Marlinton Journal

 

Summary

The source provides a fascinating glimpse into life in Pocahontas County, West Virginia, during the late 1920s. Presented as a compilation of brief news snippets, advertisements, and community announcements from the "Marlinton Journal," the source offers a fragmented yet vivid portrait of everyday life in the county. Readers encounter a range of topics, including local politics, sporting events, social gatherings, agricultural matters, and the activities of community organizations. The abundance of personal names and the detailed accounts of seemingly mundane occurrences emphasize the tight-knit nature of the community and highlight the importance of local events in the lives of its residents. Ultimately, the source allows for a unique form of historical insight, piecing together a broader narrative of rural life during this period through its seemingly disparate parts.

 

C. J. Richardson sells hardware. C. J. Richardson is giving away a new Ford sedan to the public. In the past, Richardson has given away more than one car.

The name of the local newspaper is The Marlinton Journal.

Rev. J. A. Arthur will preach at Mt. Zion on January 20th.

 

Uriah Bird died of the flu. He was a resident of Frost, Point Mountain. His wife, whose first name was not mentioned, but whose maiden name was Hudson, had been sick for about 10 days before his death. Physicians were unable to save her and she died the night before Uriah. Uriah was survived by his wife and six children.

 

Uriah Bird was 55 years old when he died. Uriah Bird, a resident of Minnehaha who worked in the mines, died from influenza after a short illness. Physicians believed that Uriah's poor health made him more susceptible to the disease. Uriah was the son-in-law of Squire J. L. Hudson of Durbin. Six of his children were still alive at the time of his death.

 

Seebert O. Fisher of Valley Head, Randolph County, was instantly killed while working in the woods at the West Virginia Pulp & Paper Co.'s Hickory Lick operation on February 24th. He was killed when a log pulling a trolley overhead fell on him. Fisher was 40 years old.

 

Summers Sharp was convicted of the crime of Moonshining. Summers Sharp was convicted in the October Term, 1927 of the Circuit Court of Pocahontas County. He was sentenced to imprisonment in the West Virginia Penitentiary for two years. An application for the pardon of Summers Sharp was to be filed with A. G. Jenkins, Pardon Attorney, Charleston, W. Va., on or about December 21, 1928.

 

The Green Bank High School basketball team lost to Sutton High School at a tournament held in Philippi. The Green Bank boys returned home on Saturday. The Green Bank High School girls' basketball team won a game against Marlinton High School played on the local floor Saturday night. The final score was 26-22 in favor of Green Bank. The Green Bank graded basketball team, consisting of boys from the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades, was defeated by the "Midgets" from Greenbrier Military School last Tuesday night.

 

A. H. McFerrin is the Recorder for the Town of Marlinton.

 

J. Elmer Moore withdrew his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for sheriff in favor of Mr. Ruckman. A card from Moore announcing the withdrawal was published in the source document, but there is no information on the month and year this occurred. Moore's card was published alongside articles from January and February of 1929.

 

Carl G. Beard was elected mayor of Hillsboro without opposition. The election took place on a Thursday. George L. Lark was chosen as recorder. The following people were elected councilmen:

• R. W. Rogers
• H. Spencer
• G. C. Beard
• George T. Hill
• D. Ruckman

 

The provided sources do not explicitly state what denomination the church in Dunmore is.

Mrs. Alice Carpenter of Dunmore, West Virginia, was selling 50 acres of land with a house and outbuildings located one mile from a post office, school, church, and store.

 

Burley Wilfong suffered from a kidney condition. Wilfong was an employee of the Marlin Lumber Co. and was admitted to the hospital on January 6. After receiving medication, his condition improved.

 

C. J. Richardson's Buick sedan was stolen from in front of the Marlin-Sewell hotel. The theft occurred around 10 p.m. when Craig Richardson, C. J.'s son, parked the car beside the hotel. When he returned a few minutes later, the car was gone. The State Police caught up to the thief near Droop, but the thief got away.

 

Amos Tharp was convicted of possessing liquor. The case was heard in the court of Hickman, and a verdict was reached. Tharp pled guilty and gave a bond to appear at the October term to receive his sentence.

 

Lanty Hogsett was arrested in Marlinton. Hogsett was under parole for possession of dope and was arrested for violating parole. He was taken to Atlanta, GA to be placed in the Federal Penitentiary.

 

Claude Warren was captain elect of the 1929 football team of Davis-Elldns College. While at Shenandoah College in Dayton, Virginia, Warren was captain of the football team in 1925. He was considered one of West Virginia's greatest athletes.

 

Mr. and Mrs. Albert Covington were afflicted with the flu. They were on their way to spend Christmas vacation with Mr. and Mrs. Tom Heard when they were detained in the Huntington hospital. While they were on the sick list, their conditions were not reported as critical.

 Dave Barrett lived on Droop Mountain.

Dave Barrett, a 63 year old man from Hillsboro, took his own life on January 2nd by shooting himself with a twelve gauge shotgun. Barrett's body was found on the front porch of his home on Droop Mountain by his child around noon. It is believed that he committed suicide around 11:00 A.M. because his body was still warm when it was discovered. Neighbors believe that Barrett tied a piece of binder twine to the trigger of the gun and to a bench so that the gun would go off when pulled forward slightly.

 

Ken Brown was Dave Barrett's son-in-law. Dave Barrett's daughter was married to Ken Brown. Barrett borrowed a gun from his daughter and son-in-law on New Year's night, claiming he needed it because a weasel was bothering his chickens. He later returned the gun and asked if he could borrow a different one. Barrett was found dead by suicide the next morning.

 

Miss Grace Beckley taught piano and organ. She had a music studio in the Eskridge Building.

 

Ethel Cunningham attended Berea College in Berea, Ky. Several other students from the area planned to attend various colleges and universities, including:

• Alfred Edgar, Edward Rexrode, and Carlisle Wade - V.P.I
• Joe Eskridge - Marshall College, Huntington
• Virginia Neel and Louise Moore - Blackstone College
• Walter Mason and Eleanor King - West Virginia University
• Ruby May Hannah and Erma McCarty - Fairmont Teachers College
• Paul Sharp - West Virginia Wesleyan
• Sterl Shrader, Clay Tallman, and Eleanor Wilson - West Virginia University
• Mary Hiner - Agnes Scott School for Girls, Atlanta, Ga.
• Florence Price and Flora McDonald - Red Springs, N.C.
• Betsy Price - William and Mary College, Williamsburg, Va.
• Helen Hunter - Randolph Macon
• Misses Helen and Louise Smith and Mary Baldwin - Staunton, Va.
• Miss Edith May - Shenandoah College, Dayton, Va.

 

The available documents do not specify what event was held at the M.E. church on the first Friday of April.

The Missionary Society of the M.E. Church, South, held a meeting on the first Friday afternoon in April with Mrs. Ellis Curry. The meeting was to take place after the business session, and delicious refreshments would be served.

 

The people of Marlinton, West Virginia voted against the sale of the municipal light and water plants. At a special election held on Tuesday, residents rejected the sale by a vote of 320 to 159.

While the provided documents don't offer any additional context about the proposed sale, such as the offered price or the potential buyer, they do highlight other developments in Marlinton during that time:

• The town was experiencing a severe flu epidemic.
• The First National Bank of Marlinton completed a new $10,000 vault.
• Residents contended with a lime shortage, with an inefficient local ice plant wasting an estimated 800 tons of ice annually.
•  

 

Faulty refrigeration in Marlinton caused 800 tons of ice to be wasted in a year. The leaky, uninsulated refrigerators do not keep out hot air. The Leonard Institute of Food Preservation compared this to "pouring water into a sieve," with the sieve being the refrigerator and the water being the ice. The American public is "literally pouring water into a sieve" because of this issue.

To reduce ice waste in refrigerators, the Leonard Institute of Food Preservation suggests consumers should purchase refrigerators based on performance as well as appearance. The Institute determined that the American public wastes millions of dollars in ice and spoils even more food each year due to poor refrigeration. This waste is due to leaky, uninsulated refrigerators that do not keep out hot air. 

The average family should use about 8,000 pounds of ice a year if their refrigerator is well insulated and the doors fit tightly. When selecting a refrigerator, one with neither the minimum nor maximum ice usage should be chosen. 

The refrigerator that uses the most ice is too costly to keep filled and will not maintain the needed temperature of 50 degrees or less. The refrigerator that uses the least ice likely has faulty circulation and will not adequately preserve food. A blanket or paper should never be used to cover ice to retard melting.

 

A panther killed fourteen lambs on George P. Edgar's Cranberry River plantation. The panther cut the throat of each lamb. There were no tracks or other signs at the scene as would be expected if the culprit had been a bear. Someone saw a panther the previous summer across the mountain from where the lambs were killed.

 

Agent Sharpe died from asphyxiation from fumes emanating from a cavern where a whiskey still was located. Another agent collapsed but was rescued by other agents.

 The text does, however, contain several mentions of medical professionals, hospitals, and health. For example, there are several "Hospital Notes" that describe patient conditions, surgeries performed by Dr. McIntosh, and the admission of patients for various ailments. Additionally, there is information about a flu epidemic affecting Marlinton and the surrounding communities.

 

There will be a play, "The Dead of Night", presented by E.D.H.S. students at the school auditorium on December 13th. This will be the first mystery play ever presented by E.D.H.S. students. Admission is 25-35 cents.

 

The reporter for the Buckeye Community is Beatrice Howard.

 

The name of the school where Mrs. Glenn Smith teaches is Dry Creek school.

 

The Beaver Dam school closed on January 20, 1928 because the Board of Education of Edray District, Pocahontas County, West Virginia declared the school discontinued, obsolete, and of no further value for school purposes. On Saturday, March 10, 1928, the Board of Education sold the Beaver Dam schoolhouse and the 3.5 acres of land it stood on to the highest bidder at a public auction at the Pocahontas County Courthouse.

 

S. C. Kincaid was almost carried away in a windstorm while walking back to his house from his wood shed on Douthards Creek. This event occurred on a Monday.

 

The Bartow man made sport of by a crowd of younger boys was Sol Rexrode. Rexrode, who was a little deranged mentally, was making imaginary arrests among the boys. The boys tormented and taunted him to the extent that he began throwing stones at them. One of the boys threw a rock that cut a bad gash in Rexrode's head. The boys then ran away while Rexrode looked for a doctor. Rexrode later reported the boys to Mayor H.H. Hudson, who held them over for the grand jury under $500.00 bond.

 

Lark Hannah spent Thanksgiving at his home on Elk. Short Fowler was visiting at Three Forks of William's River.

 

Clarence Cameron White and Leona Pearl Mallow, both of Minnehaha Springs, were married on December 6, 1928. The ceremony took place in the Methodist Parsonage in Marlinton and was officiated by Rev. S.H. Neel.

 

John Woods was the nephew of M. S. Woods of Jacox. John Woods, who was 32 years old and unmarried, died on February 26 after attempting to walk across Cold Knob to his Rock Camp home in Greenbrier county the week prior. He became lost in a snowstorm, fell over a cliff, and sustained injuries and frostbite so severe that he only survived for a week. His body was buried in Jacox.

 

Brownie McGoy taught sixth month at Beard school. The report lists Brownie McGoy as the teacher and names several students, including Elizabeth and Vlrlllola Poague and Carl Cutlip. The report also notes Mary, Ollie, Vernie, and Elmer Allman and Ida DorallO as students.

 

J. C. prepared the history of Minnehaha for the Minnehaha Community Meeting at the M. E. church on the night of November 18. The meeting also included papers on the churches and schools of Minnehaha. The community was working on a history to publish.

 

Mr. E. J. Wilson was the general chairman for the Minnehaha community. The Minnehaha community held its first meeting at the M. E. church on November 18th. The meeting featured a program by school children and papers were read on the history of the community.

 

Mary McNeel Beard died on December 27, 1928, at the age of 97. Richard McNeel and Mary Edminston were her parents.

 

The First Methodist Church bell in Durbin will be rung to signal a fire. Durbin recently installed a line water system and now has an organized fire department with 1,000 feet of hose and four hose wagons.

 

Neal Pritchard found a plow. It was described as an “old wooden mould-board plow” and a “curious looking iron implement”. Pritchard discovered the plow in the woods near the Knapps Creek Methodist Church.

 Buckeye Community News

• Anna and Florence Howard spent the weekend at the home of Mrs. Charles Richardson.

• Mrs. Carl Sheets, Mrs. Richardson, and Miss Madge Eskridge of Marlinton spent Friday afternoon with Florence and Anna Howard.

• School in Buckeye resumed on Monday after a week's vacation.

• Meade McNeely returned to his job at Cass after a two-week vacation.

• Mr. and Mrs. B.B. extend their best wishes to the community.

   

  The corn, grain, and potato show will be held in Marlinton on Saturday, January 12th, most likely in the year 1929. The corn show will be held at the First National Bank. The oats, wheat, and buckwheat will be shown at C. L. Richard Son's. The potatoes will be shown at the Farm Bureau Supply Company.

   Mary M'Neel Beard was a member of the Presbyterian Church for 55 years. She died on December 27, 1928 at 97 years old. Her parents were Richard McNeel and Mary Edminston. She was the widow of W. L. Beard. Her sons were M. L. Beard and E. Beard.

   The First National Bank in Marlinton, West Virginia paid an unusual dividend of twelve percent to its stockholders in 1928. This information was reported in the context of a stockholders meeting where a satisfactory year was reported despite the current business conditions.

   The dog tax is $2 for female dogs. This information comes from a notice about the assessment of real and personal property for taxation in Pocahontas County.

   Mrs. Page Friel, also known as Margaret Kimball Friel, passed away at 31 years old and was survived by her husband and five children.

   Mr. Ruckman was a farmer and a banker. He was running for sheriff of Pocahontas County. He had to leave a business career in the city and return to his family farm upon the death of his father, Mathews Ruckman. Mr. Ruckman applied business principles to farming and became a successful farmer.

   M. J. Ramsey died at his home on Cummings Creek. About two weeks before his death, Mr. Ramsey was working in the woods and was struck on the head by a falling sapling or small tree. He continued to work for three days, despite suffering constant pain. His body was laid to rest in the Beaver Creek Cemetery. Mr. Ramsey was a native of Greenbrier County, but had been a resident of Pocahontas for the past twenty-five years or more.

   On Friday afternoon, the body of M. J. Ramsey was laid to rest in the Beaver Creek Cemetery. Mr. Ramsey, a respected and industrious citizen, died at his home on Cummings Creek on Thursday, February 23, 1928, at the age of 50. Although a native of Greenbrier County, he had lived in Pocahontas for more than twenty-five years.

   A corn, grain, and potato show was held in Marlinton on Saturday, January 12th. The corn show was held at the First National Bank. There were three classes in the corn show: Reid's yellow dent, any other dent corn, and single ear, any variety. The grain exhibits, which included oats, wheat, and buckwheat, were displayed at C. L. Richard and Son. The sources do not mention any sporting events taking place in Marlinton on January 12th.