U.S. Data Repository http://www.us-data.org/ -- USGenNet Inc. -- Please read the U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statementon the following page: ----------------------------------------------------------- CHAPTER XXVIII. TWENTY YEARS' PROGRESS, 1880-1900 The history of the development of Lewis County during the period from 1880 to 1900 is largely a survey if the improvements resulting from the building of rail- roads. So far as the country districts are concerned, there was a greater development than during any period of similar length in the history of the county. The ef- fect upon the county seat was equally as great. The rail- road made it possible for Weston to be a manufacturing center and thus laid the foundations for an extensive growth. How rapid this growth was in the half dozen years following the completion of the narrow gauge may be inferred from the fact that in 1885, the Weston post- office was one of seven presidential offices in West Vir- ginia. The construction of the state hospital was no longer the most extensive industry of Weston. From the crude beginning of the manufacture of grain, lumber and wool- en goods for home consumption the industry was grad- ually extended until in 1900 it had attained respectable proportions. A handle factory was established in 1882, and a planing mill the next year. The Jackson planing mill passed into the hands of Atchison Brothers within a few years. Lewellen's carriage factory did a thriving business from the date of its establishment, and it later shared the field with William McGann, whose factory was opened in the 'eighties. Some of the wagons still in use in the county were made at the McGann shop. In 1888 the factory of the Horseshoe Bedspring Com- pany was located in Weston. It supplied a market in Lewis and adjoining counties. The Herb Medicine Com- pany, manufacturers of Lightning hot drops, liniments and other patent medicines invented by John Morrow., began business in Weston. The stock was owned by Morrow, John Ruhl, and John and Jacob Koblegard. The business was moved to Springfield, Ohio, in 1892. Its place in the patent medicine field at Weston was taken by the Dupont Medicine Company which had a brief existence. Shortly after the completion of the railroad to the permanent depot on Second street, John Ruhl and the Koblegard brothers established a wholesale grocery bus- iness under the name of Ruhl, Koblegard and Co., which usurped the place formerly held by Clarksburg establish- ments in distributing groceries to the stores of Lewis and adjoining counties. In 1885, new machinery was installed in the woolen mills in West Weston in preparation for an increased trade. The factory had hardly resumed operations when it was totally destroyed by fire. The loss was estimated at $20,000 and the proprietors were unable to secure suffi- cient capital to rebuild the plant. They purchased the old Jackson mill property, intending to fit out the old mill as a combined grist and woolen mill, but abandoned the idea, presumably on account of the difficulty in es- tablishing adequate means of transportation to and from Weston. In this period Weston experienced one of the great- est building booms in the history of the town. Grad- ually the old frame buildings were removed from the Main street and their places were taken by substantial brick structures. The greater number of business blocks now standing on Main avenue were erected in the ten years following the widening of the gauge of the rail- road. A building ordinance was adopted in 1889, which forbade the erection of wooden buildings within certain limits. The R. P. Camden Hotel, which at the time of its construction was one of the most modern and con- venient hotels in the state, was opened to the public in 1896. In 1892 the population of Weston was more than 2,000. A survey of the business of the town in 1893 showed that Weston had nine dry goods stores, seven grocery stores, three drug stores, two jewelry stores, three saddle and harness shops, seven milliners, one tail- four meat markets, four hotels, four restaurants, eight saloons, three livery stables, two furniture stores, five barber shops, three tinners, four blacksmith shops, two opera houses, two banks, three newspapers, a wholesale house, seven or eight manufacturing establishments, railroad shops and main offices, and the principal office of the Clarksburg, Weston and Buckhannon Express Company. The first permanent improvements on the streets of Weston were made in 1891 when a short stretch of Main street above Second was paved with brick. The paving was paid for out of the proceeds of an increased levy and a larger tax on saloons. The council earlier in the year had submitted to the people the proposition to issue bonds to the amount of $25,000 for the paving of streets and the installation of a sewerage system but it failed to receive the requisite three-fifths vote. The paving has been gradually extended, a short stretch being improved each year, until now practically all the important streets of Weston have been paved with brick. The work has been carefully done throughout; so that the streets are far better than those of a majority of the cities and towns of the state. In 1890 a company was organized by local capital- ists to construct an electric light plant and thus relieve the people of their dependence on kerosene lamps both for street lights and for lighting their dwellings. The plant was built in its present location later in the same year, the machinery was installed, the houses were wired, and on 1 April 1891, the current was turned on. The plant was destroyed by fire in 1893, but was immediately rebuilt. It has since continued to give efficient service to the people of the town. The electric light company also constructed and op- erated the waterworks of Weston. For years the sub- ject had been agitated on account of the great amount of sickness due to the use of wells and cisterns in the heart of the town as well as the inconvenience of the old methods of obtaining water. Shortly after the organiz- ation of the electric light company, it was pointed out that the operation of the waterworks could logically be carried on by the new company by reason of the fact that the machinery of the plant would run only at night. During the day it could be used in pumping water. The construction of a reservoir on the hill and the laying of the mains would be the only new items of expense for the company, and its expensive machinery could be made to serve the public for twenty-four hours instead of for twelve. Some difficulty was experienced in securing a franchise. A. bond issue to construct waterworks by the municipality was authorized by the voters in 1893, but the election was declared invalid by reason of a technic- ality. In 1895 it was proposed that a public supply should be obtained from wells drilled to a sufficient depth to insure a good flow of water. Finally a supply was se- cured through the electric light plant. The source was the West Fork river, from which the supply of the state hospital was also drawn. Many contests took place be- tween the workmen of the hospital and those of the elec- tric light plant to secure the scanty amount which flowed in the channel of the West Fork in midsummer. At times there was less water than was required by the people. The condition was so unsatisfactory to the offi- cials of the state hospital that they asked the Legisla- ture to abandon the West Fork supply and appropriate funds for the drilling of artesian wells. The city plant was thus left alone in possession of the river. They have made the supply more certain at all seasons of the year by the construction of a dam at Bendale which impounds more than a million gallons of water to be used when the flow of the river is greatly diminished. There has at times been much complaint against the waterworks on account of the impurities found in the city water. The watershed of the West Fork river above Weston is rather densely populated, with the natural re- sult that much organic waste finds its way into the river. A few years ago, a filtration system, similar to some which had done excellent service in other towns, was in- stalled, but it has not been equal to the tremendous task of removing the suspended matter in the turbid West Fork. At times within the past year it has failed to function properly. The installation of the waterworks was followed al- most immediately by the establishment of a sewerage system. For years the project had been agitated in the press and at public meetings. In the special election of 1890, in which it was proposed to bond the town for the construction of a sewerage system, the measure failed. Again in 1896 the proposition was before the people, but again it failed. A survey of the entire town was ordered to be made in 1897 in preparation for the submission of a new ordinance. Sewers were laid soon afterwards. Unfortunately the work has been prosecuted without plan and without method. No account was taken of the fu- ture needs of the town. The ditches were dug for the sewers, the tile was laid and then covered, and no map or indication of the location of the sewers was left, ex- cept the memory of the inhabitants. The difficulty of making repairs has been greatly increased as a result. Practically all the sewers were made to discharge into the West Fork river within the city limits instead of carrying the wastes farther down stream. The growth of the communities below Weston has now rendered im- practicable the construction of a main sewer which would discharge into the river some distance down the river. The West Fork is too small a stream to accom- plish the anaerobic decomposition of the sewage of a town the size of Weston, and the stench arising from the channel in the summer is a nuisance to the residents of the valley below the town. The division of the sew- erage system into two sections, one for storm sewage and the other for sanitary sewage, and the construction of a plant for the disposal of the latter class is one of the immediate needs of the city. The Westonite of the early 'nineties did not have to depend upon electric light, for he might use natural gas instead. Coal for domestic use was largely superseded by gas in 1893 when a line was run from the Big Isaac well, twelve miles away, by the Weston Gas Company, The service was satisfactory, but after a few years, the high rates charged caused much complaint, especially about 1898 when the owners published notice of an in- crease. Relief was secured from the establishment of a competing business. Rates were so reduced in the brief contest which followed that Weston enjoyed cheaper rates than any other town in the state — twenty-five cents per fire per month, regardless of the amount of gas con- sumed. The rates were too low to allow a reasonable profit. An agreement was reached, and the two com- panies published simultaneously a notice of increase. A few years ago meters were installed and patrons were charged with what they consumed instead of the old flat rate. The innovation was strenuously objected to. Telephones were introduced into Lewis County at the very beginning of the period, and lines had been ex- tended to all parts of the county by the opening of the new century. The first telephones in the county were not at the county seat. John Beeghley, in the early 'eighties, was the owner of a chain of stores in northern Lewis and southern Harrison counties. The delay in communication between stores was very annoying and even costly at times. Soon after the telephone was placed on the market, he built a line connecting the stores, one of which was at Lightburn. His neighbors were quick to realize the advantages of the telephone and they requested permission to connect with the Beeghley line. The merchant determined to take up the telephone business on a commercial basis. He extended his lines in all directions until within a surprisingly short time connection was established with all parts of the county. Meanwhile the people of Weston had been trying to work out some scheme by which they might secure tele- phone service. In 1885 the General Telephone Company was organized with Jacob Koblegard as president and "James B. Finster as secretary. This company was later reorganized as the Weston Central Telephone Company in 1888. Several telephones were installed in different places of business in Weston, and a line was run to Glen- ville by the company. By 1895 John Beeghley's system had grown to such an extent that he found it expedient to establish connection in Weston. He therefore leased for five years the plant of the Weston Central company, and before his lease had expired, arranged to consolidate the two companies into the United Telephone system. At the time of the merger there were eighty telephones on the Beeghley lines and about thirty in the Weston system. The formation of the new company caused a great improvement in the service and greatly extended the use of the telephone not only in business houses, but also to private residences. Practically all property- holders in Weston soon leased telephones. The service was further improved by arrangements made for switch- board connections with systems in adjoining counties. The Bell system entered the field at the beginning of the century, and established a long distance service far superior to that of the United system Its local service was never comparable to that of the Beeghley lines on account of the larger number of subscribers of the latter company in Weston. In 1903 the People's United Tele- phone system, a co-operative company, was incorporated, and within three years it had extended its lines into prac- tically every section of the county, with instruments even in log houses situated far from the ordinary course of travel. Weston now had three systems, the Beegh- ley still predominating, but the others having a consider- able number of subscribers. Early in 1917 the Bell company absorbed the Beeghley lines, to the great im- provement of the service. Several other improvements accomplished during the period deserve mention. The Machpelah cemetery was laid off in 1882, the earlier burying grounds being no longer sufficient. A library was established by the women of Weston under the leadership of Dr. Harriet B. Jones about 1891. The Australian ballot was intro- duced in the election of municipal officers in 1896. The old covered bridge across the West Fork at Weston was replaced by an iron bridge in 1890. The footbridge across the river opposite the entrance to the hospital grounds was completed in 1897. Main street was ex- tended from First street to the electric light plant, thug vindicating, after three-fourths of a century, the wisdom of Edward Jackson in laying off the town. Weston had aspirations to become the seat of a college when the West Virginia Conference of the Meth- odist Episcopal church voted to establish the West Vir- ginia Conference Seminary. At a public meeting in 1887 the advantages of securing the college — that it would enable parents to educate their children near home, increase the local demand for goods, bring in pro- fessors and students, and augment the population of the town by at least two hundred people — were pointed out, and committees were designated to solicit subscriptions. Weston offered $3,000 and, a site; but Buckhannon, which offered twice as much, secured the institution. The action of the board is said to have been influenced also by the large number of saloons in Weston, while Buckhannon had none. In 1894 the Weston College of Commerce and School of Shorthand opened its doors to students. Buchanan White was president; D. M. Willis, principal, and Miss Lela Dew and Miss Gertrude Randolph, teachers. The existence of the school was very brief. A little progress was made in the public schools of the town. In 1885-6 a new building, known as the "An- nex", was erected. Ten years later the city schools were completely divorced from those of the country by the passage of a special act by the Legislature forming the Weston Independent District as it now is. The old courthouse, built in 1856-7, was destroyed in 1886 by a fire commonly thought to have been of incen- diary origin. Fortunately most of the records of the county escaped injury. Beginning about 1890 there was a remarkable change in the agricultural interests of the county. Wool growing, which had occupied the attention of the ma- jority of the farmers from the period of the Civil war, began to be unprofitable about the year 1886 owing to the competition of growers on the western ranches and in Australia and the Argentine. Appeals for a protective duty by the wool growers of America were unsuccessful until the passage of the McKinley bill in 1890. In order to bolster up the declining industry, Andrew Edmiston. then representing Lewis County in the House of Dele- gates, secured the passage of a stringent dog law. It was soon repealed on account of the storm of opposition which it evoked from the owners of dogs. The price of wool dropped quickly after the passage of the Wilson bill in 1893, and farmers in Lewis County lost interest in sheep raising to a great degree. The breeds of sheep became badly mixed and the quality of the wool de- teriorated. Wool growing never recovered. Though many sheep are now kept in the county, the principal object is to sell lambs rather than wool. Cattle raising became easily the leading agricultural industry of the county after 1892. The breeds were im- proved somewhat, and greater attention paid to the se- lection of stock. Dehorning was begun about 1894. At first considered as a harmless craze, taken up by farm- ers who wished to improve the appearance of their herds, it gradually made its way into universal favor. The feel- ing that dehorning was cruel, and the fact that cattle lost weight after the operation was one of the causes which led to the introduction of Aberdeen-Angus cattle into the county. They have found favor among farmers because they mature quickly. At present they are about one-half as numerous as the Herefords. Interest in better farming methods was increased by farmers' institutes which have been held annually in the county since 1890. The first institute was held in Wes- ton under the leadership of D D. Johnson of the state board of agriculture. The officers elected were : Presi- dent, A. W. Woodford; vice-president, Jasper Peterson , secretary, G. M Chidester; and treasurer, W. B. McGary. The completion of the narrow gauge railroad to Wes- ton was the signal for redoubled efforts in lumbering. Much of the poplar timber of Court House and Collins Settlement districts was cut, sawed and hauled to Wes- ton for shipment. Some of the lumber was hauled a dis- tance of twenty-five miles. The construction of the rail- road toward Sutton greatly increased the exploitation of timber in the upper end of the county, and completely changed the character of that section. A railroad construction camp on the farm of A. A. Brown became a rather important shipping point for lumber from Skin creek. In 1891 it had become known as Brownsville, and had a store, a postoffice and six res- idences. Roanoke became the center for the shipment of lum- ber from Sand fork. Canoe run and even from upper Skin creek. Thomas Feeney established a store in the vil- lage in order to share in the increased trade. David B. Cook began the publication of the "Willing Worker", a paper devoted to the interests of prohibition. In later years Roanoke became the shipping point for all the live stock of Collins Settlement district, due to its superior facilities. Arnold Station, near the old "Indian Carrying Place," became, next to Weston, perhaps the most im- portant shipping point for lumber in the county. There George J. Arnold established a store and the last of his chain of hotels, "The Indian Farm Hotel." At the point where the river approaches nearest the station, Presley Beach and others constructed a boom in the river and established a mill which sawed several hundred thousand feet of lumber from logs floated down the river. Farther up the stream sawmills moved from farm to farm sawing all the available timber to be hauled on wagons at Arnold. Near Bunten's mill at the mouth of Laurel run, a large sawmill was established which con- tinued in operation for several years. The village which grew up about the mills was called Millville by its in- habitants, though residents of Walkersville called' it "Pinhook". Millville citizens retaliated by dubbing the rival village "Slabtown". The name of Millville was later changed to Crawford in honor of Presley Crawford. On the right fork, a sawmill gave the first real prosperity to Ireland, which had previously consisted of a store and postoffice. Duffy, on Glady fork, was founded in this period. The construction of the railroad caused a town to spring up at the mouth of Clover fork. The location was recognized as of strategic importance in gaining the trade formerly enjoyed by Burnsville, and by the time the railroad was completed, it had three stores, two in Braxton and one in Lewis. Though Freeman's creek district did not secure a railroad, it shared in the general development which the better means of transportation brought to Lewis County. Perhaps the most ambitious improvement was the vil- lage of Franklin, now Churchville, which grew up in the early eighties around a store at the mouth of Isaac's fork of Fink. Its promoters declared their intention to make it the business center of the district and of a much wider territory as well. For a time it seemed as though the dreams of the founders would be realized. By 1891 there were four stores, operated respectively by Bond and Company, John Hushion, G. A. Kemper and Company and Lovett and Flesher: a blacksmith shop, a wagon shop, a mill, a saddler's shop, and a printing shop, which published the Churchville Hustler. Members of the Baptist, United Brethren and Methodist Protestant churches, eager to place their denominations first in the field, established congregations and erected churches. The name Franklin was already borne by another post- office, and when an office was to be established there, the most appropriate name seemed to be Churchville. Farther down Fink creek the undeveloped territory began to come in touch with the world through the con- struction of a road along the creek, and through the es- tablishment of two stores around which villages grew up later — Vadis, named for Sienkewicz's masterpiece, and Hurst, for the earliest settler on the creek. Leading creek the old centers were overshadow- ed by Alum Bridge, which in 1894 was said to have "more improvements and fewer inhabitants than any other village in the district." It had three stores, a flouring mill, a sawmill, a wagon shop, and telephone and postal service. -----------------------------------------------------------