Chapter XXVIII
Other Towns And Villages
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[BACKUS |
BEARDS FORK | CLIFF TOP |
CORLISS | DANESE |
DOTHAN | EDMOND]
This part of Fayette was not settled until quite as early as some other parts of the county, but in early times there was an Indian trail extending from Oak Hill down Mossy creek and over the mountain to Paint creek and up Paint creek to near Pax, where there seems to have been and Indian fort.
It is not definitely known just who was the first white man to visit this section of the county but bands of men called "Indian fighters" came through occasionally and drove the Indians out. There are still signs near Dothan of an Indian fort and a small Indian mound. It is thought from these and other signs that several battles were fought here between the Indians and the Indian fighters which resulted in the Indians being driven away.
About this time a survey was made and large tract of land patented known as "The Reed Patent," but no settlement seems to have been made on it and no taxes were paid so it was turned delinquent and sold at public sale for taxes. The patent contained 7309 acres and was bought by Jesse Toney for $100.00. Mr. Toney started home after buying said land and met Ben Jones and sold him the part of his land lying on Plum Orchard creek for $100.00 thus getting the Mossy and Lick Fork land for nothing.
Mr. Toney built the first cabin on Mossy creek near Dothan, and moved into it March 17, 1848. Harrison Toney, still living in less than one half mile from where he was born, was the first white child born here which was April 6, 1849.
Mr. Toney was soon joined by Harrison Jarrell, Preston, Adkins, Charles Windsor, Tom, Alf and Stewart Armstrong who settled a little lower down the creek. They all bought land from Mr. Toney for fifty cents an acre or a day's work. This land was covered with all kinds of valuable timber of oak, poplar, pine, walnut, chestnut, etc. from which millions of feet of lumber has been cut. It was also underlaid by valuable seams of coal.
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In a few years there were ten or twelve children of school age in the settlement and the people were determined not to allow their children grow up without an education so during the winters of 1857, 1858 and 1859 Joshua Holt was employed to teach for three months each winter and the price paid him was five cents per scholar per day.
About this time the civil war came up and the men were called out into the army and not much of importance happened until after the war was over.
After the war the people who lived here were joined by the O'Neal, Pegrams, Painters, Braggs, Wristons and Colemans. The people soon got together and built a school house on what is now Mintie Painter's land just back on the ridge from where Willie Scarbrough lives which was used for both school and church. The first free school was taught by Harris Bragg in the year 1868. It was a three months school and the salary paid was $12.00 a month the teacher boarding around with the pupils.
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This community has never been without a school since the above mentioned date. The people have always had a lively interest in education. It has been said that within a distance of five miles of this community has given more school teachers to the county during the past thirty years than any other section of the county. It has men and women out in various parts of the country filling almost all avocations of life. Teachers, doctors, lawyers, ministers, bookkeepers, stenographers and has given Fayette county two county superintendents both of them having served two terms apiece. Some of the old time teachers who taught here were Felix Bragg, Lander Hardy, Capt. Love, Bob Mosely, S. H. Love, J. R. Ford, Manervia Wriston, James Armstrong, M. P. Malcolm, Martin Ellison, Chando Malcolm, and Belle Roscoe. A graded school was established here several years ago and we have had splendid done, but a great many people think we have the best school this year under the management of F. L. Hungerford and Miss Gory Light that we have had for several years.
It seems that the people of Mossy creek have always been religiously inclined and before the school house or church was built they had preaching and prayer meetings in the various homes in the community. The settlers were mostly Methodists and Baptists at first and had many glorious meetings. At an early date Jesse Toney, the first settler gave an acre of ground upon which was built a Union church. At a much later date the people built a large commodious frame church on the same lot in which meetings are held by almost every denomination known at the present time.
It is to be regretted that one of the first settlers met a tragic death. During the summer of 1875 while Joshua Holt who taught the first school, was hoeing corn in a field with his wife and several others there came up a heavy rain storm, they all took refuge in a shuck pin near the hollow. There was a cloud burst just above them, all escaped but Mr. Holt, who was afflicted with palsy. The rush of water caught him and carried him away and was picked up after the rush of water was over some three hundred yards below. Thus ended the life of on of the settlement's best and most honored citizens.
Back in the early times of the settlement and really up to only a few years ago the people were much more sociable than now. They
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were helpful to each other in many ways. They had their house and barn raisings, their log rollings and corn huskings and the women had quiltings and applebutter stirrings and everybody for miles around went and they had a jolly time together. They bore many hardships but by their helpfulness to each other they really made life a pleasure.
At first the nearest store and post office was at Trap Hill, in what is now Raleigh county, and at Fayetteville, and for many years the nearest stores were at Oak Hill, and what is now Glen Jean. The first store here was put up by Littleton Wriston at the Green Bottom and another a little later by Alf Armstrong. There was but little money at that time the coffee, sugar and clothing was home made or bought with produce so these stores were not long lived. The next venture in the goods business was made by a gentleman still living and it is said his stock was composed of a few packages of coffee, a few bottles of cinnamon, a few pounds of candy and a bolt of cotton cloth. He spent one fall here, sold a few pounds of candy and a few bottles of cinnamon to the boys for cash and
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traded some coffee for a guinea rooster and an old hen and when he left it is said that he carried the remainder of his store away in a red bandanna handkerchief.
Stores have been operated in this immediate neighborhood by J. T. Peters, J. D. Roop, R. W. Scarbrough, J. T. Painter, P. J. Wriston, H. O. Coleman and we have today three stores in operation, one by Robert H. Smith, one by T. R. Delung, and the other by Harrison Toney.
The first post office was established in 1894 called Armstrong with A. K. Wriston as post master. It was a Star route and mail was carried twice a week by Thomas Boggess from Mossey, W. Va., a distance of five miles. This post office was not long lived but during its stay had the following postmasters: L. P. Roach, Jesse McLain, and Joseph Cregar. It was discontinued for the want of patronage in the year 1898, but was re-established in the year 1901 by name of Dothan, with J. D. Roop as post master who continued in that capacity until 1921, since which time the following have been post masters, P. J. Wriston, H. O. Coleman, S. B. Fawcett and Robert H. Smith, the present encumbent.
Dothan is a prosperous little village of about 200 population. It has no industries, but it is surrounded by an agricultural section which produces an immense amount of grain, garden truck, cattle, hogs and fruits which is readily marketed at the various mines which are within easy reach. Many of its citizens too, work at Carlisle, Oakwood, Whipple and Lick Fork mines. We have three stores, a grist mill, school, church, post office and depot. There is some talk of a hard road being built this way and of the opening up of mines which if they should materialize would make this one of the leading places in the county.
When Henry Rogers extended his wand in the shape of the Virginian railway, towns sprang up as if by magic in a section of Fayette county that heretofore had been wilderness or given over entirely to peaceful agricultural pursuits.
With the railroad came coal development, and many a fine pieces of meadow land has furnished the site for a fine mining camp either for tipple, tracks, houses, store or office buildings.
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The waving of the magic wand has perhaps worked no more wonderful transformation at any place in Fayette county than at Page the largest town on the Virginian railway in Fayette county and the home of the Loop Creek Colliery Company.
The section where Page now stands as well as the territory above, was first known as Kincaid because of its settlement by the well known family of that name. The land was part of the Reed patent and back in the days when the late Morris Harvey "rode as sheriff" (as a term of collecting taxes and attending to the duties off the office was quaintly expressed,) the 190 acres of land on which this settlement was founded and the town of Page built extending from one mountain top down and across the Loop creek valley and up to the other mountain top, was purchased at a delinquent tax sale by Andrew Likens. The land was knocked down to him at $25.00, but when Sheriff Harvey called on him for the money it was not forthcoming and Mr. Harvey accepted in its stead, a gray horse which he brought home paying the money out of his own pocket. The track of land extended from Lick Branch to below where the coke ovens now stand and included the Press Kincaid place. It was purchased from Andrew Likens by James Kincaid, Sr. father of Squire J. G. Kincaid.
James Kincaid was of Irish descent, his wife Dutch extractions. They were the parents of several children all of whom married settled, and raised large families in and near the present towns of Kincaid and Page and their progeny are numerous.
The children were John, Ruthy, J. G. Miriam, pres, Cynthia and Pleasant Kincaid. Of this number all have passed to their reward.
The tract of land now known as the Mark Kincaid place extending up to the Net Johnson place, was first owned by Thomas Curry. He patented the tract and lived on it for several years. All of this Kincaid land was owned and farmed by these Kincaids and their descendants until its purchase by the Loop Creek Colliery Co.
John Johnson, Sr., owned and took up all the land from Net Johnson tract on the Johnson's branch of Loop creek up to and including the Caleb Wriston place.
John Johnson's children were John, Phoebe, (who married John Backus), James. Emma, (who married Mr. Kelly), Barbara,
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(who married Jackson Garrett), Rachel, (who married John Settle), Polly, (who married john Kincaid), Betsy, (who married a Mr. Montgomery), William, Susan, (who married Tom Curry), and Harrison.
The descendants of the Johnson family were numerous. They were of English descent. Miles Johnson deceased was the son of Wm. Johnson named above and the father of Hon. W. S. Johnson, who served two terms in the state senate from this district and who has since been thrice elected as state treasurer, being now in his third term of that important office.
Convenience of travel and mail facilities enjoyed by the present generation were remote from the first settlers of this community. Letters were dispatched by hand, from one person to another and often required days to reach the person addressed. The first post office to be established in reach of this settlement was at Coal Valley. Some time in the early eighties a mail route was established from Lively on Paint creek to Mossy, Kincaid, Wriston and down Laurel
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creek to Beckwith. This route long since discontinued, was carried twice a week on horse-back. Perry Kincaid was the first post master.
J. G. Kincaid was the first merchant in Kincaid. He bought his goods in Cincinnati and at Gallipolis and they were shipped by boat to Coal Valley and wagoned from that point. Mr. Kincaid went to Cincinnati one time to buy goods and walked the entire distance home.
Some years later a store was established father up the creek by Kellis Kincaid as still farther up the creek and other by Lewis Woolwine. From these stores the people living between Robson and Oak Hill obtained all the goods they consumed.
In the work of wresting an agricultural settlement from the wilderness education was not neglected and the principles of the three R's - "Readin, Ritin and Rithmatic" were taught. Pay schools were established before the war, pupils being enrolled at the rate of five cents per day, the teacher "boarding around" with the pupils as additional compensation.
Some of the teachers of this time were Emma Miller, John Wingrove, James Cassady, Polly Settle, Camel Settle and Mary Cassady.
Spiritual education was not neglected and the result was that the early settlers were deeply religious. Preaching was often had at the homes of some of the settlers. But they finally built a church as common property where they met as often as a preacher should happen to come into the neighborhood. Methodism gained a firm hold through the administration of Revs. Threll, Brooks, Phillips, McGinnis, Honey, Van Sanford, Losen and Smith. There occasionally came from Lewisburg, a missionary Baptist preacher by the name of Wingrove. The impression left by these earnest men of God is noticeable to this day.
The early settlers of this community were farmers, and farming was the chief occupation until railroading and coal mining opened new avenues of making money.
As a means of further increase of wealth in the early days ginseng was dug in large quantities on the mountains and sold at Coal Valley for export. All the early settler's houses were of rude log construction, chinked and daubed and occasionally a house of this
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kind may yet to be seen - a forceful reminder of the hardships of the early pioneers and a link between the progressive present and the plodding past.
In 1894 the serenity of the Kincaid community was broken by a party of civil engineers who came surveying a route for the new railroad. It marked a new epoch in the history of the community and the railroad was, for many months the talk of all.
The dream came true when the Deepwater railroad, extending from Deepwater, on the main line of the C. & O., was built to Page.
It gradually became known that instead of a branch line this was to be a trunk line system, extending from the head of navigation on the Great Kanawha river in West Virginia to Sewell's point, on tidewater, in Virginia.
The completion of the railroad in 1909 has transformed the Kincaid farming settlement into a progressive coal mining and railroad center. Being the terminal of the railroad for some months during the construction period, railroad shops were located there, but these were recently moved to Princeton. Their going
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however did not cripple the community for it had left five seams of Eagle coal, now successfully mined in large quantities by the Loop Creek Colliery Co., holder of the old Kincaid tract of land.
The Loop Creek Colliery Co. is an organization founded by Capt. W. N. Page, now of Washington, who developed the Ansted mines. John C. R. Taylor, who came from Virginia and was for many years with Mr. Page in the conduct of the Ansted mine is superintendent of the operation at Page. There are two mines, No. 1 and No. 2. In addition to this, mines have recently been opened by this company at Beards Fork nearby.
The population of Page alone is about 1500. It is a prosperous, peaceable and contented mining town, with comfortable houses, good schools, churches, and people second to none.
What is true of Page is also true of its neighboring town of Kincaid and Glenco, one mile to the south.
The coal operations and the railroads has made of them a progressive community, a desirable place to live and a place where opportunities will increase and improve as the years unfold.
Pursuing the course in a northwestern direction until the town of Thurmond is reached, New river makes a sharp turn at right angles and flows directly eastward to a point below Fire creek where another abrupt turn is made and a northern course is resumed. Some miles further on at Nuttallburg, the river turns to the left and resumes its flow to the northwest. In the hollow of this detour of the turbulent water situated on a high plateau lies one of the oldest settlements in Fayette county - Gatewood.
Charles Bibb a native of Amherst county, Virginia, and progenitor of the Bibb family in this section, was the first white person to settle at what is now known as Gatewood. His wife's maiden name was Elizabeth Gatewood. They came to Bowyer's Ferry now Sewell with their children in 1829 and after living there for eight years conducting the ferry, purchased a 300 acre tract of land at what is now Gatewood to which they moved in 1838. The Bibbs were of Welsh descent and sturdy stock and Charles Bibb and his sons and daughters did much to wrest Fayette county from the wilderness. Charles Bibb was sort of a doctor and administered
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much to the sick of the community; calomel and fresh air being the remedies mainly used in restoring health to the sick who trusted him to cure their ills. The children of Charles and Elizabeth Gatewood Bibb were eight in number, four boys and four girls. The eldest Delilah married Bolser Helvey; the second daughter Sarah married W. D. Thurmond who later became a captain in the Confederate forces and the maker of much local history. T. C. Thurmond now of Huntington, Jas. W. Thurmond and Hon. Joseph S Thurmond several times a member and former speaker of the House of Delegates are children of this marriage. These two lived at Alderson in Greenbrier County.
Another daughter of Charles Bibb, Rachel by name, married C. A. DeQuasie and is the mother of Ed L. DeQuasie well known farmer now living near Fayetteville. Jeannette Bibb married Marshall McClung and became the mother of E. W. McClung, until recently a merchant at Oak Hill. The sons of Charles Bibb were, Cary Bibb, Rev. Martin Bibb, W. L. Bibb and Benj. Bibb, one of the pioneer teachers of Fayette County who was elected County Superintendent of schools in 1888 and served faithfully and efficiently for three terms. Mr. Bibb now lives at Beckley in Raleigh county. He married Mary Wilson, sister of Brack and Mandy Wilson, who were well known to many of the older settlers. Rev. Martin Bibb, a Baptist minister, was united in marriage to a Baptist minister's daughter, winning the hand of Caroline Ellison a daughter of Rev. Mathew Ellison.
The next settler was Obediah Settle,, who built his house in a field across the road from where Rufus Harvey Rodes now lives. Wm. H. Jeffries, civil war veteran, now paralyzed and ending his days at his home between Gatewood and Concho, is a grandson of Obediah Settle. Mrs. Jeffries, now 81 years of age, is a daughter of John Rodes, Sr. Following closely on the coming of Mrs. Settle to the community came John and David Rodes; traveling in covered wagons of the old Giles, Fayette and Kanawha Turnpike from Nelson County, Virginia. They were of English descent. From them we have in the county a large family of the name who have made good citizens and have in no way shamed the sturdy ancestral stock. John Rodes a Hardshell Baptist preacher of his day was
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also a farmer and teacher on Coal Run. Mart B. Rodes, 76 years of age, and Rufus Harvey Rodes, 72 years of age, his sons, both lived at Gatewood. John, Green and James Rodes were also children of John Rodes, Sr. About 1903 the lure of the southland called to some of them and Green and James Rodes, with their families, removed to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In that section they have been as patient in developing the country as they were here. John Rodes, son of Green Rodes, has long been a famous
vegetable grower of that section. Green and James Rodes, full of years and honors, were recently gathered to the fathers in that far off land of their adoption and are buried there.
Charles DeQuasie who married Rachel Bibb was another of the early settlers of Gatewood. John Davis Withrow, whose son Judson Withrow, now lives at Gatewood, was another. Other settlers came in quick succession and today the Gatewood, O'Neal, Salem, Braggville, Horse Ridge, Snake Town, and Toney Town sections are all thickly populated and comprise what was once all one community and its settlers were near neighbors back in the days when the Bibbs, Settles, Rodes and DeQuasie families first populated that section.
Benjamin Summerfield moved with his family from Beckley to Oak Hill and after the war in 1866 moved to Gatewood. Mr. Sum-
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merfield's wife was Elesha Ellison, daughter of the famous Baptist preacher. She was born on April 2, 1831, in Logan county. Twenty-three years later she was united in marriage by her father to Mr. Summerfield, who later became a citizen of Gatewood and a pioneer in the development of that section. The Summerfields reared a large family of children there, J. M. Summerfield, a prosperous farmer is yet a resident of that community as was also W. W. Summerfield (now deceased). M. A. Summerfield is a prominent jeweler at Montgomery; Edward Summerfield is an Attorney at Beckley, while Chas. R. Summerfield is an attorney at Fayetteville and served with distinction as Prosecuting Attorney for a period of four years, from January 1, 1913 to January 1, 1917. Mrs. Elesha Summerfield at the age of 90 years died at the home of her son in Fayetteville. Another son, Robert Summerfield, lives with his family in Los Angeles, California.
While the elder John Rodes was credited with being a teacher we have no account of a public school in the Gatewood section prior to the Civil War. After Benj. Bibb became a citizen there the first school was taught in the Summerfield house by him. The Board of Education then built a school house on Rush Creek and Benj. Bibb also taught there. The interests of school and church were both dear to the hearts of the elder Summerfield and helped to build the Gatewood church. He also erected on the waters of Wolf Creek a flour and corn mill which was largely patronized when a sufficient head of water could be secured. The first miller however, was Seth Huse, father of T. H. Huse, aged citizen of Fayetteville. This mill was burned by Federal troops during the Civil War. When failing water stilled the wheel of the Summerfield mill citizens had recourse to the Warner mill at Cotton Hill, a distance of twelve miles. If this mill was also found to be suffering from the drought, which was likely, the mill at the falls of Kanawha, where the water was always plentiful, was resorted to. There was also a corn mill operated by Rooks Huddleston, at Ok Hill, which was patronized. Some few hand mills were owned and every family had a grater on which corn was grated before it fully dried, but the process was a slow and tedious one.
Another family prominent in the early history of the Gatewood settlement was that of Jacob Sanger. He was a native of Rock-
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ingham county, Virginia, and came to Fayette county before the Civil War, settling at the poor farm, just above Fayetteville and purchasing ten thousand acres of land at $1.00 an acre. A brother, Henry Sanger, settled on Meadow Fork. Jacob, with his son Joseph, emigrated to Iowa, but returned later and the son Joseph finally married Hanna E. Crouse and in 1866 settled in Gatewood and became one its most progressive citizens, farming and trading in real estate and accumulating considerable wealth. In 1906 he purchased a farm in Oklahoma and was a prosperous and prominent citizen of that new state until 1919 when he moved to Sebring, Florida. Here he has a small orange grove. He is now 76 years of age and wonderfully active for one of his years. The old Sanger farm at Gatewood is now owned and occupied by J. W. McAvoy, an native of Greenbrier county, who came to this section many years ago. He married the daughter of Joseph Sanger. Mr. McAvoy is a prosperous farmer and in addition to his work on the farm found time to give attention to public matters. He served for eight years as a member of the Board of Education of Fayetteville district and recently retired. In 1908 though a Democrat, he was nominated by the Prohibition party for sheriff, and in the succeeding election his popularity was attested by receiving several hundred more votes that the next highest man on the ticket.
Gatewood is one of the leading agricultural and fruit growing sections of the county. Surround as it is on three sides by coal operations, corn, wheat, oats, potatoes and fruit of all kinds find ready sale at the mines. This condition has resulted in much truck farming and prominent among those engaged in this occupation are P. H. Ellis, Jas. Nugen, and many others.
The one room school of the Summerfield period has grown to a modern three room building and much progress has been made along educational lines. Three churches contribute to the spiritual needs of the people. One is a Baptist. There are two churches of the Brethren denomination. The Pleasant View Brethren, and its members are known as the primitive or conservative wing of the church. This church was erected in 1897. The other church erected in 1915 is known as the Brethren church and its members are popularly referred to as the "Progressive Brethren."
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Some dissention relative to the matter of dress is said to have caused the division. These three churches have done much to build up a strong moral tone in the community and the people of Gatewood are noted for their piety and conformity to the principals of the Great Teacher; Rev. Samuel Riner was the first elder of the old church. He was followed by Rev. A. B. Duncan, J. S. Ziegler, J. W. Rodgers and E. L. Clowers.
Mines at Concho, Rock Lick, Brooklyn, Coal Run, South Caperton, Elverton, Brown and Kaymoor are all in close proximity to Gatewood, have furnished work for many of it citizens and a market for their products. Stores serving the community are five in number; S. A. Cody was a merchant at Braggsville for about five years and went to Gatewood fifteen years ago, recently selling out to M. L. Wickline, who now conducts the store and post-office there. W. F. Rogers had a store at Braggsville stand for a number of years being recently succeeded by C. P. Garten. M. B. Rodes & Son have long been merchants of the community as has also B. H. Garrett and Basil Linkswiler. These stores are widely separated, making it convenient for the people, as well as profitable for the merchants. Much buying is also done at the company stores at the various mining operations.
Gatewood is served by a daily mail from Fayetteville. Many of the citizens of the community live on the Fayetteville R. F. D. route and have mail brought daily to their doors. Hard surfacing of the road to connect the community with the Giles, Fayette and Kanawha turnpike at Fayetteville and Oak Hill are improvements recently made and now Gatewood is indeed one of the garden spots of Fayette county.
The first white man to settle at the present site of Quinnimont was Jacob Smith, Mr. Smith married a Miss Campbell and moved to the present site of Quinnimont in the year 1827. He built a log cabin, cleared land and raised what he could but made his living principally by hunting and fishing. Game and fish were plentiful and with what he could raise on the bottom of where Quinnimont now stands he got along splendidly. He was married three times and reared 24 children. A few years later he was joined by three other
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families, one settling up Laurel creek near where the old coke ovens stood and two families on Mann mountain. In 1870 William Prince and his brother James Prince bought 300 acres of ground from Alfred Beckley for $3000.00. They built their home near the present junction of the Chesapeake and Ohio and Piney branch of the Chesapeake and Ohio. Arriving there just before the beginning of the construction of the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad, they
entered the mercantile business and during the building of the railroad and opening of Stretcher's Neck tunnel made quite a sum of money and later when the coal industry opened up in this section entered the coal business and amassed quite a fortune. The land bought from General Beckley at that time fore $3000.00 is now probably worth over $150,000.00. Messrs. Frank Prince and James Prince, sons of William Prince own the principal part of Prince, W. Va. They are still in the coal and mercantile business and are probably the richest single individuals in Quinnimont district. Prince and Quinnimont each has a store and post office and between these two towns is a church and high school in easy reach
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of both, and the children have a splendid opportunity to get an elementary and high school education at home.
In 1870 the Quinnimont Charter Oak & Iron Company was organized for the purpose of building and operating an iron furnace. The furnace was completed and operated for three years. They manufactured common pig iron. This work was done by Mr. St. John of Boston. He was later succeeded by Mr. Lewis. This operation was unsuccessful and was only operated for three years. David P. Brown, father of W. A., and Perry Brown, moved to Quinnimont in 1874 to keep the boarding house for the iron furnace people. He finally moved to the top of the mountain and lived in a log house said to be the largest house in the state at that time. The house burned in 1884.
In 1873 the Quinnimont, Charter Oak Coal & Iron Company was organized. The mines were located on the mountain near where the old coke ovens are. The mines were opened by Colonel Joe Beury by contract as he had no funds. Mr. Beury went to Fire creek to open mines and Noah Jenkins continued the operating of the coal until the lease was worked out.
Quinnimont being located near the junction of the Piney river railroad and the Laurel creek branch road soon became a railroad center. Men living here work out of Quinnimont to Thurmond, on the Piney river branch and on the Laurel creek branch roads. It is a prosperous little community. It has a store, post office, church and two schools, one a high school where the boys and girls may get an elementary and high school education, and a splendid school for its colored children. It is very accessible, as it has two local trains each way over the Chesapeake and Ohio. Two trains daily to Beckley and Lester on the Virginian and one each day up Laurel creek to Layland. Here is also located a beautiful monument costing about thirty thousand dollars built by the coal operators of the New river coal field in honor of Col. Joe Beury, a pioneer coal operator who shipped the first coal from Quinnimont mines. This was the first coal shipped from anywhere in the New river field over the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad.
The mountains and valleys surrounding Quinnimont were also heavily timbered and for several years much valuable lumber was cut and shipped and millions of fine staves rived and sawed.
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Backus is a village of about 350 people. It is located 38 miles southeast of Fayetteville, seven miles east of Quinnimont, and 22 miles southeast of Thurmond, its banking point.
Thomas Harrah, father of G. W. Andrew, John and Thomas Jr. was the first to settle here. He settled on the ridge east of where the church and hall is now situated. The land was heavily timbered with all kinds of trees. He began by building a rude log house and to clear land for a crop. He had obtained his land from the William Mann patent for twenty-five cents per acre. He began to raise a few cattle, sheep, and hogs and to hunt deer and such other game as were found in the surrounding woods. He was soon joined by Enos Gwinn, and Robert Ward. Mr. Gwinn settled out near where the Harrah school house now stands, and Mr. Ward settled on the ridge in a south westerly direction. They built log houses and began clearing land for corn and other products as were raised at that time.
Next came Dr. H. P. Thomas, J. W. Berry, Matthew Tincher, T. A. McClannahan and Harmon Smith. It is worthy to note here that Harmon Smith was the son of Jacob Smith the first settler at Quinnimont, and he too, as also did his father raised twenty-four children.
Farming, hunting and cattle raising had made this a successful and prosperous community. All seemed to be doing well, so people began to settle out in the Red Springs neighborhood. Those settled out there were Samuel Fox, J. A. Goddard, James Ennis, Sherd Ennis, H. L. Gwinn and Elias Claypool.
The first post office was established here in 1889, It was known as Naoma, with R. H. Harrah as first post master. In 1893 its name was changed to Backus, with W. P. Backus as post master. The following have served as post masters here, W. A. Harrah, 16 years, J, E. Garten, three years, W. A Harrah, again six years, and J. F. Harrah the present encumbent.
In the year 1896 the coal in this section having been bought and leased a company was formed known as the Glendale Coal Company with the Beurys and Boyds as principal promoters. They built a nice mining town, store and all the necessary equipment and
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mined many thousand tons of coal, in fact they mined out principally all the coal on the south side. This coal was not a good quality and was mined at a loss and when they ceased business in 1911 they were several thousand dollars in debt which amount was paid in full by one of the Beurys.
Most of the people here are farmers and getting along well, some of them work in the nearby mines. They have two stores, J. L. Moody and Joe F. Harrah both are doing a prosperous business.
W. A. Harrah, was appointed justice of the peace and has moved to Meadow Bridge, where he has stock in several of the big business enterprises of that section. G. W. Bennett, Luther Goens, Sam Goens and Mason Harrah, with many others are prosperous citizens of this community, They have a church, an Odd Fellow hall and a good graded school where their children have splendid opportunities to get a common school education.
Meadow Bridge occupies all that large plateau region surrounding the head waters of Meadow creek. It is situated on the Sewell Valley railroad eight miles from Meadow creek. The soil is very fertile and much of it is practically level. All this land was pattented by Finney and Skiles before the war, but was re-pattened by the settlers just after the Civil war.
The first man to settle here was Quire John Gwinn. He built his cabin in what is now Summers county but owned land in both counties. It was all Fayette county then. This was about the year 1846. Next came Dan Griffin, father of the present Griffin boys and settled a little southwest from the town, where he built his log house, cleared the land and engaged in farming, stock raising and hunting. The next settler that came was Caleb Lively from Monroe county who settled one mile east of what is now Meadow Bridge. The next to come seems to have been Adam Hutchinson who took up all the bottom land up to and around Beelick Knob, Morganette and Holley.
All this land was well timbered and the above settlers cleared land, raised grains, cattle, sheep and hogs but had a very hard time protecting their flocks from wolves, bears, and other wild animals found there in that day.
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The success of these people was very noticeable to all passers by and many others were lured by the fertility of the soil, the large level tracts of land and the fine timber to come and settle here. Finally in the year 1913 the Hutchinson Lumber Company bought a large tract of timbered land. The first saw mill to open was brought by Theodore Chute who sawed timber off of 336 acres, built a number of houses and sold the town off in lots to suit the purchaser, and later the company sent in a large band mill which sawed millions of feet of lumber and marketed it.
A post office was established here with Theodore Chute as postmaster. The first name it was given was Chute, but ere long the name was changed to Meadow Bridge. The following have served as postmasters: R. H. Blaker, Clifford Hogshead, and A. F. Sanders the present postmaster.
Meadow Bridge is a flourishing town; it has two churches, a postoffice, depot, feed mill, theater, two barber shops, a large department store known as the Valley Garage and Mercantile Company. Other stores are R. L. Kesler, W. W. Gwinn, R. Gillispie, Floyd Puckett, W. A. Patton, Joe Hammed, D. P. Duncan most of which carry a general line. There is also a soda fountain owned by R. H. Blaker, and several lunch and soft drink stands.
As to schools they have always had a good school but recently there was built a new brick high school building which was equipped with modern furniture and equipment of all kinds and is supplied with the best and most thoroughly trained teachers to be found in the country. The enrollment in the junior high school this year is 47 and the enrollment in the grades is 145. Indeed Meadow Bridge has a school of which most all are very proud and the opportunities of the children here are equal to those of the children anywhere in the state. (It is to be regretted that this building was recently destroyed by fire, but was covered by insurance and will be rebuilt this summer).
Meadow Bridge has grown from a small settlement to a town whose population will probably reach 1200 to 1500 people, and almost contiguous to it are five mining camps, Beelick Knob, Thomas
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Coal Company, Morganette, Beckley Smokeless and Holly, and with all these mines running in full blast Meadow Bridge is destined to be a large and prosperous town.
Springdale is a small village situated on the Sewell Valley railroad 12 miles from Meadow creek, the junction with the Chesapeake and Ohio, 27 miles southeast of Fayetteville, the county seat. It is on the top of a hill and occupies a very large plateau between the head
waters of Meadow creek, Bellwood creek and Meadow river. The first settler was William Lowry, the father of Thomas Lowry Jr., George, J. W. Ham and A. L. Lowry. Mr. Lowry bought a large tract of land, moved to it. He was soon joined by the Twohigs, McGuires and A. W. Cox all living within a few miles of each other. Most of the land here in the immediate community is very rich and practically level and is fine for farming, fruit growing and the raising of cattle. The people are mostly farmers and really have of the best grain and stock farms to be found in Fayette county.
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the whole country surrounding Springdale was well forested and millions of feet of lumber have been cut and shipped from this point. It is also the shipping point for all merchants in the western part of Greenbrier and the western part of Summers.
The people of this section have been successful in farming and stock raising and most of them have accumulated quite a bit of money in this way. Three of the five Lowry boys moved to Hunting ton and entered business there. There is something very peculiar and sad about this family of boys. All five of them were large, healthy looking men and seemed to bid fair for a long life but sorry to say four out of the five died suddenly right in the prime of life and now there is only one, A. L. Lowry, left.
The Springdale postoffice was established in the 1875 with W. T. Lowry as its first postmaster. The following served as postmaster at Springdale: E. W. Cox, R. A. White, S. C. Gwinn and Mrs. Blanche McClung the present encumbent.
Springdale is very accessible having three passenger motors each way daily and is on the old state road leading from Charleston to Lewisburg. A road from here by Meadow Bridge, Meadow creek, Sandstone to Hinton. It has four general stores and one wholesale house each doing a fairly good business. The Springdale Cash Mercantile Company, with S. V. Beury, as general manager seems to carry a large and complete stock of goods and is doing and is doing a fine business. B. E. McClung seems to also have a good stock and has a flourishing trade. Grover McClung and John Johnson both have a nice line of goods and are doing a good business. The wholesale house which is a branch of the New river house of Hinton, supplies most of the retail stores along the Sewell valley and western part of Greenbrier. They have a fine church, hall, postoffice, depot, garage, and this year are having one of the best schools to be found in the county. It is surrounded by many well-to-do farmers and stock raisers. Surely they are to be congratulated upon their prosperity and progressiveness.
In a long and beautiful valley on the famous Indian named "Paint Creek" is situated the beautiful thriving town of Pax. Although Paint creek was never the home of In-
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dian tribes, yet many signs are seen in this section showing that it was often used by them as a hunting ground and battle field and when this section was first being settled by white people they had many daring experiences with them, one of which is mentioned in the treatise.
The first settler at Pax was William Humphrey, who came here from Monroe county about the year 1840. He bought a large tract of land and built his log cabin on what is now known as the Burgess place. He cleared land and engaged in farming, cattle raising and hunting. He reared a large family of boys and girls and when they became of age he gave them each a large farm. Jarrell, his son settled at what is now Weirwood, Louis on the present site of Pax, Elijah and Dick settled up Packs branch. One of the girls married a Davis and settled where the Willis Branch coal town is now located. One married a Burgess and fell heir to the home place. They all raised large families and were hard working sturdy people. They cleared their lands, raised grain and cattle and the posterity of William Humphrey, constitute some of the leading citizens of that part of the county.
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In the course of time the Paintsville Development Company was organized with P. M. Snydor of Mount Hope as one of the principal promoters. They bought the Lewis Humphrey tract of land from the heirs and laid it off in town lots which were sold by them at public auction. These lots were bought by progressive business men who, at once began the construction of residences and business houses and to-day it is one of the most prosperous and beautiful towns in that section of the county.
The first name given to this place was Paintsville, but a little later the name was changed to Pax. It can be said of Pax today that it has the best school and best school facilities of any town of its size in the county. It has a large modern, commodious, well equipped eight-room brick school building used for junior and senior high schools, and in the same lot a large six-room frame school building for the grades. The school is well patronized. The upper grades from surrounding schools attend here where they receive instruction from a thoroughly trained corps of teachers, thus giving these children equal opportunities with those of the
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cities. Pax has two churches, a Methodist Episcopal south and a Christian Baptist. They also have a Baptist church for the colored people located between Pax and Long Branch where the colored people from both towns meet.
They have two dry goods stores, two grocery stores, four general stores, one general feed store, two barber shops, two hotels, one bank, depot, post office and garage, two doctors, J. W. and A. L. Hunter, one drug store, one picture show and the Oak Hill telephone exchange. The post office was established at Paintsville with J. T. Humphrey as first postmaster. The name was later changed to Pax and the following have been postmasters: J. F. McQueen and A. B. Canterbury the present encumbent.
A hard road leads from Mount Hope to Pax and from here to the Raleigh county line. It also extends to Long Branch a distance of one mile.
Pax is also on the main line of the Virginian railroad at the junction of the K. G. with the Virginian making Pax accessible either by rail or automobile. There is talk of the Virginian railroad establishing shops just above Pax, and with plenty of building territory, and several mines that surround the town and with the prospect that sometime in the near future a hard road may be built down Paint creek from Harper to Charleston thus connecting up Beckley and Charleston, Pax is destined to become a city.
The first attempt made at a settlement on Paint creek at Lively, was by five families whose names we have failed to get. They came from the valley of Virginia in quest of homes for themselves and families. They traversed a great part of what is now Greenbrier, Summers, and Raleigh and coming down Paint creek they arrived at what is now known as Town creek and were captivated with the rich level bottom land so they halted and began building rude log huts for their families. They cleared small patches of ground where they raised some corn, turnips and pumpkins. There was plenty of all kinds of game in that section at that
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time and the settlers were getting along very well when one day they were visited by some passing Indians who did not say much but the settlers could see that they did not welcome them to their fine hunting grounds, however, things went on very well for a year of so until the Indians began to visit this section oftener and in large numbers. The settlers felt that for the safety of their families it was necessary for them to build a fort into which all could gather in the event of an attack by the Indians. They built this fort and put strong palisades around it and every time the heard
of the approach of Indians would gather within the palisades at night and resume work on their farms or in hunting during the day. Several battles, it is said, were fought here between these settlers and the Indians. Several of the settlers were captured and carried away as prisoners, and those remaining became discouraged and returned to their old homes back in the valley of Virginia.
The first permanent settlement was made at Lively when in 1884 Joseph Lively of Monroe county bought 4,000 acres of land off the Reed patent on Paint creek and Plum Orchard
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and in 1843 Elias Lively, son of Joseph Lively, came with his young wife, built a comfortable log house near where he later built a much better residence and where he lived all the remainder of his life. He raised a large family of boys and girls whose names were as follows: C. C., John, Andrew, George, Amelia, Eliza, William, Kennel, Cena, L. C. (Bud), Mertie, and Enoch all of which were given large farms by their father, most of which together with their posterity occupy these homes to the present day.
Elias Lively, or Dr. Lively, as he is appropriately called, was one of the most useful men in the county. There was at that time a great many cases of diphtheria and it usually proved fatal. Dr. Lively discovered several herbs from which he made a compound, which if administered in time never failed to cure the patient. He was called far and near and was successful in curing many patients of diphtheria when all other doctors, it seemed, had failed. He live to a ripe old age and died at his home in the year 1915, at the age of 89. Thus ended the life of a much respected and useful citizen.
Later came Rufus Lively, brother of Elias Lively and settled at what is now the Hance Williams place where he built a good log house, cleared a large tract of land and was very prosperous in framing and cattle raising. His sons and daughters were as follows: Elizabeth, Jacob, Wilson, Letha, Henry, Jennie, and Lucinda, to most of whom he gave land and they settled in the immediate neighborhood. Next came Levi Lively who settled on Plum Orchard creek at what is known as the Rance Fisher place. He had two sons, James and Joseph who settled on their father's estate but later sold and moved elsewhere. Isaac Ellison, who married a Lively, sister to Elias, Rufus and Levi settled near the mouth of Plum Orchard creek on land given his wife by her father and built a grist and saw mill where he ground all kinds of grain and cut lumber for the people of the surrounding community. It is said that people came a distance of twenty miles to this mill.
This Paint creek land has always been noted for its fertility and from the beginning the settlers were very prosperous. They raised large quantities of corn, wheat, oats, hay, vegetables and fruits of all kinds. They raised sheep, cattle and hogs and this has
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always been looked upon as one of the best and most prosperous neighborhoods in the county. The Livelys have always taken an active part in religious matters and education. Soon after the settlement was made they built a Baptist church and have always maintained a church organization. At an early date in the settlement they got together and built a log school house where all the children attended school for three or four months a year. This settlement surely and truly has the right name for it is said that at one time in the history of the school there were 32 pupils enrolled
in the school and thirty of them were Livelys. The other two were a son and daughter of James Wingrove who had married a daughter of Rufus Lively and settled in the community.
There was a postoffice established at Lively known as Roseville with Jacob Lively as postmaster. Mr. Lively kept the postoffice in his store for many years but it was finally discontinued and the community is now furnished by R. F. D. No. 1 from Scarbro and some get mail from Long Branch. The Virginian railroad passes entirely through this settlement with good freight service and two passenger trains each way every day. They also have
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a hard road from Mount Hope reaching almost to this section which gives them splendid opportunities to get out and in and also to market their products.
From this settlement at Lively have gone out some of the best talent to be found anywhere. They have gone out as teachers, lawyers, doctors, ministers filling some of the most important places. Two families in this community having several sons some completed normal courses and others completed courses at West Virginia University, one Clarence W. Lively, winning a medal in an oratorical contest at Marshall college.
High up in the mountains seven and one half miles from New river, nestled between two mountain slopes with the water of their raid streams flowing down and breaking into white mist clouds as it drops over the picturesque mountain falls is the beautiful and well kept town of Layland owned by the New River Pocahontas Coal company.
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The first settler that came here to look for a site for a home was H. H. Gentry, who came from Albemarle county, Virginia, with his family about the year 1846. He selected a location on the high plateau one mile southeast from the present town of Layland, where there is a large level piece of land which he surrounded with a split rail fence and built his log house in the center of it. He cleared some of the land and raised a crop of corn and pumpkins, but for the first few years live principally on wild game which was plentiful in that section at the time. Two years later came Ira Gibson, brother-in-law to Mr. Gentry who came with his family and lived with Mr. Gentry until he could build a suitable log house. He selected the tract of nearly level land and built the house in which Mr. Kosnoski now lives, over 75 years ago. These two pioneer settlers although coming at different times brought all their earthly belongings here in covered wagons or pack horses over the mountains, across valleys and rivers, driving whatever cattle they may have had along with them. Most of the furniture of that day was home made. They were sturdy, hardworking men who had come to this country of freedom to find homes for themselves and families. About these homes they soon had beautiful fields of waving corn and wheat. Herds of sheep and cattle soon roamed the hills and were guarded from wolves and bear by the men and boys. They spent their winter months hunting and trapping the then plentiful deer, bear and other wild animals. From their pelts they made their clothes and feasted upon their meats. The next man to migrate to this section was Eldridge Gwinn, who built his log cabin on what is now known as the J. W. Deering place where lived for several years selling out to Mr. Deering who lived there until his death. Much later came John Gentry who married Miss Anderson, sister of W. A. Anderson, and settled out toward Maplewood where he still lives.
The harvest came but no mill was close to grind the corn, so when the farmer wished to refill his meal barrel he set to work grating the soft corn on his tin grater. As the corn cured out and became harder the grater could not be used as they must grind their meal on the old hand mill or fill up a sack with shelled corn and shy off to Cooper's mill over on Glade creek several miles away. These people were not fortunate enough to have a postoffice near
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them at first, so when they had a letter to mail the old grey horse was saddled and they set off across mountain summit and down the valley over the hills to Rocky Hill postoffice near where Sam Gilkerson now lives, to which office mail was supplied once a week.
About the year 1891, William Beury, Cooper and Company bought a large part of the land owned by Gentry and Gibson and a few years later began opening mines, although they never shipped any coal from here they did quite a bit of work preparatory to mining and shipping coal. There was a postoffice established called Gentry in honor of the first settler, but later when Beury, Cooper and company sold out to the New River Pocahontas Coal company the name was changed Layland. This company immediately began the erection of beautiful modern framed buildings as homes for their men. The owners of this splendid mining town are the proud possessors of one of the finest cut stone store buildings to be found in the state. They have a magnificent superintendent's mansion surrounded by a large attractively planned open court with a large concrete tennis court in front, and brick walkways, shaded by native hemlock and vines, leading to its entrances. In fact the company has spared neither time nor means in making this a nice, comfortable, pleasant place in which to live.
They have a four-room, modern, well equipped brick school building with a second unit to be constructed in the near future. A high school has been established so it can be seen the educational opportunities of the children are excellent. A consolidated school for colored people of Layland and Lawton are located nearly midway between the two towns thus giving the colored children of these towns exceptionally good educational opportunities.
Two fine churches provide places for religious worship: One is a Baptist church used by the Methodist when not occupied, the other a Baptist church for colored people.
Everything possible is done by the company that will tend to make the people comfortable, prosperous and happy. Layland is, indeed, a desirable place in which to live.
One of the most picturesque scenes of Fayette county is the one which you can behold of White Oak Valley as you coast down
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the grade into the beautiful village of Whipple. From the upper end of this village you can gaze down upon the industrious mining towns of Whipple, Scarbro, and Wingrove and behold their mine shafts pouring forth its lustrious black lumps of coal. The noble, big hearted men of these little towns go to and from their work daily in their proud manly way; proud of the fact that they can
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send many thousand tons of coal to the markets of our country each year.
The transportation facilities of these towns are exceptionally good. A branch line of the Virginian railroad winds its way down the valley passing through each town and carries products some back to the main line of the Virginian, at Oak Hill junction and some by Glen Jean and Thurmond over the C. & O. to the markets of the country. Not only are these towns served by branch lines of two of the largest eastern railroads but they are noted for their good roads. A paved state highway passes through each town over which a constant chain of automobiles pass. The pioneer settler of this valley was John Wingrove. He came to this section and selected a tract of land on the high hill just back of the old Wingrove shaft. He built his log cabin upon this site and settled down to hunting, farming and stock raising. Not long after Adam Blake followed Mr. Wingrove into the valley. He built his cabin on the opposite side of the creek a little above the Wingrove farm. These men sent back such favorable reports of the fertility of the soil and of wild animals that Messrs. Joseph Hughart, Charles Huddleston, Mike Bragg, Llewellyn Hundley, Charlie Blake and Robert Thurmond rushed to the region to take up claims and build their homes. Each of these men reared large families most of which later became noted leaders of this and adjoining neighborhoods. Many of them cleared away the forest, chased away large wild animals and engaged in tilling the soil, raising stock, growing fruits and tobacco. About the year 1892 the farmers of this section led by Mr. Bragg sold their mineral interests to the White Oak Fuel Company and immediate development began, in sinking shafts at Scarbro, Carlisle, Wingrove, Oakwood and Whipple. The development of these mines caused towns of considerable size to spring up quickly. The early settlers of Scarbro, like most others of Fayette county were interested in education and religion. Within a very few years they met and erected a log school house which was "A Typical Mountain School Building," a place to which their boys and girls could go to educate themselves. Their school term lasted three months each year, and there was no age limit place upon those who might attend and no truant officer was needed to bring the boys, girls, young men, young women to school. When these develop-
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ments began a one-room school was built in each of the above towns and a two room frame building was erected upon the hill near the company store at Scarbro. To these new buildings the boys and girls large and small flocked for five or six months each year to prepare themselves for future usefulness and citizenship. Finally the people here came to themselves and declared that these one room schools should give place to a consolidated school to be located at a central point. The site selected was on a gentle slope back of the company store at Whipple. Modern brick buildings were erected; one provides accommodation for the pupils of the grades and one for the pupils of the junior high schools.
The teachers for these schools are thoroughly trained and were selected on account of their special fitness for the work they are expected to d. The citizens of Scarbro show their interest and cooperative spirit by the attitude they take toward the teachers and their work. They take an active part in the parent teachers association, which meets monthly to discuss their educational problems. Scarbro, Carlisle and Wingrove, each has a one room school for its colored population and it is only a matter of a short time when a
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consolidated school will be erected somewhere in the vicinity for the accommodation of the colored children of the entire valley. A commodious and well equipped Catholic school located between these towns provided instruction in the common branches and the doctrines of the church for the Catholic children.
This town is well provided with houses of worship. Three splendid churches; a Baptist, Methodist and Catholic send their spires heavenward and within the people who gather in large congregations to worship. There are two churches, a Methodist and a Baptist place to worship for the colored people of the valley.
One of the best attended and most successful Sunday schools in the county is to be found here. Scarbro is well provided with general stores, garages, filling stations, lunch counters, barber shops, depot, post office; everything to make the people prosperous, comfortable, happy and contented.
A beautiful stream known as White Oak creek, flows down from the gentle sloping hills of a plateau and empties its waters into Loop creek, which flows down another valley of unexcelled beauty.
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Glen Jean is located at the junction point of these two streams. The country side around makes a beautiful panorama which any eye should love to gaze upon. The hills slope back gently from the streams forming an ideal place for the location of the town. Back in the distance the high mountain summits which seem to penetrate far into the blue sky can be seen. In the early spring and late fall these summits are often covered with snow and ice; this adds much
to the scenic beauty of the place. The town is well laid out, and with well built and neatly kept houses running parallel with the three main streets which run in different directions and all join the paved state highway which connects Charleston, Oak Hill, Fayetteville, Mount Hope and Beckley. A paved highway extends from this village to Thurmond, and when extended will connect with the Midland trail near Cliff Top, passing through Stone Cliff, Claremont, Thayer, Prince, Quinnimont thence up Laurel creek through the mining towns of Export, Laurel creek, Big Q, Brownwood and Layland. Three railroads meet at Glen Jean: A branch of the Virginian connects with the Loup creek branch of the Chesapeake and Ohio and the K. G. connects with the Virginian at Pax.
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These three railroads pull many thousand tons of coal from the mines of Glen Jean annually.
The first settler of this town was Jack McCoy. He came here when the country was a dense wilderness and from the near by trees built his log cabin on a site near the present home of William McKell. Being a mill-wright he erected a grist mill which was turned by the old fashion water wheel and later by steam. To this mill the settlers came for miles around with their sacks of corn to be ground into meal for their bread. Mr. McCoy was kept very busy attending to his mill, and rearing his large family of boys. His sons grew up to be stalwart men who cleared away the forests from the gentle slopes and grew large crops of grain. They married and built their homes on nearby lands and devoted their time to stock raising and farming, finally some of them took over the mill and operated it.
Several settlers followed McCoy to this section. C. H. Hickman, settled on the Giles, Fayette and Kanawha turnpike near the top of the hill when George W. Jones now lives, Isaac Smith built his home just below the present Red Star mines. On the old turnpike just beyond Mr. Hickman lived John Poteet, Hiram Hill and Mack Blake, they all built houses, cleared the land and fenced their ground with split fence rails. Rev. Samuel V. Argubright, a famous Baptist preacher of pioneer days reared his cabin on the hill just above where the mining town of Sun is located. All of these men devoted their time principally to stock raising, farming and tobacco growing. The boys and girls reared by these noble men constitute some of the best citizenry of the country today.
At a very early date Frazier McCoy, son of Jack McCoy, put up a store and sold goods to the farmers of this community. About the time this store was opened a post office was established here by the name of White Oak but was later changed to Leblong by which name it was know for several years. About the year 1879 Henry Light purchased the store of Mr. McCoy. He remained in the mercantile business here for several years, but finally sold his goods back to Mr. McCoy, and returned to his farm on Crooked run, near Fayetteville.
About the year 1887 Thomas G. McKell, father of William McKell, acquired the McCoy estate and also many more acres of land
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from the surrounding farms which he added to the 12,500 acres which had been given to his wife as a wedding present by her father, John Dunn, of Chillicothe, Ohio. A little later Mr. McKell leased a part of his property to the Collins Colliery company who opened up mines and shipped the first car load of coal from the Loop Creek field in 1893 since which time they have mined and shipped many thousand tons of coal. About this time the name of the post office was changed to Glen Jean. Thomas Nichol became the engineer for the McKell Coal and Coke Company in 1894 and later leased the Nichols mine from them and began operating coal for himself since which time much coal has been mined and sold by this company. At the present time nearly all of the houses of Glen Jean, which cover the level land along the creek and extending far up against the slopes are owned and kept by Mr. William McKell.
This town has two splendid churches, one for white and one for the colored people. A fine eight-room brick, modern, well equipped school building which accommodates both the Junior and High school and the grades. A graded school is maintained for
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the colored people; indeed they have exceptionally good schools for both white and colored children. The town people are very proud that they have within their limits almost everything for their convenience and pleasure that larger cities have. They have the Bank of Glen Jean, of which Mr. McKell is president; this bank is backed by Mr. McKell and many of the substantial citizens of this community and is one of the strong financial enterprises of the county. They have a modern, well stocked department store, two coal company stores, drug store, two garages, post office, photograph gallery, dentist's office, barber shop, and filling station maintained by Squire S. J. Jasper.
Just below Glen Jean on the branch line of the C. & O. on the hard road leading to Thurmond are the towns of Red Star and Harvey. The Red Star mines are owned and operated by Jones Bros., who have been very successful in the coal business, and Harvey, owned and operated by the New River Company, with Col. S. A. Scott, superintendent and general manager. A splendid co-operative spirit exists in this field between operator and employee and all seem prosperous, contented and happy.
Kingston is located on Milburn Creek, a stream three miles long, which flows into Paint Creek at a point about twenty miles from the Kanawha river. It is located on a branch of the C. & O. railway, 22 miles from Paint Creek Junction, which point is on the main line of the Chesapeake and Ohio railway. It is in Kanawha district 15 miles southwest of Fayetteville, the county seat, and 18 miles south of Montgomery, the banking point. It is 44 miles from Charleston, the capital of the state.
The first settler at Kingston was Isaac Scarbrough who moved from Horse creek, a tributary of Clear creek, which is a tributary of Coal river, to Milburn.
On arriving at this point, Mr. Scarbrough found an apple tree growing there and decided to build his log house nearby. The tree remained standing until recently when it was destroyed.
A man by the name of Milburn came from Monroe county and built a camp where the above mentioned apple tree was later found. Milburn made annual trips to this camp to fig gin seng.
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He brought with him his family, also several cows. The family camped here for several months each year, the men digging the ginseng while the women washed and dried it. The name of Milburn creek originated from the name of the man who probably was the first to roam the Kingston hills.
The second settler to come to the Kingston section was Robin Scarbrough who settled at the place now known as the William Wriston place. The time of this second settlement was about 1830. The third was Isaac Williams who settled near the mouth of Bishops branch, just a short time after Robin Scarbrough located here. Williams later traded his tract of land to John Wesley Scarbrough, son of Robin Scarbrough. This same piece of land which consisted of 500 acres was traded sometime later to James Armstrong, Sr., for a heifer. Armstrong soon thereafter traded the land to Isaac Moles for a saddle. Moles occupied the place a short but finally sold the same to Isaac Williams, the original owner. Williams later sold the land to Samuel Honaker, Sr., for $50.00. Honaker made a survey of the land in 1858 and obtained a patent from the Commonwealth of Virginia in 1861, signed by John Letcher, then governor of Virginia.
Stewart Armstrong made a survey on the head of Bishops branch in 1859 and obtained a patent in 1861. He later bought the Honaker patent and lived on the place until his death.
The name of Bishops branch originated in the same way as Milburn creek. A man by the name of Bishop made annual trips from Monroe county to this section to dig gin seng.
Jacob Stover settled on the land bordering on a stream known as Rattlesnake Draft. The trail made to his cabin by way of Likens creek is known to this day as the Jacob's Path. The dividing ridge on Milburn creek was also named after him, as his favorite hunting grounds were around the head of Armstrong creek, He helped more than anyone else in making these trails going to and coming from his hunting grounds. It was on the Rattlesnake Draft, near Kingston, that Wash Stover was born over 70 years ago.
Jacob Stover never obtained any title to his place. He lived here with his family for awhile, spending his time hunting game, digging gin seng, and raising a little corn for his own use. He soon moved away leaving the land which he had improved. Robin
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Wriston obtained a patent for this piece of land which had been improved and then gave it to his son, James. James Wriston lived on the Rattlesnake Draft for several years, but finally let the land go delinquent for taxes. Robin Wriston later obtained a patent on Liken's creek, now known as the Harry Alliff place.
Robin Scarbrough about this time obtained a patent for 130 acres of land which included what is commonly known as the William Wriston place.
The first settlers in the Kingston section took their ginseng to Burn's store in Monroe county to dispose of. When they had grain to grind they took it to the mill at Kanawha Falls. At first the nearest postoffice was Oak Hill. Salt was bought at the salt licks at Brownstown. They made annual trips for salt, taking horses or oxen for the trip. For food on the trip they depended mostly on what game they might kill on the route. The round trip required about three days.
It has been told that on one of these trips Isaac Moles took an ox and won a wager of seven bushels of salt which was given to him on condition that the ox would carry it. The salt was safely carried up Cabin Creek where the load was divided, one half being
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safely hid in a cache, and the journey continued. He went back and brought the remainder of the load. Isaac Moles said that the only difference he noticed in his load and the ordinary load was that the ox twitched his tail more than usual.
Skitters creek, formerly known as Skeeters creek, was named by Reason Wriston, Sr. Wearing a pair of moccasins, he hunted for gin seng all day. In going over the slick rocks in the bed of the creek he had quite a number of falls. He remarked that this creek could very appropriately be named Skeeters creek.
The Methodist denomination was the first to organize a church at Kingston. The log church stood opposite of Robin Scarbrough's place. The first minister was Rev. James Doliver.
The first school was taught in this old log church, said building being rented to the trustees for 50 cents per month, the term being three months. This building had five corners, a dirt floor, and split benches for seats. The pupils chopped their own wood at dinner hour. Occasionally the trustees would haul in a supply of wood but most of the fuel was chopped and carried by the pupils. A set of rollers was kept in the yard to skid the big back sticks into the fire place which was built in one corner of the building. The subjects taught were the testament, spelling book and the multiplication table. The first school teacher was William Honaker.
The real history of Kinston begins when in 1910 the Pocahontas Company began developments under the name of the Solvey Collieries Company, with A. B. Rand as first superintendent, and C. M. Warden, general manager, both of whom worked their way up from trapper boy and mule driver to their present responsible positions.
Kingston is one of the largest mining towns of the state, It is considered a model camp, being located as it is on the waters of Paint creek in the mountainous section, the climate is ideal, the summers are cool and the winters are mild. The town is sanitary and everything possible is done to make the people happy and contented at all times. Community welfare work is carried on under the auspices of the Young Women's Christian Association
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with the one idea of the betterment of ideals and raising the standard of living.
The Kingston people have always been interested in education. They have built up from the one-room school above spoken until today they have one of the most up-to-date and best equipped Junior High schools and grade builds in this part of the country. The faculty of the school is made up of teachers with wide and practical experience, well trained for their work, hence the children of Kingston have an opportunity to get an elementary and high school training in their home town.
There is a splendid co-operation between the officials and men and all are prosperous and happy. Truly, Kingston is an ideal place in which to live.
Of all the peaks and mountain ranges that send their sentinel posts touring high towards the heavens there are none more bold in the outline of their stone, cliffs, and rugged canyons than the mountains surrounding Robson, Mulberry and Beards Fork. In the
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winter time when these rugged canyons and steep slopes are not covered with snow they present their beautiful colors of soft grey with intermingling spots of green and purple. Every morning they are there looking down upon the picturesque valley of what is known as "Loop Creek" with its dear blue water rushing along through the narrows and splashing upon the huge boulders before it plunges over the many cascades over which it must pass on its way to the wide spreading Kanawha at its mouth.
The first that seem to have come to find homes for themselves in the above described territory were: Camel Settle, settled half mile up Mulberry branch, Abner Settle built his log cabin on Loup creek at what is now the Roster place farmed, and run a water grist mill where he ground the settlers' corn into meal for bread. Bob Short took up a large tract of land and built his home at the foot of the mountain several miles up Loup creek from Deepwater; William Coleman, William Radford, William Dempsey, William Taylor and James Say all settled on the tributaries of Mulberry branch above Camel Settle. Benjamin Noble settled at the mouth of Mulberry, William Reese, William Settle and Alex Burnside up on Loup creek and Reuben James up on Beards Fork. All of these were sturdy hardworking men who cleared the heavy timber from the valleys and hillsides of their farms. They became prosperous farmers, stock raisers and hunted deer, bear, wild turkeys and the various wild animals they found here.
Later when the mines began to develop along the Kanawha river these farmers became truck growers. They raised and marketed much of their produce grown on their farms. They traded much of their produce to the company stores along the river for groceries, dry goods and shoes selling a little more here and there for cash which gave them a little spending money.
The first postoffice was established here about the year 1890 with C. T. Myers as postmaster; the following have served as postmasters: Henry Underwood, Charley Underwood and Ira Pennington, the current incumbent.
Many of the descendants of the above pioneer settlers are still living in various parts of this valley, some farmers, some miners, some merchants, some bookkeepers and stenographers, and all seem prosperous, contented and happy.
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Set amid the grandeur and beauty of these lovely skies, wild and rugged mountains is the quiet little town of Beards Fork. It is seven and one half miles from Deepwater on a branch line of the famous Virginian railroad.
Not many years ago the old prospector and ginseng hunter Mr. Beard, made his way up this valley through dense forest and camped here under the cliff, hunted wild animals, dug ginseng and gave name to the branch which has been known ever since as "Beards Fork."
Many years later the Loup Creek Colliery company purchased the entire valley and began opening the mines. To-day one of the most modern mining towns of the state is to be found along the upper part of Beards Fork which leaves the main creek near the little town of Beards.
The mining town of Beards Fork consists principally of two rows of well constructed, well kept houses which extends up and down the valley for more than a mile and a half along either side of a well constructed county road.
The mines on both sides of the valley high up against the mountain slopes send forth their precious fuel to the conveyor line. This conveyor line is the longest endless cable conveyor in the world. It is more than a hundred feet high at its highest point and over a mile long. It runs from the mines on one side of the mountain down across the valley and up the side of the opposite mountain to the head house. This one conveyor line carries coal from fifteen mines down the steep mountain slopes to the magnificent tipple where it is dumped into large railroad cars in which it is shipped to the various markets.
These mines are owned and operated by the Loup Colliery Company with J. R. C. Taylor as general manager and R. J. Stevens as superintendent.
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BEGINNING OF INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT
By Sterling Price Campbell.
Falls District is located in the northwestern part of Fayette county. It is bounded on the northwest by Kanawha county; on the northeast by Nicholas county; on the southeast by Mountain Cove district; and on the south by Kanawha district, from which it was separated by the Great Kanawha river. The area of this district is 104.03 square miles. The population according to the census of 1920 was 8,784.
There are no incorporated towns in the district, but scattered over the district are fourteen thriving communities at which post offices have been established, as follows: Gauley Bridge, Glen Ferris, Bonear, Longacre, Smithers, Carbondale, Cannelton, Marting, Vanetta, Gamoca, Wyndal, Romont, and Jodie.
During the sixties, J. Gardiner Paxton, of Rockbridge county, Virginia, owner of large boundaries of coal lands in this district, opened the No. 2 gas coal near the present coal opening at Longacre. This work was well done as the entries and timber were in good shape in 1897.
In 1894 W. R. Johnson & Company opened the Harewood mines, the first commercial coal mining in the district. In 1896, William Masters, one of the pioneer coal operators of Fayette county, opened the celebrated Boomer mines. In 1897 Samuel Dixon and associates opened the present Longacre mines, which they operated as the Longacre Colliery company until July 1901, selling out to the Kanawha & Hocking Coal and Coke company. In 1897, C. A. Cabell and associates opened mines and constructed the first ovens at Carbondale. In 1898 the Longacre Colliery company constructed a plant of Welsh coke ovens; W. R. Johnson & Company also constructed a plant of bee-hive ovens at Harewood. During the nineties, the Prichard interests opened and operated coal mines at Glen Ferris. About the same time C. C. Sharp and associates began to open and operate mines at Marting. The West Virginia Eagle Coal company, with office at Bonear, began in 1919 the development of a 1200 acre tract of coal land leased from the
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Kanawha & Hocking Coal and Coke company, said tract being situated on the K. & M. railway, south of Jarretts branch.
In 1892-93 the Kanawha & Michigan railroad was constructed from Malden, in Kanawha county, to Gauley Bridge. This is now an important branch of the New York Central line. Later branch lines were constructed up Smithers creek and Boomer branch. The Chesapeake & Ohio railroad company also constructed a branch line from Gauley Junction to Greendale.
In 1901 the Kanawha & Hocking Coal and Coke company purchased the following mines: Carbondale, National, Longacre, Harewood, and Glen Ferris, which was the beginning of a