10 Years Ago
Week of March 31, 2016
SUGAR GROVE
St. Michael’s Church Has Long Standing History
Record states that on Oct. 1, 1794, Michael Wilfong and his wife, Sophia, deeded a tract of four acres “for use of building a church for use of said congregation lying and being on the South Fork of the South Branch of the Potomack.” The deed was made to the church wardens or trustees, Philip Eckart and George Simmons, for the normal fee of one schilling.
The first church building was of round log construction with earthen floors and no better seating accommodations than slab benches. Mud and clay between the logs served as a means of weather-proofing.
In earlier days, this congregation boasted of having numbered as high as four hundred souls. It had always been a fine singing congregation. Although this church is not an active church at this time, many services are still held there.
10 Years Ago
Week of April 7, 2016
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Resident Reminds One To Remember Elderly
Editor, the Times:
This letter is not political, so please keep on reading.
Have you thought about the elderly lately?
It’s spring! If you don’t have the time to help dear old mom and dad or grandma and grandpa, how about paying for someone else to help for two hours here, two hours there. They can clean house or just windows or just cupboards, closets, or drawers.
How about just stopping by and visiting for half an hour or an hour? Ask, “Can I help you with something while I’m here. How about a little ride?”
Cold hard cash to help pay bills sure doesn’t hurt either.
I hope you realize we won’t always be around to annoy you, so, please appreciate us while we are here.
Rose McNulty
SUGAR GROVE
Volunteers Are Essential To Society’s Health
Now, probably more than any time in the nation’s recent history, citizen involvement is critical to the health of the community and America. April is Volunteer Month, and now more than ever, help is needed. The country takes great pride in the role volunteering has played in its history. Volunteers are believed to be virtuous, kind and essential to society’s health.
In this country, three out of four persons don’t volunteer. Why? Society has destroyed the idea that the community is important. Oftentimes, persons don’t know where to turn to do volunteer acts. There are many avenues in the county: CAN, church, civic organizations, such as Lions and Ruritans, fire departments, rescue squads, Pendleton Manor, 4-H, Boy Scouts, schools…to name a few.
There are many reasons to become a volunteer. It’s good for a person, saves resources, brings people together, promotes personal growth and self-esteem, strengthens community, provides a chance to give back, encourages civic responsibility and makes a difference. To give of one’s time and talent for a good cause is a special feeling, indeed.
20 Years Ago
Week of April 6, 2006
Spring Breakers Trade Swimsuits For Hammers
Students on spring break gathered in Pendleton County to help build safe, decent homes with local families during Habitat for Humanity’s Alternative Spring Break program, Collegiate Challenge.
During the month of March, Almost Heaven Habitat for Humanity hosted 197 volunteers from colleges and high schools, who collectively raised $29,550.00.
Throughout its 17-year history, more than 110,000 Collegiate Challenge volunteers have raised more than $9.8 million to build Habitat houses. This year Collegiate Challenge students will contribute $1.3 million to help build Habitat homes.
30 Years Ago
Week of April 4, 1996
Appalachians Drink Less, Smoke More
People in Appalachia may drink less alcohol than those in other parts of this country, but they’re also more likely to engage in other unhealthy activities, such as smoking cigarettes and not wearing seat belts.
That information and other comparisons between Appalachia and the rest of the United States can be found in a recent study conducted by the West Virginia Bureau for Public Health’s Office of Epidemiology and Health Promotion in collaboration with the West Virginia University Prevention Research Center.
The report, Risks: The Appalachian Lifestyle, examines selected health behaviors and demographic characteristics among people living in the area designated as Appalachia by the Appalachian Regional Commission. That region includes 399 counties in the 13 states of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. Of these, West Virginia is the only state to lie wholly within Appalachia.
In addition to cigarette and alcohol use, the report looked at obesity, over-weight, hypertension, and seat belt non-use.
40 Years Ago
Week of March 27, 1986
DAHMER
Back in the days before running water in the home, there was an old saying among farmers which went “I take a bath in the spring and another in the fall whether I need it or not.” Of course this was really a joke among most people, but the Saturday night bath was not. Although, one washed their hands and face daily, a full bath was usually reserved to Saturday night.
Today’s washed and perfumed generation, the writer is sure frowns at the thought of such uncleanliness, but that is the way it was often done, using a wash pan with water, soap, cloth and towel. During the November 1985 flood, a woman at Franklin asked, “How do you take a bath with a wash pan of water?”
Now some would feel this was the reason for body lice. The writer is of the opinion that much body lice was brought back home on the clothing of those returning from the World War I battlefield, the bunkhouse in the logging camps, and jails.
In fact the writer remembers when it was claimed that the jail at Franklin had a louse called the “grey back.” It seems the egg of lice can live a long time.
On more than one occasion the writer helped his mother clean the hen house because of lice and red mites. Now, animal lice are not the same critter as that which plagued people.
The writer’s mother often used a pine torch on the chicken roosts and it was maybe luck that the hen house did not burn down. Then, she would douse the roosts and nests with kerosene that was before the days of sprays.
The flea was very troublesome in the home, as well as on dogs, cats and hogs. One time Squire Dahmer had a hog nest literally hopping with fleas.
The late David Eye came in contact with an infected hog nest of fleas. The fleas were so blood thirsty that on his way home, Mr. Eye was compelled to take the woods and strip off his clothing to get rid of the fleas.
Probably the most troublesome human parasite was a little insect which is virtually unknown today as the bedbug. The writer does remember helping fumigate an empty house by burning sulphur before a family moved in and it was amazing at the dead bedbugs that had fallen from the walls onto the floor—but that rid the house of bedbugs.
The writer knew of families who were known for their cleanliness who suffered many years in trying to rid their homes of bedbugs.
60 Years Ago
Week of March 31, 1966
Presbyterian Minister Moves into New Manse
The Rev. J. Wilson Rowe, Jr., and his family moved into the new manse in Franklin on Tuesday, March 8th. About 25 members and friends of the Franklin Presbyterian Church assisted Mr. Rowe with the big task of transferring the household effects from the old house to the new one.
Work on the house started last September and is almost complete. The Franklin Home Service Company was awarded the contract. Mr. Rowe said, “They (the Franklin Home Service Company) have done a fine job and we are pleased with their work.” Total cost of the construction was $30,100.
The old manse has been sold to Alston Thompson who is dismantling it. When that job is finished, the new manse will be almost in the center of a large lot which is a combination of two lots.
The manse was heated with electricity and will be open to the public for inspection at some future date.
70 Years Ago
Week of March 22, 1956
DAHMER
A careless driver drives as if he owns the road. A careful driver drives as if he owns the car.
Johnstown or Moyers is becoming a nice community center. The post office is located in a nice one story block house building with a basement in conjunction with a community store of moderate magnitude. Mr. Eugene Harper is the postmaster and gives it good attention. A number of people buy gas and oil there. He is young and nimble and can skip over his new floors like a rubber tired vehicle.
Kline Beavers 4-H Club To Build Picnic Tables
At the February meeting of the Kline Beavers 4-H Club plans were made to work on picnic tables for a community project.
The club donated $5 to the Red Cross and $1 for the youth exchange program. Sam Smith gave a demonstration on planting potatoes and a committee composed of Mary and Macie Smith, Shirley Armentrout, Julian Mallow and Betty Hedrick was appointed to make preparations for field day.
EDITORIALS
It’s Still Foolish – – –
Everyone has heard the saying, 50,000,000 Frenchmen can’t be wrong.”
One of France’s greatest men of letters, the late Anatole France, made an infinitely wiser observation: “If 50,000,000 people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing.”
This is not limited to France, of course—it applies to every nation on the face of the earth. The fact that many people, or even a great majority of people, believe and approve something does not make it right. Some of the greatest human achievements—in the realm of ideas as well as material progress—have come from non-conformists and dissenters who hewed to their principles in the face of widespread ridicule, opposition, and even persecution.
Week of March 29, 1956
EDITORIALS
Perpetuating The Forests – – –
“Woodman, spare that tree!
Touch not a single bough!
In youth it sheltered me,
And I’ll protect it now.”
This sentiment was expressed by George Pope Morris back in 1830. “That tree,” in a collective sense, did more than shelter America in her youth. It sustained and gave her strength. From the time of the first settlers in this country, the seemingly limitless forests have been a primary resource from which the nation was built.
In 350 years twice as much wood has been removed as was standing when the first colonists landed at Jamestown and Plymouth. Only a little over one-third of this went for useful purposes—the rest having been lost for fire, insects and disease. Yet forests still cover more than a third of the U. S. land area today for trees grow and replace themselves if given a chance.
The forest industries recognize that the demands of advancing civilization are out-distancing the abilities of the forests to renew themselves without scientific propagation programs. The American woodsman is, therefore, perpetuating “that tree” in a costly nation-wide effort of forest conservation which has become an integral part of his business.
In the past 25 years the intelligent action of private industry, in cooperation with government in many instances, has brought the rate of new growth up to approximately the rate of removal.
By providing an endless supply of trees the American woodsman is enabling America to “have its cake and eat it too.”
