10 Years Ago
Week of May 15, 2014
SUGAR GROVE
It started near the end of the Civil War, when people decorated the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers. But exactly where and when Memorial Day began is anyone’s guess.
The earliest story of Memorial Day traces back to Charleston, S.C. The Washington Race Course had been temporarily used as a Confederate prison camp in 1865 and as a mass grave for Union soldiers. After the war, enslaved blacks exhumed the bodies from the mass grave and interred them properly with individual graves. A fence was built around the graveyard with an entry arch, and it was declared a Union graveyard. On May 1, 1865, a crowd of nearly 1,000 (mostly blacks) gathered at the graveyard for singing, sermons and a picnic on the grounds.
Waterloo, N. Y., is officially recognized by the U.S. as the official birthplace of Memorial Day. It was on May 5, 1856, that the village was decorated with flags at half-mast, draped with evergreens and mourning black. General John Murray led veterans, residents and civic societies to the cemetery where they held ceremonies and decorated soldiers’ graves.
On May 30, 1868, flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery, and the day was officially recognized. It wasn’t until 1971 that Decoration Day was officially changed to Memorial Day, and the day moved to the last Monday in May.
20 Years Ago
Week of May 27, 2004
Elder John Kline’s
Circuit Ride
To Be Celebrated
The Elder John Kline’s 207th birthday will be celebrated with a horse ride on May 28 through May 31.
Local residents will have the opportunity to visit with the Elder Kline Riders and hear them relate stories about this famous Dunker servant of God.
The riders are retracing one of his typical circuit missionary rides in the South Fork and South Branch valleys.
It will also be an opportunity for folks to learn what travel in this area was like 150 years ago.
Folks will have the opportunity to experience the warmth of Brethren hospitality shared in the homes and hearts of Brethren families and churches.
Pastor Dan Ludwick notes that this is an opportunity for a great adventure and a unique experience by riding through the South Fork Valley and highlands, the South Branch Valley and the Smith Creek back lands.
Born in 1797, the Elder John Kline was murdered by Confederate sympathizers in 1864.
40 Years Ago
Week of May 31, 1984
Advice Given
For Managing Woodland For Both
Firewood and Wildlife
Woodlot owners who want to manage their land for both firewood and wildlife probably have been cutting the wrong trees, according to a professor of wildlife biology in West Virginia University’s Division of Forestry.
“Many people cut the trees that are most valuable for animals,” Edwin Michael says. He has been conducting research to identify cutting patterns that will result in more favorable habitat for forest animals.
“Standing dead trees in particular have cavities that provide dens and nesting sites for squirrels and flying squirrels, woodpeckers, chickadees, titmice, screech owls and raccoons.”
Michael advises that woodlot owners should clear-cut limited areas rather than take selected trees from the forest at large.
“A simple approach is to cut a 20- to 25-foot-wide strip along an access road,” he explained. “This lets the sunlight in and encourages blackberry, green briar, sumac and other vegetation that provides food for wildlife.” The proximity of the road makes log removal easy.
An alternative is to cut small blocks one-eighth to one-quarter acre in size within the forest. Long, narrow rectangular blocks are preferable, according to Michael.
“If an area is too open, some animals won’t venture into it,” he said. A strip 100 feet long and 20 feet wide would be ideal.
Within that area all trees should be removed except such food trees as cherry, service berry, dogwood and oak if the tree is producing acorns. Leave grape vines even if the trees supporting them are taken. The vines may grow on the ground.
Such an area will attract rabbits, deer, songbirds, chipmunks, squirrels and mice. Turkey and grouse may nest there. The availability of prey will bring hawks and owls.
Around the perimeter of the clear-cut site, poor fuel-wood trees such as yellow poplar and red maple could be girdled (by removing a section of bark all the way around) and left in place, Michael suggests. When dead, the trees are too small to be valuable as fuel. Michael is investigating three possible treatments—burn it, leave it scattered on the plot or pile it in a narrow row in the middle of the plot.
His study of the long-term outcomes of these treatments is continuing but Michael offers some preliminary observations.
“Burning the slash returns nutrients to the soil in the shortest time and makes them available to the new vegetation. Leaving the slash scattered on the site provides cover and nesting sites for some wildlife.
“In areas where there are too many deer, leaving the slash scattered may discourage them from entering the plots whereas, piling it up so that much of the ground is clear, may encourage them to visit.”
One-quarter to one-third acre clear-cut generally provides sufficient firewood to heat a home for the winter. One-eighth acre would provide enough wood for people who build frequent fires but don’t rely on the heat.
When should the trees be cleared? “The best time is in the spring, although most people aren’t motivated to do it then,” Michael says.
“In early spring there are few insects, temperatures are mild, the canopy isn’t blocking most of the sunlight and the undergrowth is no hindrance. Wood cut in the spring usually dries enough to be used the following winter.
“Even if you don’t haul the wood away, cut down the trees in the spring and leave them on the spot. This allows the drying process to begin.”
50 Years Ago
Week of May 30, 1974
113 to Graduate from Pendleton High Schools
A total of 113 seniors will graduate from Pendleton County’s two high schools next week. Seventy-seven students will receive their diplomas in commencement exercises at Franklin High School Sunday night, and 36 graduates will complete their high school careers at Circleville High School Monday night.
60 Years Ago
Week of May 23, 1964
WELCOME
TO BRANDYWINE
RECREATION AREA
Dedication Ceremony
Set for 2 P.M.
The Brandywine Recreation Area, one of the finest playgrounds in West Virginia, will be dedicated during appropriate ceremonies Saturday at 2 p.m.
- S. Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) will be the principal speaker for the dedicatory service. Rep. Harley O. Staggers and Regional Forester Richard F. Droege also will speak.
The recreation area is located on U. S. Route 33 three miles east of Brandywine in Pendleton County.
Opened just a month ago for public use, the Brandywine Recreation Area is the result of the cooperative efforts of two federal agencies—the Soil Conservation Service and the George Washington National Forest.
The center of attraction for the recreation area is a 10-acre lake constructed in 1960 by the Soil Conservation Service. It is one of 24 planned water impoundments in the South Fork Flood Control project which extends through Pendleton and Hardy counties.
In 1961 the U. S. Forest Service provided temporary recreation improvements in the area which included picnicking, and fishing. Then, in the fall of 1962, funds became available through the Accelerated Public Works Program to begin construction on the principal features—swimming, camping and enlargement of the picnic facilities.
Nearly 5000 man-days of West Virginia labor were used in the construction of the recreation area. The campground consists of 17 campsites each of which provides a parking spur, fire grate, tent mound, and picnic tables. There are also two wells and two toilets in this area.
In the picnic area there are 27 family units each of which is equipped with a charcoal-wood grill and table, water, parking, and sanitary facilities are also provided.
White ocean sand has been spread over the 300-person capacity beach. The lake was stocked with trout by the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources.
Week of May 28, 1964
100 YEARS AGO
By LON K. SAVAGE
Editor’s Note—The following is one of a series of articles on the Civil War. Each weekly installment covers events which occurred exactly 100 years ago.
Sherman In Georgia, Drives Johnston Back
While Grant and Lee slugged it out on the Civil War’s center stage of Virginia 100 years ago this week, Federal Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman and Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston swung away at each other in a bloody campaign in northwest Georgia.
And although their campaign didn’t cause the casualties that mounted in Virginia, it appeared to be going much faster. After three weeks, Sherman had battled his way more than half the distance from Chattanooga to Atlanta, while Grant had covered only a few of the miles separating him from Richmond.
Sherman, like Grant, outnumbered his enemy by about two to one when he moved out from Chattanooga in early May, but he found Johnston behind impregnable defenses at Dalton, 20 miles across the border. There, he achieved his first victory.
As the two armies skirmished near Dalton, Sherman sent a corps under Gen. James H. McPherson looping southward behind the mountains toward Resaca, 12 miles away. On May 9, McPherson pushed through Snake Creek Gap to Resaca’s outskirts where he could have cut Johnston’s supply line with ease.
But McPherson delayed, and while he did, Johnston sent men down to meet him. In the next three days, Johnston moved his whole army of 50,000 down from Dalton to Resaca, and Sherman’s army followed. By the 11th, the two armies again faced each other, but Johnston no longer had his Dalton defense.
On May 13, the battle erupted. Gen. John B. Hood of Johnston’s army attacked Sherman’s center. Sherman retaliated by sending Joe Hooker’s corps into Hood’s flank, and Hood’s attack withered and died. Next day, Sherman knocked two holes in Johnston’s line and rained artillery onto the town of Resaca. Johnston pulled out, and on the 15th, Sherman occupied Resaca.
But he didn’t stop. As fast as Johnston’s army retreated southward, Sherman’s swept along behind it, repairing railroads as it moved to keep connection with the North. Johnston pulled up at Cassville, 40 miles north of Atlanta, to make a stand, and Sherman called his army together to attack. Next morning, May 20, Sherman was surprised to find Johnston had retreated again.
Sherman halted there to rest a bit, and he caught up on the news from Virginia—of the bloody battles of the Wilderness and Spotsylvania. As he rested, there also came more news of two Union defeats in Virginia.
Both had happened May 15, one in the Shenandoah Valley and the other on the James River just east of Richmond. In the valley, a hastily assembled army of 5,000 Confederates—including the cadet corps of Virginia Military Institute— had soundly trounced the Federal army of Gen. Franz Siegel at New Market. East of Richmond, Gen. Benjamin “Beast” Butler, with an army of 35,000, marched on Richmond with grand hopes to end the war. Instead, he was hit from behind by Gen. P. G. T. Beauregard who had moved up from the South, and Butler retreated down the river with heavy losses.
Next week: A Chess Game.
70 Years Ago
Week of May 27, 1954
Pet Deer Permits
Will Not Be Issued
No Pet Permits for deer will be issued this year; and persons who pick up “motherless fawns” will be prosecuted Chief Conservation Officer, Arthur Bachman announced this week.
Local Conservation Officer, William E. Hottinger explained that there are two good reasons for the Conservations Commission’s policy on deer. First: A “Motherless Fawn” probably has a mother nearby, and it will thrive much better in the woods. Second: Pet deer often become destructive and dangerous as they grow older.
Officer Hottinger said that several cases occur in West Virginia each year in which pet deer attack their owners or other persons. He added that reports of damage to crops and other property by pet deer are quite common.
