U.S. Data Repository -- USGenNet Inc. -- Please read the U.S. Data Repository Copyright Statement on the following page: Chapter XVII, THE FIRST STEAMBOAT-- THE BANKS OF MARION COUNTY-- JOURNALISM IN THE COUNTY. On the 11th of February, 1850, the first steamboat that ever followed the Monongahela river to its head arrived at Fairmont. It was called the Globe, and its appearance created intense excitement among the citizens. Fairmont is the proper head of navigation of the Ohio river, for it is here that the Monongahela is formed by the confluence of the two smaller streams, the Tygart's Valley and West Fork rivers; and the Globe, in making the trip, proved successfully that the river was navigable to this point. At various times during several years following, other boats came this far up the river. and during, the high water of 1852, the Thomas P. Ray and others made regular trips for some time. It was no unusual thing for the Fairmont newspapers of those days to contain reports like the following, which are clipped from the True Virginian of March 13th and April 10th, 1852, respectively: "PORT OF FAIRMONT. "ARRIVAL, MARCH 6TH, "Steamer Thos. P. Ray, departed same day. "Our town was cheered with the welcome whistle of the Steamer Thomas P. Ray, on Saturday last. The river, though unusually high for boats to run above the slack water, seemed to offer little resistance to her powerful engines. The trip was made in less time, we are informed, than any boat that has preceded her. Her principal lading was salt and whisky." "PORT OF FAIRMONT. "The favorite Steamer, Thomas P. Ray, Captain Hughes, arrived on Wednesday, the 7th inst., about 10 o'clock in the evening, with a heavy cargo of groceries, salt and merchandise of different descriptions for various persons. "She left this port on Thursday morning about 10 O'clock with tobacco from Logan & Carr's and other articles of traffic. The Thomas P. Ray is a finely finished boat, and the officers are spoken of as gentlemen and are accommodating men," The most recent arrivals of this kind at the "Port of Fairmont" were the West Virginia, a small boat, which landed July 5th, 1873, and returned to Morgantown the same evening, and the Elector, a large side-wheel steamer, arriving January 24th, 1876, and departing the following day. The arrival of the Globe aroused considerable enthusiasm in the breasts of the people of Marion county on the subject of slack-water. Meetings were held, and steps taken to secure permanent navigation. Major O'Bannon, editor of the Democratic Banner, agitated the question in the columns of his paper, and took a strong personal interest in the matter. A company was formed called the Monongahela Navigation Company, and books were opened to subscriptions of stock, Major O'Bannon, making journeys to Pittsburgh, Wheeling, Baltimore and other places, delivering addresses before the Boards of Trade, and endeavoring to interest capitalists in the project. The matter did not receive sufficient and substantial encouragement from the people of the county, however, and the enterprise soon fell through. The following, clipped from a lengthy editorial on the subject in the Banner, will show how the press labored to secure slack-water; and the reader may infer from it that the citizens did not encourage the thing as they should--after the excitement incident to the arrival of the Globe had worn off. "Improve this river, and this place becomes at once the grand entrepot for all the trade on the line of the railroad for thirty or forty miles, and south of us for fifty miles, intended for the Pittsburgh market, and all the trade within striking distance of the river, intended for Baltimore. This is not all: this place becomes the mart for the entire region of country south and south-west, and north and north-east of this for some forty miles. Real estate within ten miles of this river, would immediately advance from twenty-five to fifty per cent. Omit to make this improvement and that same property is bound to depreciate in the same ratio. Is it not time then for the people to wake up? We would like to see a lively interest felt and evinced on the subject. Too great lethargy has been resting on the people in relation to this matter. There is too much at stake to slumber over!" In the year 1853, and the month of October, the First National Bank of Fairmont was organized as a State Stock Bank. It was afterwards, in 1858, changed to a free banking system, with Oliver Jackson as President, and Thomas F. Conaway, Cashier. It was made a National Bank on the 2d of April, 1865, with Jacob C. Beeson as President; and Joseph E. Sands, Cashier. The handsome banking house and cashier's residence now occupied by the bank, was erected in 1875, at a cost of $35,000. The Mountain City Bank began business August 1st, 1874. In 1875 the Farmer's Bank, of Fairmont, began business with William Ridgely as President, and Jacob N. Gould, Cashier, the latter gentleman having been previous to this time a teller in the First National Bank. These are the only banks in the county. The first newspaper issued in Marion county was published at Fairmont, and called the Marion County Pioneer, Lindsey Boggess, editor and proprietor, and afterwards R. Fulton Cooper took charge of it. It was issued about the year 1840. This was followed by the Baptist Recorder, of which Dr. W. D. Eyster was publisher and proprietor, Joseph Walker, editor, and Daniel S. Morris, printer. Then came the Democratic Banner, edited and published by Morris, which commenced publication in March, 1850. Mr. Morris sold the Banner in 1851 to A. J. O'Bannon, who In a short time changed the name of the paper to The True Virginian and Advertiser, associating with him in the publication Benjamin F. Beall. Afterwards Beall's interest was transferred to George P. Morgan, when the last part of the name was dropped, it being called then simply The True Virginian. W. F. Drinkard purchased the paper in 1853, and continued to publish it until 1861, when it ceased to exist. During the last years of its existence William MacDonnell, celebrated for his humorous style of writing, was the local editor. The political complexion of the paper was Democratic. In 1853 the Fairmont Republican was issued by J. M. Scrogin, and edited by Dr. W. W. Granger, during the following year. Next the Methodist Protestant Sentinel made its appearance, conducted by Dr. D. B. Dorsey, then by Rev. Samuel Young. In 1862, Col. A. F. Ritchie launched upon the sea of journalism the Fairmont National, whose corps of editors comprised J. T. BenGough, J. N. Boyd and Timothy B. Taylor. Then followed, in 1866, the Vedette, a Republican paper, edited and published by J. N. Boyd and Timothy B. Taylor, in turn, who disposed of the paper to Josiah Dillon, who changed the name to The West Virginian, and it was afterwards purchased by Henry W. Rook and Charles M. Shinn. In 1873, Mr. Shinn assumed entire control of the journal, and in 1875 sold it to the present proprieters, A. H. Fleming and Lamar C. Powell. The paper is now in a prosperous condition, and is the organ of the Republican party of Marion county. The office was destroyed in the great fire of 1876. A new one was speedily purchased by the proprietors, and the paper continued, being much improved in appearance by reason of its new dress. After the suspension of the True Virginian, in 1861, the Democratic party of Marion county had no paper again until 1870, when the Liberalist was started by Fontain Smith & Son, who in a few weeks disposed of it to J. R. Grove. James Morrow, jr., then became its editor and William S. Haymond its local editor. The Liberalist lived barely through the Presidential campaign of 1872. In February. 1874, Major W. P. Cooper commenced the publication of the Fairmont Index, which has since been the organ of the Marion county Democracy. In April, 1876, the fire which destroyed the West Virginian office, likewise almost totally burned the Index material. The little that was saved from the flames, together with the books of the office, and the good will of the business, were purchased of Major Cooper by Clarence L. Smith and George A. Dunnington, who continued the publication of the sheet, enlarging it to its present proportions. In February, 1877, after having conducted the paper through the Presidential campaign of 1876, Smith and Dunnington disposed of the Index to the present proprietors. William A. Ohley and Albert J. Dick. This paper has also quite recovered from the effects of the fire, and the Democratic party can at last boast of one organ which is permanently established. The Mannington Ventilator, an Independent paper, was published by E. S. Zeveley in 1875 and 1876, but it did not live but a portion of each year. The West Virginia Real Estate Journal, published monthly at Fairmont by Thomas H. B. Staggers and Charles J. Corbin, was started in August, 1879, and is the latest Journalistic venture in the county. It is principally devoted to the real estate interests of Marion and surrounding counties. With this last exception all the journals mentioned above have been weeklies. The only daily paper that has ever been published in the county was the Normal School Daily, published by R. S. Miller and W. S. Meredith, at Fairmont, during the progress of commencement at that institution in June, 1879.