Editorial

Sugar Grove By Paula Mitchell Country is...picking blackberries...cutting a pumpkin...dyeing eggs...drinking sassafras tea...building a campfire...watching the moon...noticing butterflies...weeding the garden...eating ramps...enjoying the changing of leaves...wading in the creek...sitting on the back porch...catching tadpoles...going fishing...watching a sunrise/sunset...making mud pies...listening to the whippoorwills...finding cloud pictures...blowing dandelion blooms...watching a cocoon turn into a...

By Dave Ellis When driving through the county, mostly the back roads, a person witnesses Mother Nature of the fall season as the trees’ leaves are turning their colors. Smith Creek and Friends Run Churches of the Brethren: shut-ins - Mary Mitchell, Bucky Moyers, Pam Riner, Anna Tesi, Alice Johnson,...

10 Years Ago Week of October 16, 2014 State Asked To Adopt Two Franklin Streets County school officials and the Town of Franklin are asking the State of West Virginia to take over full maintenance duties, from snow removal to paving, for Lee Drive and part of South Branch Street....

50 Years Ago Week of October 10, 1974 Man on the Move,  Virgil Byrde Has Walked 60,000 Miles in 16 Years Walking is a lost art for most people, but not for Virgil Byrde. He has been on the road for the past 16 years, constantly moving from place to...

The oldest and youngest members of the Smith family, Cleo Smith Simmons and Audrey Marie Plumley. Sugar Grove By Paula Mitchell Although the American eels are often described as “snake-like,” they are actually fish. Their faded yellow sides compliment their dark brown look, with the females having a lighter look. While the...

By Dave Ellis The leaves are starting to fall off the trees after they turn their colors. The area is back into another dry spell. Now the that burning control is in effect, be careful if one burns. Smith Creek and Friends Run Churches of the Brethren: shut-ins - Mary...

By Dave Ellis Another new month has started. September went out on a rainy day, which the area sure did need. With the leaves falling from the trees and mixing with the rain, it makes the roads slicker. So, drive carefully. Smith Creek and Friends Run Churches of the Brethren:...

Corn Husk Doll By Paula Mitchell At one time, there were no stores to purchase toys. Boys and girls had toys traditionally handmade from nature’s offerings. Usually, birthdays and Christmas brought these handmade items to their surprise. One such toy was the corn husk doll. The Native Americans introduced the corn...

By Dave Ellis Hello autumn (fall); goodbye summer. This past summer that left on Sept. 22 was three months worth remembering. Due to a lack of rain, the farmers got hit hard, and some only had one cut of hay on their fields. Area residents are feeling the effect of...

William Early Grogg, the son of John and Lucy Grogg, was buried in Briery Branch, Virginia.  He was married to his first wife, Edna Emmaline Smith Grogg (Oct. 3, 1907-Feb. 15, 1933), to which they had four children. Upon Edna’s passing, he married Bessie Shank and to this union were...