not be realized on that side of the mountain. The rugged barriers must be crossed ere they would give up hope and dispair of returning home to report a great find which would be to them a treasury of comfort, luxury and wealth. They climbed the mountain side, traversed and hunted its broad summit and descended cautiously and searchingly to the head-waters of the Shenandoah. After resting some time on the banks of that noted stream, whose history fills the brightest pages of American Memoirs, they wended westward their course and ascended another series of mountains whose character and rocks gave unhesitating evidence of their cherished hope. On they came westward in advance of the empire which would soon spread its beneficient protecting arms of law and government over a domain of territory if it did not possess the glittering sand, yet was underlaid with an immensity of black diamonds-the surprises and wonder of the future commercial age. The life of the forest was as attractive as the prospector, in the beginning, and became more fascinating the longer it was indulged in. So that our French hunters of gold became hunters of game and much preferred the hunting blouse to the mining garb. Ever and anon their piercing eyes would catch the glimpse of shining scales embedded into the decidous rocks and each one was marked so that the explorers might return home that way and take with him a sample stone to show the government and to be examined by a chemist.
The blazed way through the dense and boundless forests was made suffic- iently plain only to guide their returning steps. The lurking Indians must not be aware of their intention and destination and purpose, else they would fall upon the aesthetic Frenchmen like hungry wolves on the sheepfold and destroy them with rapidity and desire. So marks were made that denoted anything except to the prospectors. On they came and at length reached the waters of Kanawha run of the Little Kanawha river at a point two miles east of the present postoffice of Rock Cave where they found a sand or clay which possessed a peculiar richness of mineral which they thought was one of the precious metals. To their minds it was the Eldorado of the Virginia country and hence they took up their abode
334
MISCELLANEOUS HISTORY.
near it, awaiting the approach and coming of modern civilization which would lend a helping hand to the development and marketing of their precious find. Seclusion was the greatest fortress of security in those days, therefore, they took shelter under the large overhanging sandstone on the farm of Frederick W. Vangilder. This rock furnished them a fort in the time of war, it afforded them shelter in time of storm, it was their temporary home, the inconvenience of which would be exchanged for a place of residence in Paris as soon as they could realize on their treasury. Years and years these Frenchmen lived under that rock, whose rough sides and barren floor were forgotten in the hope that time would come when wealth would be theirs and glory and fame crown their future lives. Their sufferings were intense. The only food obtainable was that which the forest could afford. With the meats of the bear, the deer, the turkey, were mixed the flesh of the spotted trout. For a variety to their carnal bill of fare, wild grapes and berries were gathered and fluids made out of the bark of trees and the mountain-tea plant stayed the destruction and invasion of disease.
Torturing misery and unbearable indigence made inroads upon them and after one of the trio had succumbed under a bed of affliction and his body was laid in the dust under the projecting edge of the rock, the remaining brace of com- rades and prospectors decided to leave their forest abode, their treasury of gold, and betake themselves eastward toward the rising sun where their countrymen and the English were eking out an existence in the tide water of Virginia.
No doubt, our Frenchmen expected to return to the Kanawha valley and bring with them such means of transportation as could bear away tons of the shining dirt across the mountain barriers where they would be loaded on a ship flying English colors and exported to the money markets of London and Paris. This they never accomplished, for nowhere does any annal or document tell us that a return was ever made.
A hundred years elapsed before any clue was found as to the destination and purpose of these exploring Frenchmen, when Dr. William Curry, who was intensely interested in collecting Indian relics, spear heads, and other articles descriptive of the character life and the kind of people that once inhabited this country, endured the labor of several days in this vicinity to explore and discover what traces might be found that would lead to the conviction that the Indians or some other people once lived here . It was on one of these trips that excavations were made under the rock and a Caucasian skull was unearthed and taken to his home at Rock Cave and from there was sent to the Smithsonian Institute at Washington, D. C.
Experts on anthropology and phrenology of that institution carefully ex- amined the skull, took into consideration its points of accord and discord, com- parison and difference with the skulls of various nationalities of Europe and concluded that the skull found by Dr. Curry was that of a Frenchman.
This story is related here and embodied in this volume for the purpose of showing that while the Pringle brothers were the first prominent settlers in the bounds of Upshur county the tribute of discovery must be paid to the Frenchmen who, wild with the desire for money, crossed the mountains, suffered excruciatingly in their voyages, landed on the waters of the Kanawha and erected under a projecting and impending stone a hovel or hut which may be properly styled the first home in Upshur county.
Future surveys made by the United States pronounced this glittering sand the residuary of the Upshur sandstone, deeply impregnated at points with mica
ยท
335
MISCELLANEOUS HISTORY
shales and carried down from the hillsides by the agencies of water and weather and left in deep piles, particularly at this point so thick and so glittering that even some of the citizens of that immediate neighborhood thought years ago that they like their French cousins, had found a gold mine or load of silver or a seam or a bed of precious sand which would yield untold wealth to the possessors and freeholders.
It is very probable that these explorers gave name to the waters of French creek.
LOGS OF TEST WELLS DRILLED.
RECORD OF I. S. REGER OIL WELL.
Feet.
Feet.
Conductor
14
Bottom
. 1,167
Water
80
Red rock.
1,167-246
Coal, 2 feet.
185
Bottom
. 1,413
Sand
225-20
Little lime.
1,43I
Bottom
245
Bottom
1,453
Sand
255
Pencil cave. 1,453-24
Water
265-45
Bottom
1,477
Bottom
300
Big lime
1,477-77
Ten-inch casing
310
Bottom
1,554
Coal 2 feet.
385
Big Ingin.
1,554-143
Sand
400-10
Bottom
1,697
Bottom
410
Gants sand.
1,786-14
Sand
530-20
Bottom
1,800
Bottom
550
Sand
1,808-48
Coal, 5 feet.
610
Oil and water Bottom
1,856
Coal, 4 feet.
693
Sand
1,862-12
Sand
780
Bottom
1,874
Water
806-35
Red rock.
2,015
Bottom
815
Six and one-half casing. . 2,12I
Eight-inch casing.
850
Stray sand
2,175-35
Sand
864-76
Bottom
.2,210
Water
874
Sand
2,220-25
Bottom
940
Bottom
2,245
Sand
. 1,040-60
Sand
. 2,291-12
Bottom
.1,100
Bottom
.2,303
Sand
1,105-62
Finish
2,612-1/2
Oil
1,14
POST FARM WELL, NO. V.
Thickness, Depth,
feet
feet
Clay
8
8
Quick sand
5
I3
White sand.
I2
25
Gray lime.
20
45
'White slate.
IO
55
1,834
Coal, 6 feet.
652
336
MISCELLANEOUS HISTORY
Gray lime.
IO
65
Black slate
20
85
Red rock.
20
105
White slate.
IO
115
Sand with water (Morgantown?)
15
130
White slate
55
185
Coal
I
186
Black slate.
5
191
Gray lime, water
15
206
Black slate.
15
22I
White lime
30
251
Red rock.
6
257
White slate.
9
266
Gray sand, water
15
281
Sand
35
336
Red rock ..
20
386
White slate.
IO
396
Sand
45
441
Black slate ( Bakerstown coal,)
IO
451
Gray lime.
13
464
Sand (Mahoning)
72
536
Lime (probably fireclay)
30
566
Sand (Upper Mahoning)
15
581
Black slate
IO
591
Black lime
20
611
White slate.
55
666
Sand (Lower Mahoning)
15
68I
Coal and slate, gas, Roaring Creek (Arden)
15
696
Gray lime.
IO
706
Lime
50
756
Black slate.
39
795
Coal and slate
IO
805
Salt sand (little gas)
118
923
Black slate
IO
933
Gray lime.
I5
948
Slate and shells.
I2I
1068
Sand
12
1080
Slate and shells
75
1155
Lime
6
1161
Slate
29
II90
Lime
20
I210
Sand
(gas).
8
1218
Slate
5
1223
Sand
17
I210
Slate
35
1275
Sand, base of salt (Pottsville) .
15
1290
Slate
15
1305
Red rock.
35
I340
White slate.
20
301
Gray lime (Upshur Cambridge ?)
15
366
337
MISCELLANEOUS HISTORY
Lime
20
1360
Sand
30
I390
Lime
40
1430
Slate
15 1445
Red rock.
40
1485
Black slate and shells
30
1515
White lime ( Big) .
65
1580
Brown lime with black
lubricating oil. .50
White lime.
25
Big injun. ... 180
1760
Red rock.
5
White sand.
80
White lime.
20
1780
Slate, black and soft
5
1785
White sand, hard.
25
1810
Black slate.
3
1813
Sand, white, hard.
30
1843
Slate, black, soft.
5
1848
White sand
I2
1860
Hard, black sand.
80
1940
Soft black slate.
45
1985
Red rock.
3
1988
Soft, dark gray sand. 40 )
Soft white sand
17
| Gantz
Slate shells.
25
and and
. . . . 107
2095
Hard gray sand.
18 | 50-foot
Soft white sand.
7 J
Slate
IO
2105
Red sand.
107
2212
Hard gray sand.
25
2237
Black slate.
23
2260
Hard gray sand.
15
2275
Red rock and shells
15
2290
Slate
25
2315
Good white sand.
20
2335
Brown sand and red sand
50
2385
Black slate.
15
2400
White slate.
97
2497
GEORGE BURNER WELL, NO. V.
Feet
Feet
Soil
o to
I6
Lime, white.
16 to
22
Slate or shale, black.
22 to
37
Lime, white.
37 to
4I
Coal and slate.
41 to
50
Lime, white.
50 to
100
Sand, white.
100 to
I17
Lime, brown
II7 to
I2I
Black sand
20
338
MISCELLANEOUS HISTORY
Sand, and lime, white and hard I21 to
190
Slate, black.
190 to
207
Slate and sand, black.
207 to
244
Lime, white.
244 to 255
Slate. black, hard.
255 to
371
Sand, white, fine.
371 to
39
Lime, white
391 to
400
Sand, white, fine and hard.
400 to
476
Slate, black
476 to
587
Lime, brown and hard.
587 to
697
Slate, black.
697 to
712
Coal and slate
712 to
716
Slate, black.
716 to
726
Sand, white base Pottsville.
726 to
800
Red shale, light.
800 to
840
Lime, hard and white.
840 to
924
Sand, white and hard.
924 to 955
Shale, red.
955 to 1023
Slate, black, hard.
1023 to 1031
Lime, white.
1031 to 1047
Shale, black, hard.
1046 to 1054
Lime, white
1054 to 1078
Shale, red.
1078 to 1098
Big lime, white, hard.
1098 to 1190
Sand, white, hard.
22
Big Injun. . 1190 to 1360
Sand, white.
136
Slate, black, sandy
1360 to 1374
Sand, white.
1374 to 1410
Slate, light.
1410 to 1430
Sand, white.
1430 to 1510
Lime, white
1510 to 1520
Red rock
1520 to 1684
Sand
1684 to 1703
Red rock
1703 to 1744
Slate
1744 to 1770
Sand and shale (water)
1770 to 1795
Red rock
1795 to 1820
Sand
1820 to 1834
Slate, black.
1834 to 1866
Lime, white.
1886 to 1878
Slate
1878 to 1884
Lime, white.
1884 to 1900
Slate
1900 to 1927
Sand, stray, light (little gas)
1927 to 1933
Slate
1933 to 1940
Slate, sandy, light
1940 to 1965
Slate
1965 to 1980
Sand
1980 to 2000
Slate, black.
2000 to 2025
Sand, red, light.
12
339
MISCELLANEOUS HISTORY
NEWSPAPERS.
Upon the formation of the county many mediocre newspaper men exhibited an anxiety to investigate the possibilities of this new field for their worth. The large part of the income which supported the local papers in frontier counties came from the legal advertisement of county and state. Therefore, the suc- cessful pusher of the quill was he who was most familiar and intimate with the state and county officials or he who had courage and assumption enough to think that he could gain favor from these officials. Such a man was one Mr. Shuey who landed in the town of Buckhannon in 1852 and entered upon the pub- lication of a local newspaper known as the Northwestern Recorder. The sheet was small for it was printed on a job press. One informant tells us that its size could not have been greater than 9 x 17. Evidently the newspaper business in Buckhannon was not very remunerative and no sentiment of patriotism or local pride abiding with the editor he sold his property on the first opportunity. The purchasers were Woffenden and Cozad. They edited and managed the paper as partners for some time and transferred their interest to A. B. Rohrbough, who continued the publication until the breaking out of the civil war.
From the time of the discontinuance of the Northwestern Recorder up to the time of the inauguration of the new constitution agitation, Upshur county was without a newspaper. In the year 1871 Eugene Sommerville founded a new paper and called it the Buckhannon Delta, after the name of the town and the shape of the artificial island made by cutting a race across the narrows at the Anchor Mill, that is to say, this tract of land took the form of the Greek letter, Delta.
In the year 1872, A. B. Clark became owner, editor and manager of this new paper. He it was who made it one of the strongest defenders of Grant, Hayes, Garfield and Arthur's administrations and a constant educator of the people on all subjects political, industrial and religious. The good work which he accomplished can never be over estimated. The conservatism of the Delta columns under his guidance produced its like in kind among the people.
W. T. Burnside succeeded A. B. Clark in the management of the Buckhannon Delta and he in turn sold it to F. C. Fifer. On February 20, 1899, it was bought by C. P. Dorr, C. P. Darlington and E. W. Martin who sold it in the year 1900 to The Knight-Errant Company, a corporation of strong, leading and influential Republicans organized by the author. This company is still extant carrying on business of publication as set forth by its charter of incorporation. The Buck- hannon Delta has always been a Republican paper.
The Buckhannon Banner was organized and founded in the year 1881 by Thomas W. McCreery, a deaf and dumb Democrat who dropped into Upshur county with his Democratic leaven the year prior to the founding of the paper. In contrast with the Buckhannon Delta it has always been Democratic, its political editor, for many years past, being the Hon. George M. Fleming. This is the only paper in town which owns its own home. A good one-story, metal- sided building stands on Locust street adjoining the residence of the owner, Thomas W. McCreery.
The Upshur Republican was founded by the veteran newspaper man, Capt. W. H. Hillery in the year 1901. In fact this paper was transferred from Addi- son where it went under the name of the Independant State, which was discon- tinued after the election of 1900.
340
MISCELLANEOUS HISTORY
The Knight-Errant was founded by Hugh A. Lorentz and run for almost three years. It was submerged into the Buckhannon Delta in 1901.
FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS.
The first Bank organized for the purpose of receiving money on deposit and lending it on good security was the Exchange Bank of Buckhannon, which began business on the 6th day of September, 1881, with D. D. T. Farnsworth, president ; R. E. Hudkins, cashier ; and C. W. Newlon, assistant cashier. The first Board of Directors were D. D. T. Farnsworth, Levi Leonard, R. E. Hudkins, G. A. Newlon, and D. C. Hudkins. The capital stock was twenty-five thousand dollars.
T. J. Farnsworth, the present president of the first bank, which was changed as to its name to the Buckhannon Bank, has served in his present capacity for 20 years. This bank still does a general exchange and discount business.
The Traders' National Bank begun business June 28, 1892. This bank was organized under the laws of the United States, and the first Board of Directors had as its members G. M. Whitescarver, of Grafton; W. Brent Maxwell, of Clarks- burg ; J. L. Hurst, A. G. Giffin, J. A. Crislip, J. W. Heavener, and William Post, of Buckhannon. This last member of the first Board of Directors was made pres- ident of this institution. He has been a constant, continuous and watchful worker for the bank. The capital stock was $50,000 in the organization, and has not been changed since. The first cashier was Paul M. Robinson.
People's Bank of West Virginia, with a capital of $50,000, commenced bus- iness on May 18, 1903. This institution was organized under the corporate laws of West Virginia, and started off with eighty-four stockholders, well distributed over the county, and of such esteem and influence as would bring much profitable business to any institution for which they labor. The first Board of Directors were: S. C. Rusmisell, G. W. Smith, J. G. Hall, C. C. Higginbotham, W. S. O'Brien, W. F. Veihmier, L. H. Forman, A. A. Simpson, E. W. Martin, J. R. Trotter, C. J. Poe, Jerome W. Stuart, O. F. Hodges, Wm. Mearns, C. E. White, A. M. Ligget, A. M. Tenney, Jr. The officers elected at the time of the organ- ization of this bank were Dr. S. C. Rusmisell, president ; E. W. Martin, vice- president ; C. W. Heavner, cashier, and A. A. Simpson, assistant cashier.
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