The 50,001st Phone

 

Based on the archives of the Pocahontas Times and historical railway maps of the Greenbrier Division, here is the detailed history of the Friel family's connection to the Clawson Station and their pivotal role in rural development.

1. The Lost Station of Clawson

Clawson, West Virginia is today a "ghost" location—an unincorporated community roughly 4.5 miles northeast of Marlinton along the Greenbrier River.

• The Railway Line: In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, this area was served by the C&O Railway's Greenbrier Division. The line was the lifeline of the county, hauling timber out and bringing supplies in.

• The Station: Clawson was not a grand terminal but a vital flag stop (a small station where trains would only stop on signal).

  • Station Order: The train moving north from the county seat would stop at: Marlinton → Clawson → Clover Lick → Cass.

  • Function: For the Friel family, whose farm bordered this section of the river, the Clawson station was their gateway to the world. It allowed them to ship livestock and produce to larger markets and travel to Marlinton or Cass without navigating the muddy, unpaved mountain roads of the time.

  • Today: The tracks have been removed, and the railbed is now part of the Greenbrier River Trail. If you bike or hike the trail today, the area around Milepost 62 (approximate) near the river bend is the land where the Friels farmed near the station.

2. The 1969 Telephone Milestone

The text you referenced regarding "early adopters" specifically points to a milestone event that occurred around May 1969.

• The Event: By the late 1960s, many remote "hollows" and river bends in West Virginia still lacked reliable modern utilities. The Telephone Utilities of Pennsylvania (T.U.P.) was aggressively expanding service into these rugged areas.

• The 50,001st Phone: The Friel family farm was the site of a commemorative ceremony. Warwick Friel (a descendant of the Daniel Friels mentioned earlier) received the 50,001st telephone installed by the company.

• Significance: This wasn't just about getting a phone; it required the construction of over three and a half miles of new underground cable through difficult terrain to reach the Friel homestead near the old Clawson station. This event marked the end of isolation for that stretch of the river, symbolizing the final transition from the "pioneer" era to the modern connected era.