10 Years Ago
Week of June 4, 2015
Pendleton Boasts West Virginia’s Lowest Unemployment Rate
According to WorkForce West Virginia (Workforce), Pendleton County had the lowest unemployment rate in the state at 4.1 percent, followed by Jefferson County at 4.5 percent and Monongalia County at 5.1 percent.
The state’s overall unemployment rate rose four-tenths of a percentage point to 7 percent in April.
Pendleton County, known for its employment driven population that is not afraid of long commutes, has experienced low unemployment rates for several years. The unemployment rate for the county peaked in 2010 at roughly 8 percent. Population has declined steadily over the last two decades.
Closing the Navy base at Sugar Grove in September and the loss of approximately 300 jobs will greatly impact the county’s unemployment numbers. Workforce lists total employment from all industries as 1,588.
According to the most recent (2013) statistics available from WorkForce, the Department of Defense is the third largest employer in the county. Pendleton County Board of Education and Pendleton Manor, Inc., are listed as one and two, respectively.
20 Years Ago
Week of June 2, 2005
86 Graduating Seniors Receive Diplomas
Eighty-six Pendleton County High School seniors received diplomas in the John M. Dice Fieldhouse before a packed house of family, friends and well-wishers from across the Pendleton County community.
40 Years Ago
Week of June 6, 1985
US Postal Service Closes Cherry Grove Post Office
The Cherry Grove Post Office which has served the residents of the upper North Fork area of Pendleton County for more than a century was closed last Friday and the service transferred to the Circleville Post Office.
Also closed last week was the Job Post Office in Randolph County. Service previously provided by the Job Post Office was transferred to the Whitmer Post Office four miles down the road.
Yesteryear in Pendleton
By Janet H. Conrad
The farmers of Pendleton County have always had to travel a long way to reach a market for their produce. Pendleton County was and still is the only county in the state without a railroad.
The people of the North Fork area were oriented toward the railroad at Harman. This railroad had been built to haul out the virgin timber from Job and Whitmer. This opened a market in Baltimore.
My father drove his fat cattle to Harman and went along to Baltimore to sell them. My maternal grandmother owned a typical country store and bought walnut kernels, eggs, live poultry, butter and wood that he sold in Baltimore.
I remember asking, “Why not Washington!” and the answer was “That is where the market is.” Here were various ethnic groups that used this type of food.
Eviscerated poultry was packed in salt and placed in barrels for shipment. Butter was kept in salt brine while maple sugar cakes and walnut kernels were shipped in bags. Walnut kernels were a cash crop of all farmers for they were cracked and shelled during the long winter evenings. My mind’s eye can still see that big mound of kernels on the store loft waiting to be bagged.
Wool, butter, eggs, poultry, maple sugar cakes, and kernels were sold in exchange for commodities that were needed and could not be produced on the farm. Farm families lived on lack of expense.
My father owned a horse that was practically a member of the family. This horse was well known on the North Fork. My father would ride this horse to Harman, to take the train, tie the stirrups together on top of his back, give him a strong slap and say, “Go home Pat.” The horse would start home and nothing could stop him. My mother knew about how long it would take him and she would have the gate and stable door open.
One time some young men at Macksville thought they would play a joke on Will. They would tie up Pat and when my father returned by mail stage, his horse would be gone. Pat almost killed those men and they were glad to release him and let him continue his journey home.
The people of Reeds Creek and lower Potomac regions of the county went to the railroad in Keyser. My grandfather said this was an easier trip because there was only one extremely steep grade, the hill outside Keyser. The market on the South Fork was Harrisonburg, while those of Southern 220 and the Sugar Grove area were Staunton.
Now with the construction of good roads and big trucks, the market is just minutes away.
60 Years Ago
Week of June 3, 1965
Help Comes In Nick of Time For Young Fisherman
When a 10-year-old boy who happens to be fishing along one of Pendleton County’s trout streams calls for help, it’s time for someone to go to the rescue.
Such was the case Sunday evening when Curtis Kimble and his son, Duayne, were fishing in the Potomac River south of Franklin.
Mr. Kimble was some distance down stream from his son when he heard him cry for help. Upon rushing to a point where he could clearly distinguish what the trouble was, he observed Duayne holding tightly on to his fishing pole and backing away from the river. Suddenly out popped a big brown trout which began to flop on the bank loose from the hook about two feet from the water.
It was at this point that Mr. Kimble rushed to the rescue and saved the 17 inches, 2-1/4 pound trout to prove the story.
70 Years Ago
Week of June 2, 1955
Grade School Graduates Soar To 168; Represent 20 Schools – Increase Of 22 Over Last Year
One hundred sixty-eight pupils in 20 Pendleton County elementary schools were promoted from the eighth to ninth grade at the close of the current school term according to an announcement made this week by Assistant Superintendent Arlie Blizzard.
This is an increase of 22 over the 146 that went from grade school to high school last year, but the schools from which they were promoted dropped from 23 to 20.
The largest class of eighth graders was at Franklin where 35 were promoted. Brandywine was second with 23 and Dixie ran a close third with 22.
Three schools had only one graduate, while four had only two.
Pupils finishing the eighth grade no longer receive a diploma as in years past, but the transition from grade school to high school is treated simply as a promotion.
EDITORIALS
They Are Discovering Pendleton – – –
There has been a considerable amount of talk in recent years relative to attracting new industries and more business to Pendleton County. While there has been little accomplished by the way of enticing new industries to locate here, we have observed a steady increase in one of our chief sources of income. That is the tourist business.
Each year more and more money is being left in the county by visitors, some of whom pass through with only momentary stops while others spend weekends or even longer periods of time. One reason for our growing tourist business is the increased interest that people are taking in the caves of the county. Hardly a weekend passes that does not find several carloads of cave enthusiasts trekking through one or more of the many underground passages scattered throughout the county.
One of the good things about increased tourist business is that its benefits are not limited to the service station, motel and restaurant, but practically all business profit from it either directly or indirectly. Money circulates, and the tourist’s dollar left in the restaurant soon passes to the meat market and grocery store; and the money paid for a motel room will soon find its way to the dry goods store and appliance dealer.
Tourist business is important to Pendleton County. We can help it by freely exercising our ‘southern hospitality’ and being ever on the alert for means of making the visitor want to return and recommend this favored piece of nature’s handiwork to his friends.
New Jewelry Store Opens In Franklin
A new jewelry store will open in Franklin Saturday, June 4. Operating the firm name of Alt and Bean Jewelry Store, it will be located in the Franklin Hotel in the offices formerly occupied by Drs. Rexrode and Maxwell.
The store will carry a variety of watches including Bulova and Elgin, a complete line of costume jewelry and a wide variety of billfolds, cigarette lighters and luggage, as well as other items generally carried in jewelry stores.
Guaranteed watch repair service will be the firm’s chief specialty.
80 Years Ago
Week of June 1, 1945
PAPER BALLOONS Drop Bombs
As a result of the appearance of balloon borne bombs in the West, the army and navy have undertaken an educational public safety campaign in cooperation with schools and civic organizations in the region to protect civilians against the danger of the explosives.
Although no military threat, some live bombs may have descended to the ground in isolated regions and wooded areas, or lay concealed beneath melting snow, thus necessitating the utmost caution on the part of civilians. In informing the public of the danger, the army and navy said the prevention of mishaps was of greater importance than the mere acknowledgement to the enemy that the bombs had drifted to the U. S. mainland.
Borne by balloons of gray, white or greenish blue paper with a diameter of 33 feet, the bombs are of no military significance because of their scattered and aimless appearance, the army and navy said. Because of their haphazard nature, neither are they to be viewed with alarm by the public, the services added.
105 Years Ago
Week of May 28, 1920
THE THRICE-A-WEEK EDITION OF THE NEW YORK WORLD IN 1919 AND 1920
Practically a Daily at the Price of a Weekly. No other Newspaper in the world gives so much at so low a price.
THE THRICE-A-WEEK WORLD’S regular price is only $1.00 per year, and this pays for 156 papers. We offer this unequalled newspaper and The PENDLETON TIMES, together for one year for $2.25.
The regular subscription price of the two papers is $2.50.
Week of June 4, 1920
SHORT NOTES
Howard Rexroad with a force of hands has just completed one of the best jobs of road work we have ever seen in the county. Manning the road scraper himself and having Harve Hoover in charge of road engine, he has just finished scraping the pike from the top of the hill at the Jimmy Kee Gap and has done a thorough job. This road was in horrible condition and it is now a pleasure to drive over it. Thank you Howard. If we just had more Howards living along our roads.
The cost of print paper is causing many hundreds of weekly papers to suspend publication. We have just received a ton of paper that cost us $250. About three years ago this amount would have cost $50. It is an increase of about $100 per month and it is impossible for us to overcome this with the advance in subscriptions and advertising. This is not the worst of it. We have just been notified that there would be a $20.00 advance in price on July 1st, and another like advance in the fall.
BOX
We were sorry to hear of so many people going up Salt River.
It seems as if everybody’s dead—no news, cheer up all of you and let’s make the Times interesting.
TO THE PUBLIC
Please take notice, I will open my broom shop on June 21st. I hereby notify all customers to have their material in not later than the fifteenth of Aug. Owing to the very high price of supplies, I am compelled to raise my price from twenty-five to thirty-five cents per broom. Broom corn must be seeded.
Edward Shrader Franklin, W. Va.
HARMAN HILLS
Glen Kisamore has purchased a new Ford. Listen for the whistle girls.
J. W. Day is using the scraper a few days through the hills this week. The road needs some work bad.
