U.S. Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ -- USGenNet Inc. -- Please read the U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statementon the following page: ----------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER XXVI. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AFTER THE WAR The position of Lewis County remote from the theater of active campaigns of the war, and the small number and weak condition of the partisan bands oper- ating within the county resulted in little damage being done. The problem of restoring conditions as they ex- isted immediately before the opening of hostilities was an easy one. It was necessary only to replace goods stolen from the stores, and horses and cattle which had been taken from the farms, maul out rails to repair the fences which had fallen down and clear the briars and sprouts from the neglected fields. So far as the fortunes of private individuals were concerned the scars of the war would then be effaced. Few residents of the county were ruined, and few became discouraged and moved to the west as was the case with thousands of citizens in other counties of the new state. The emigration from Lewis County was confined for the most part to young ¦men who had been in the armies, and who craved new excitement and further experiences. In the decade from 1860 to 1870 the population of the county rose from 7,999 to 10,175 — an increase of 27.2 per cent as com- pared with an increase of 17.3 per cent in the state at large. The restoration of normal business conditions, the building of the state hospital and the comparative free- dom from ruinous taxation — for after all the taxes levied by the reconstruction board of supervisors of Lewis did not compare with those of adjoining counties — are large- ly responsible for the increase. The means of transportation with the outside world which had ushered in the period of prosperity from 1845 to 1860 were greatly interrupted after the close of hos- tilities. The heavy hauling of supplies at unfavorable seasons and other military uses to which the roads were put resulted in their becoming almost impassable. The turnpike companies, unable to keep up the roads with the lessened receipts and the destructive traffic, soon ceased to function, and the board of supervisors was compelled to take over the turnpikes and operate them, leaving the lesser roads to the tender mercies of the township authorities. The tollgates which had been de- stroyed were replaced and keepers were appointed to collect the tolls. In order to place the turnpikes in oper- ation as soon as possible without waiting for the tolls to pay for the cost of repairs, a loan of $1,200 was authorized in 1866. The amount of tolls was fixed by legislative enactment. Believing that private individuals would be able to secure labor at a smaller price per day, the board of supervisors, in 1870, adopted the scheme of leasing out some of the turnpikes for three-year periods. The new plan, though it relieved the board of much detail work, was not altogether for the best interests of the people, for most contractors operated the roads in order to obtain a profit for themselves rather than for the public good, and often failed to make necessary improvements. The tollgates were defended on the ground that only the people who used the roads were required to support them; but the additional expense of collecting the tolls, together with the impossibility of securing an account- ing with the collectors, the nuisance to the public and other features led gradually to dismantling the gates. Tollgates were, however, maintained on some of the roads until the early nineties. Several of the bridges of the county had been de- stroyed in the course of the war, or were so badly dam- aged that it was necessary for the court to go to great expense in rebuilding them. The bridge at Jacksonville had been completely destroyed, and there was only a tem- porary structure there in 1865. The Walkersville bridge- was in such shape that extensive repairs were necessary, The bridge across the river at Weston was in a very un- safe condition in 1868 due to constant use both in the war and in hauling materials for the hospital. The side- walks were torn up, and the planks and sills of that part of the bridge used for vehicles were decayed. Repairs were made which extended the period of usefulness of the bridge for another twenty years. The demands of the people for better outlets for their farms led to the establishment of many new roads. The false economy forced upon the board of supervisors and, at a later period, the county court by the campaign arguments of the re- construction period resulted in the adoption of a hand to mouth system in the construction and repairs of roads and bridges. The building of permanent roads which had received a tremendous impetus in the decade before the outbreak of the Civil war was postponed from year to year and not taken up in earnest until 1916. As before the Civil war, agriculture continued to be the principal industry of the county. The tendency to- wards sheep raising, which has been noted in a pre- ceding chapter, was greatly increased by the habit of Confederate raiding parties of running off all the cattle they could find. The raiders could not drive sheep across the mountains, and partly for that reason, farmers whose- herds of cattle had been bought with Confederate cur- rency restocked their farms with them. The demand for woolen clothing for the armies also caused an in- crease in the price of wool and many found it more prof- itable to raise sheep than cattle. The merino was the first improved breed introduced. A great deal of atten- tion was paid to breeding up flocks of sheep, with the re- sult that Lewis County soon acquired a reputation for the production of fine wool. In 1870 there were nearly 11,000 sheep in Lewis County, which ranked thirteenth in the state in number of sheep and tenth in the produc- tion of wool. The introduction of the mutton breeds of sheep came years later after the creation of a market for lambs. The West Virginia Sheep Herders' association was organized in 1879 with many members from Lewis County. Improvements began to be made on farms as a re- sult of the cutting of timber. Beginning in 1870 when only three-tenths of the total area of the county was im- proved, the clearings were rapidly extended. The pro- duction of the farms was increased also by the rapid in- troduction of improved machinery. Hillside plows which turned the sod took the place of shovel plows which merely tore it up. Mowing machines were introduced almost immediately following the civil war. The first machine to be introduced was the Champion. In 1869 Wood's mower and reaper entered the field, and its local agents set out to disprove the assertion that the machines were useless on the hilly farms of Lewis County. The Champion machine was challenged to a contest on the farm of J. G. Vandervort with the result that Mr. Van- dervort, R. P. Camden and Noah Flesher purchased Wood machines. They then cost $125. Wheat growing continued to rank as one of the prin- cipal industries of the county, the production in 1870 being more than 50,000 bushels. The restoration of the market at Richmond after the war stimulated the grow- ing of tobacco, in which industry Lewis County ranked tenth in the state, according to the census report. As a means of stimulating agricultural production in the county, the Lewis County Agricultural Society was formed by Weston people, who subscribed $4,000 toward a fair. A. W. Woodford was elected president; F. M. Chalfant, vice president; and J. W. Woffendin, re- cording secretary of the association, which succeeded in interesting a sufficient number of people from the coun- try to hold the first fair in 1871. The Lewis County fair continued to be an annual event for many years until the fair ground on the Minnich place was divided into lots and sold. Interest in cattle increased during the 'seventies. Many progressive farmers believed that there was a fu- ture for cattle raising and continued breeding up their stock. Herefords, which were introduced into the county about 1875, have gradually proved their suitability to natural conditions until they are now the predominant breed. Horses gradually displaced oxen as beasts of bur- den on the farms, but no efforts were made to introduce pure-bred animals. In 1882 the significant announce- ment appeared in one of the county papers: "The Percheron Norman stallion, Quazzola, (owned by Clarks- burg people) will be in Weston early in March." The movement for the organization of granges struck the county about 1875, and interest in the new farmers' organization rapidly increased. Organizations were formed in several of the more progressive communi- ties. Lumbering became an important industry after the war on account of the excellent transportation facilities furnished by the Baltimore and Ohio railroad through Clarksburg. Thousands of logs were cut in the valley of the West Fork and its larger tributaries and floated "down the river. The principal operators were the Lowndes and Steele interests of Clarksburg. Within the next twenty years most of the virgin forests of the coun- ty had been cut over. Weston citizens in 1870 organized the West Fork Manufacturing and Booming Company for the purpose of cutting timber and marketing it either in logs or in lumber. The charter granted by the Legisla- ture conferred authority upon the incorporators to erect booms in the river from the mouth of Rush run to the mouth of the West Fork. The company was popularly supposed to have been organized for the purpose of gain- ing control of the market at the hospital and in Weston to the exclusion of citizens who lived farther up the river. The manufacturing of lumber in 1870 was still in its infancy. There were a number of sawmills dotting the valleys of the small streams in the vicinity of Wes- ton, but none of them were capable of sawing large logs with the exception of N. B. Barnes' sawmill located about two miles up the river from Weston. There was a saw- mill and planing mill on the Hospital grounds which were capable of manufacturing the largest logs. In 1874, George A. Jackson erected a steam planing mill in Wes- ton, which bore the same relation to many of the older houses now standing as Cummins Jackson's mill bore to the earlier generation of Weston homes. A handle factory employing ten or twelve men was established in Weston in 1881. A new tanyard was erected after the war on West Second street by a Mr. Burbridge of Phil- ippi. He later sold it to Leonidas Smith. Kitsonville was partly laid out and named in 1870. The development of agriculture and lumbering was reflected in the growth of the county seat. The business activity occasioned by the construction of the hospital was further stimulated by expected improvements which did not materialize. It was thought that the town would be a point on two transcontinental railroads and thereby become the railroad center of the state, and also the seat of government. Notwithstanding the fact that the town was already the seat of the most important of the state institutions the citizens were hardly content. In 1869, (the year the capitol was moved to Charleston), Weston citizens offered $50,000 in money, ten acres of land front- ing on the West Fork river and material enough to put up the necessary buildings if the permanent seat of gov- ernment should be brought there. The town council enacted that all the streets should be paved on a regular grade, and they immediately proceeded to establish the grade but not the paving. Weston was out of debt in 1869 for the first time in its existence. The superior grade of wool grown in Lewis County led to the establishment in Weston of a woolen mill in 1871 by the Cliftons. They had formerly been in busi- ness at Beaver Falls, Pa., but had determined to seek a better location near a good source of raw wool. The exceptionally long staple produced in Lewis County was decided to be exactly the kind of raw material they de- sired and they moved their woolen mill to West Weston. For the next fourteen years it was the most important manufacturing industry in the town. The factory was located in a building 32 by 80 feet and two and one-half stories high. The most modern machinery was installed, consisting of 240 spindles, one picker, one steam dresser, several power looms, etc. The management advertised their ability to manufacture all kinds of fabrics, but stat- ed that special attention was given to custom work. Goods were also exchanged for wool. The principal out- put of the factory was yarn, blankets and jeans cloth used by the farmers. A hat factory was established in Weston by P. M. Hale, which gave employment to sev- eral persons. The press in Weston, which had languished during the war, started up immediately upon the cessation of hostilities. In 1865 Frederick Alfred began the publica- tion of the Weston Expositor. He soon sold it to R. Huckles, who disposed of it in 1868 to J. G. Woffinden and George Cozad. They changed the name to the Wes- ton Democrat. In 1871 Woffinden purchased the half interest of Cozad and continued the paper until 1876, when it was sold to Thomas A. Edwards. In January, 1869, James J. Peerson started the Weston Rspublican, which continued under his direction until 1881, when it was sold to Dr. M. S. Holt and Joseph Neff. There was no dentists in Weston in 1868. All den- tal work was done by traveling dentists who spent a month or more at a time in Weston. The number of doc- tors and lawyers and hotel keepers was great enough for the size of the town. In 1871 a correspondent of the Wheeling Register stated that "the Town of Weston contains a population of about 1,200 inhabitants, and is the seat of an unusual degree of culture." A library as- sociation had just been organized by the ladies of the town, and a debating society by the young men. There was also a Young Men's Christian Association. One of the best "cornet bands" in the state was established shortly after the war. It had the honor of entertaining the state convention of brass bands in 1873. A business directory was talked of among the business men of the town in 1873, but appears never to have been published. The number of new citizens who desired to own their own homes, led to the organization of a building and loan society in the early 'seventies. Street lights were first installed in Weston in 1870 at a cost of about $125 in- cluding the posts. Kerosene was used. ' The large number of destructive fires which took place in 1871 led the leading citizens to devise means of protection. A meeting was called for the organization of a fire company. Most of the younger men of the town enrolled in the organization, the equipment of which was donated by the business men. A proposition was submitted by council for a bond issue to purchase a chemical engine for the town, but it was voted down by a large majority, because an investigation made by the council after the submission of the measure cast doubt upon the efficiency of the engine which it was proposed to purchase. The fire department of Weston has made little improvement in organization since 1871. The cor- porate limits of Weston were reduced by the legislature to nearly their legitimate size in this period, causing much difficulty in later years when the population was extended beyond the boundary line through natural growth. With all these improvements in Weston the streets remained in a terrible condition. The Weston Democrat advertised, 18 January 1869, for the return of a two- horse team which had been lost in the alley leading from Lewis' store to Center street. "The wagon was loaded at the time with the blank stock receipts of the Main Street Navigation Company which hoped by the aid of locks and dams (especially dams) to make it possible for ships of the largest tonnage to effect a landing at George Fisher's store." An ordinance had been passed preventing citizens from riding on the sidewalks, so that it was necessary for them to take the street. The perils of the pedestrian were sufficiently great as it was. The crossing of Bank street was then effected by a single narrow board on saw-horses, which frequently precipi- tated the citizen into the ooze below. The condition of the streets was remedied somewhat by the passage of an ordinance prohibiting the hauling of sawlogs through the streets unless they were carried on wheeled vehicles, and the employment of a large force to drain the streets. Macadam was later applied with some success, but twen- ty years passed before any of the streets were paved with brick. The agency for the elimination of garbage and other wastes was furnished free of charge by private individ- uals. It consisted of a herd of hogs, which followed squealing after every wagon loaded with grain which passed through the streets, and rendered the task of going to mill extremely arduous for the farmers' boys. This department exercised far more influence on town poli- tics in the 'seventies than any other. Candidates for city offices feverishly canvassed the electorate on the platform of "hog in or hog out", and this question, ac- cording to the Weston Democrat, was used too often as a test of fitness for a municipal office. There was no theater in the town as yet. The prin- cipal form of amusement in the late 'sixties consisted of a tournament which was participated in by all the leading citizens of the younger generation. Mounted on horse- back in imitation of gallant knights of ten centuries be- fore, they proceeded to a field out Stone Coal and en- gaged in a contest followed by the crowning of the queen of love and beauty. The proceedings caused so much interest among the small boys that two juvenile tourna- ments were held later in the same year. A baseball game with eight on a side furnished thrills for a Satur- day afternoon crowd at the same period. A magician gave a performance at the courthouse to "a large and ap- preciative audience." Perhaps the most thrilling of all the entertainments of the time was a fight between a dog and a raccoon on Main street. When the time dragged heavily on their hands, the young men organized a "court of Tuckage to fool fellows from the country and from the eastern cities." The scheme was for an accusation to be brought against the intended victim, and then one of the group, professing friendship, offered to lead him out of town. When sufficiently far from the town, a pistol shot rang out, the "friend" fell, and the victim of the joke usually took to flight. Considerable prohibition sentiment existed in Wes- ton after the close of the war, and a prohibition ticket was elected to fill all the municipal offices in 1869. In the late 'sixties two new churches were added to the number already in Weston. In accordance with the instructions of the Presbytery of West Virginia, the Presbyterian church was organized at the home of W. L. Dunnington, 1 April 1867, by the Rev. S. C. Paris. Captain R. C. Arbuckle was appointed ruling elder and Mrs. Mary Wood, Miss Blanche McGee, Mrs. Mary Dun- nington and William L. Dunnington were the charter members. Later meetings were held in the Dunnington home. In 1868 the Rev. Mr. Young of Upshur came to Weston and held a series of meetings. Later on permis- sion was secured to use the old Southern Methodist church, the membership of which had gradually declined on account of the fact that most of the Methodists in Weston returned to the M. E. church. The first building was not erected until 1888. The year 1868 marked the advent of the Baptists into Weston. The church was the outgrowth of the Broad Run Baptist church. It was a struggling society for some time, but finally secured possession of the old Epis- copal church building in which to hold services. In 1876 the Catholics built a new church at the head of Second street which they occupied until 1915, when the present magnificent structure was completed. The next denomination to be represented in Weston was the Methodist Protestants. Members of the church had for a long time been trying to awaken enough inter- est in the county seat to have a church regularly organ- ized. Ministers from the Lewis corcuit occasionally preached in the town, but all efforts were in vain until 1880 when the society seems to have been organized. A resolution of the Lewis circuit in that year directed a committee to purchase the property of the M. £. Church South, but the court refused to confirm the sale. The use of the building was secured for services alter- nately with the Presbyterians in 1882. The Weston mis- sion was established by the conference in 1881 and the Rev. A. T. Cralle sent as pastor. The Rev. L A. Barnes became pastor the next year and arrangements were be- gun to erect a building on the lot purchased at the cor- ner of Third and Center. The corner stone was laid in 1883, and the building was completed and ready for ser- vices by the first of the year 1887. Jane Lew experienced a rapid development follow- ing the Civil war, owing largely to the rich agricultural district around it. Marble works were established in 1872. In 1877 a census of the town showed two stores, two drug stores, a tannery, a saddler's shop, a wagon shop, a pottery, a tailor shop, a flouring mill, a good school and a church. All this in spite of the fact that the village of Berlin had come into existence with a post- office, a store and a place to sell liquors. A number of small towns received their first im- petus immediately following the close of the war due to the energy and foresight of George J. Arnold in establish- ing a line of hotels at strategic locations. The first of these was on the Gauley Bridge turnpike near the foot of the hill on the Rush run side in 1866. Rushville, as it was called, never consisted of more than two houses, but within a year or two a postoffice had been established there. Another hotel was the famous Valley House, about a half mile below the present Arnold Station. He established the Indian Farm Hotel at Arnold Station, 1890. Partly as a result of the settlement of the Irish on Sand fork a postofftce was established at Beall's Mills in the early 'seventies. Freeman's Creek district con- tinued to be without a postoffice with the exception of the one at Leading creek, until about 1872. A store was established at the mouth of Isaac's fork of Fink in the 'seventies, at which Fink Creek postoffice was estab- lished and which formed the nucleus of the later village in the early 'seventies. Freeman's Creek district con- of Churchville. Lower Fink creek continued to be un- developed for the most part, though the exceptional fer- tility of the soil was recognized. The lumbering industry is responsible for the present town of Vandalia. A large sawmill was located there about 1876, which soon brought two stores, a blacksmith shop, a shoe shop, a cabinet mill and a planing mill. The name Austin was given to the town in honor of one of the residents, and when the name was changed to Vandalia in honor of the wife of a postmaster, there was almost a neighborhood row. The village of Roanoke appeared with startling sud- denness in the year of 1871 under the general manage- ment of William A. Watson, who performed the func- tions of mayor, chief of police and town council. Lum- bering operations, a mill, and a store owned by Charles A. Horner are largely responsible for bringing the town into existence, and its excellent location has made its po- sition secure. The name was given it by the editor of the Weston Democrat in honor of John Randolph of Roanoke. "The musty old village of Jacksonville" con- tinued to maintain its position as the political and com- mercial center of Battelle district. About 1868 Captain George I. Davisson established a store in the village with a stock of goods superior to that found in most of the stores of Weston. The store building which he erect- ed was by far the largest in the country. In the ca- pacious wareroom he stored all his goods which were hauled from Clarksburg in the summer when the roads were good. Into the wareroom also went the produce of the richest farms in a district which was called "Egypt" because of its productivity. People came all the way from Beverly in Randolph County to buy corn at the store during a period of scarcity there. At one time three thousand bushels of wheat were taken in trade, to be hauled to Clarksburg and from there shipped to Bal- timore. Although the village had not yet voted dry it boasted that it was more advanced than the county seat because no hogs were allowed to roam the streets. Walkersville in 1869 reported that over two hun- dred acres of land had lately been cleared on two farms adjoining the village, forcing the squirrels to the hill- tops and depriving the foxes of brush thickets in which to hide. There were then seven residences, a store, a hotel, conducted by Schuyler Moon, a blacksmith shop, a tannery, a shoe shop, a cabinet shop and a school in the village. Walkersville was a sort of center for the temperance movement in the district, the people having sent a petition to the county court asking that no license be granted. On the left fork of the river about a mile and one-fourth above Walkersville, a mill was estab- lished by one Bunten which was to form the nucleus for a later rival of Walkersville. Settlers had penetrated to the extreme southern limits of the county by the beginning of the war, and by 1880 they were in "Shoestring" in sufficient numbers to justify the establishment of two postoffices, one at Da- vis, (now Wildcat), and the other at Little Wild Cat. Lower Oil creek and Clover fork began to feel the pulse of progress after the war, partly as a result of an awak- ening of the people to the richness of their lands, partly on account of the lumber development at Burnsville. Judge Gideon D. Camden in 1869 divided his Oil creek lands into hundred-acre tracts which he sold to his for- mer tenants. A Frenchman named Laforme established a store on Oil creek below the present site of Orlando in anticipation of a rush of business which would follow the proposed development of the oil on Oil creek. Though Weston by this time had daily mails, other towns in the interior of the state were forced to depend upon weekly or semi-weekly mails at the best. In 1870 Porter M. Camp left Weston on Monday morning with mail that had come by stage from Clarksburg. He stop- ped at Bush's Mills (now Roanoke), Jacksonville, Knawl, Bulltown, Flatwoods and Sutton the first day. The next day he went to Summersville in Nicholas County. Wednesday he started on the return trip to Weston, reaching the town on Thursday evening. On Friday morning he went to Sutton, returning Saturday on the "short trip." An important organization which was formed in 1870 was the Lewis County Medical association which did much to discourage quacks and to improve sanitary conditions. At about the same time the board of supervisors of the county completely revolutionized the methods of caring for the poor. Up to and including 1869 it was the practice to bind out paupers in lots to suit anyone who might be in need of additional help. Under such a system supervision of the poor was impossible and adequate care depended largely on the party to whom a pauper was bound out. The county purchased a farm on Stone Coal creek, erected the necessary build- ings to house all the poor of the county, and collected them there under the care of a contractor. He has not always been chosen for the position because he was the lowest bidder, but unfortunately he was generally so. The paupers were provided with work to do on the farm, which was healthful and invigorating when they could be induced to do it. The new scheme proved to be much better in every way than the old. One of the tasks set for the local officials of the new State of West Virginia was to put in operation the free school system which had been provided for in the state constitution and in statutes passed at succeeding ses- sions of the Legislature. Tobias Musser of Broad run who had been a rather prominent teacher before the war was elected first county superintendent of Lewis County. He began his work in 1865 with five inexperienced boards of education in the townships to deal with. Only two buildings out of all the old-field schools were taken over by the county; few teachers with experience could be secured; and the boards of education had supplied no furniture. The new superintendent advised with the township boards as to the best manner of appropriating their first year's levy. Owing to the fact that the build- ing funds were insufficient to erect all the proper build- ings needed the first year, especially in view of the high prices then prevailing for lumber it was determined to resort to log houses for the emergency. Six log school houses were completed the first year, fourteen others were under construction and the remainder of the build- ings were ready for occupancy by the fall of 1867. The new superintendent and some members of the boards of education insisted upon blackboards, which were a nov- elty in the old subscription schools and which were usually of pale color under the free schools for many vears. In the remainder of the school districts where ic was impossible to erect new buildings, old houses wert either rented or donated by their owners for the purpose, so that about fifty schools were in session the first win- ter. The superintendent visited most of the schools the first session, gave advice to the teachers, and sometimes "where he thought it expedient addressed the school on the importance of education, and the happy results of the benefits of a Free School system." Seven years after the inauguration of the free school system in the county, there were nine frame and two log schools in Willey township. The log structures were not inviting, and they were replaced as soon as possi- ble. In Sheridan township, though the settlement was newer, commendable progress had been made in educa- tion, and three frame and nine log buildings had been constructed. In Battelle township nineteen schools were in existence, but they were in session only two months on account of the failure of the board of education to levy for school purposes. In Lincoln and Jane Lew townships greater progress had been made, practically all the log buildings having been replaced. Interest in schools in the country districts was at such a high level that in 1873 a high school was proposed for the county. The town of Weston was much slower in organizing its free school system than the country districts. There were many opponents of free schools among the citi- zens of the town, and a long controversy between propo- nents of parochial and free public schools resulted in de- laying the establishment of free schools. The school which had for several years been taught in the basement of the Catholic church opened as usual, and continued until 1869, if not later. A young ladies' seminary was conducted by Miss Brown on Center street during the reconstruction period. The first free school, partly sup ported by private individuals, was opened under Prof. George W. Crook in a frame building opposite the Epis- copal church. He was assisted by Miss Ella Hall, Miss Mary Hamilton and Miss Etta Barnes. In 1869 the board of education purchased a lot on Main street from George Ross, and the school was con- ducted in a residence there the next year. The small size of the lot and the unsuitability of the old residence for school purposes led the new board of education to sell it in 1871 and to purchase the property at the corner of Court and Third, which had once been used for a school. Plans were drawn up for an eight-room build- ing, 70 by 45 feet. The contract for its construction was let to P. M. Hale in the fall of 1871, and the building was completed the following year. So well was the work done that it has continued to be used for school pur- poses to the present time. The controversy concerning the relative merits of private schools and free schools came to an end in the fall of 1869 when the trustees of the Peabody fund offered to the board of education the sum of $300 if they would keep one hundred white children in school, or $600 if they would keep two hundred white children, m their eagerness to secure the proffered aid the people of the town forgot their differences and sent all their children to the school, except for a few young men who attend- ed school under Prof. Donegan in the basement of the old Catholic church. At the time of the completion of the new building in 1872, the board of education in Wes- ton had an income of $3,600 including $600 from the Peabody fund. The following named educators have been at the head of the free schools of Weston: C. B. Whitman, Samuel Steele, Loyal Young, Edwin S. B and, Louis Bennett, James J. Peterson, Prof. Crippen, H. H. Clark, J. E. Connelly, H. C. Lawson, Meigs Bland, T. W. Ilale, Dr. George Edmiston, J. W. Bonner, J. E. Galford, F. L. Burdette, Buchanan White, E. H. Knabenshue and Frank R. Yoke. -----------------------------------------------------------