10 Years Ago
Week of August 6, 2015
Seneca Rocks Climbing School Named One of WV’s ‘Good Things’
For the past 29 years, “The State Journal” has profiled various entities that make West Virginia great. Each year the search begins to find something that makes each county unique and worth a visit. “The Journal” calls the various features “Good Things” and publishes a list showcasing all 55 counties in early summer. Selected from Pendleton County for 2015 is the Seneca Rocks Climbing School.
Rock Climbing School Teaches the Hard Way
By Jessica Wiant
For The State Journal
Across the state from the iconic towering peaks of Seneca Rocks and behind an old general store, hidden from plain view, is a small little shop and a small little school with a small little porch.
Most people might never know it’s there when visiting one of West Virginia’s most recognizable landmarks, but all the rock climbers do. Seneca Rocks Climbing School and its adjoining gear shop, Gendarme, have catered to climbers dating back to the 1970s.
20 Years Ago
Week of August 4, 2005
Tourist Spending Slight in Pendleton
Between 2000 and 2004, tourism in West Virginia more than doubled in terms of that industry’s impact on state tax coffers, according to an in-depth study of that four-year period for the state Tourism Commission by Dean Runyan Associates.
Nevertheless, the study does show that travel spending in this county increased by $2 million in four years, from $4.2 million in 2000 to $6.2 million in 2004.
The study says that total employment here in 2003 was 3,650, with tourism accounting for 3.5 percent of the jobs in this county.
Local taxes generated by travel spending in Pendleton County grew from $10,000 in 2000 to $20,000 in 2004.
Local Historical Society Urges Families To Renovate Cemeteries
The Harman-Ritchie Cemetery, situated on a hilltop in the beautiful Harman Hills, was recently renovated with a new fence. The cemetery should not need care for many years.
As with many private cemeteries in Pendleton County, this burial ground was sadly in need of care and through contributions from family members, it is now in excellent condition.
Memorial Day or Decoration Day, as it was formerly known, is not just a holiday for fun things, but rather a time to visit the graves of one’s ancestors, taking the next generation of one’s family along, as to pass on the legacy of one’s ancestry. If an effort is not made to share the heritage with the next generation, it will some day be lost and they will be the poorer for it.
In many old cemeteries, the elements have taken a toll on the stones, eroding many so badly that the inscriptions are impossible to decipher. This can be corrected, and should be, as tombstones are often the only record of ancestors.
Pendleton County Historical Society has been diligent in visiting all county cemeteries and publishing three grave registers, in 1977, 1980 and 2004.
Pendleton County is way out in front of many counties and states, which have nothing comparable, but there is great need for many cemeteries to be renovated.
SUGAR GROVE
Dealing With Pests, An On Going Chore
One’s ancestors knew that gardening was a necessity for their survival. They had to provide for the enrichment of the soil from what was available on their farms, since they couldn’t walk into the general store to buy fertilizer. Some folks made compost piles, and many spread ashes on the ground to enrich it. They were true organic farmers. The tools were relatively simple and non-mechanized. Almost every family had a plow, shovels, hoes, spades, rakes and mattocks. Everyone saved almost all of the seeds. Gathering and storing seed for next year’s crops was serious business. It appeared that most people used to plant by the signs of the moon. Many people swore by it, even though many people today call this practice silly or superstitious. The different kinds of vegetables grown years ago are still prevalent. It was common for a corner of the garden to be set aside for perennials. The herbs and spices were often planted to be close at hand. Fruit was cultivated—with apples, peaches and grapes being the most common. The people relied very heavily on the wild fruit, which grew in abundance. Some examples were blackberries, strawberries, huckleberries, persimmons, cherries, mulberries, May apples and elderberries. The pest problem used to be very small. Perhaps it was due to the fact that people often burned off their gardens and fields before planting. Imagine the blow to people to witness the ever-growing insect population. In dealing with pests here were some of the suggestions used:
Ants–place cucumber peelings in the garden;
Bean beetles–plant marigolds in the beans;
Cabbage worms–pour warm water that’s had a red pepper soaked in it over the cabbage;
Flea beetles–dust with soot or ashes;
Potato bugs–plant petunias in the patch, sprinkle plants with sulfur or ashes;
Blackbirds–use a scarecrow, keep a cat in the garden;
Crows–hang tin foil in nearby trees, put up a scarecrow, and shoot them;
Deer–put up a tall fence around the garden;
Groundhogs–keep a groundhog dog, set a trap; and
Raccoons–keep a good coon dog.
When traveling throughout the country, one will find that very few folks tend gardens today. But, to those that do, there is much enjoyment in the tilling and harvesting.
30 Years Ago
Week of August 10, 1995
$5,000 Prize Money to Lure Top Bikers To Pendleton Race
Gnarly is the word for this epic Mid-Atlantic point-to-point mountain bike race. For its second year, Pendleton County will be hosting one of the most exciting, challenging and beautiful mountain bike races of the summer. Sunday, August 20, up to 200 seasoned mountain bike racers will visit the mountainous terrain of Pendleton County to test their skills and endurance against “The Gnarly North Fork,” a classic 40k point-to-point race from Franklin to Seneca Rocks.
With a $2,000 cash prize and $3,000 worth of prizes, The Gnarly North Fork will attract many of the Mid-Atlantic’s best known racers.
Seminar Aug. 14 on Snake, Spider Bites
by Joan Ashley
Do serpents slither across your psyche screaming stomp and slash—kill that snake.
Chuck Waggy, wildlife manager for the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, might change your mind by letting you meet and stroke some snakes in his snakebite training procedure seminar next Monday, August 14, at 7:30 p.m. in the rescue squad bay.
“One of my purposes is to educate the public that snakes are not all bad creatures. Most of them are harmless to man. It’s good to try and preserve some of them. For instance, by eating rodents, they take care of mice around the house. But the general public doesn’t always see it that way,” Waggy said by telephone Sunday night.
Waggy manages roughly 180,000 acres in the Potomac Wildlife Management Area that spreads through Dolly Sods, Spruce Knob and the Smoke Hole. Throughout that rough terrain, he meets a lot of mandible insects and animals whose bite could cause damage to people.
“The main focus of this seminar will be first aid for snake, spider and tick bites and a brief discussion of other insects and animals that could be hazardous to man’s health. It will include how to take care of yourself, if you get bit by a poisonous snake, even though the incidence of poisonous snake bite is so small–so few people are ever bitten that it’s not really worth teaching,” he noted.
“But, Hantavirus, the disease caused by rodents that made the news among the southwestern Pueblo Indians, has now been found in West Virginia. That makes rat and bat droppings very dangerous to man. We also face Lyme disease from tick bites, rabies from infected animals and infections from spider bites,” Waggy stated.
Waggy, with snakes in tow, is a popular speaker about town. He has lectured to boy and girl scout troops, school children, other rescue squads and campers at the Seneca Shadows campground.
“The class will also teach self-protection from snakes and other harmful animals. If you are afraid of them, then I will tell you ways to avoid them,” he added.
Sponsored by the Franklin Rescue Squad, the class is free and open to the public.
50 Years Ago
Week of July 31, 1975
Horseshoe Tournament To Be Treasure Mountain Festival Event
A horseshoe pitching tournament will be a new feature of the Treasure Mountain Festival to be held September 19-21 at Franklin.
The horseshoe pitching tournament will be held at the Franklin Town Park on September 20. It will be conducted according to official horseshoe pitching rules. Each contestant is requested to furnish his own shoes.
Circleville FFA Wins Poultry Judging Contest
The Circleville FFA Chapter took top honors for the fifth straight year at the State Poultry Festival FFA Division Poultry Judging Contest in Moorefield.
Twelve FFA teams from throughout West Virginia competed. Ripley placed second and Mineral County placed third.
Hanover Shoe Company Picnic Attended by 600
The annual picnic of the Franklin Hanover plant was held last Saturday at Thorn Spring Park. A picnic lunch was served by the Smith Creek Latter-day-Saints Church to approximately 600 persons including employees and their families and guests.
60 Years Ago
Week of August 12, 1965
Turtle Found Here Is At Least 50 Years Old
An old timer was visiting recently at the residence of Mrs. Leah Bowers in Propst Gap near Franklin.
Isaac Bowers and his sister, Etta Bowers, met him on the hill back of their mother’s home. He was a dry land turtle carrying some evidence of his age.
The initials H. C. P.–1915 were carved on his shell along with the initials H. S. B. and A. J. C. The initials were those of the late Henry Casper Propst, and Herbert S. Bowers and Arthur J. Cook.
“He appeared mighty spry to be 50 years old,” Bowers said.
80 Years Ago
Week of August 3, 1945
1945 ANNUAL 4-H SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
Twenty-eight outstanding 4-H club members representing that many counties enjoyed the benefits of the Second Annual Older 4-H Members Conference at Jackson’s Mill recently through the winning of scholarships offered by the Monongahela Power Company.
The company presented the scholarships with the realization that much of the future leadership of the state will doubtless come from the boys and girls now in Older 4-H groups.
MOUTH OF SENECA “Court”
A couple days of Court was held in Franklin last week. I assume we are such good law abiding citizens that the Judge is seldom required to call the jurors to sit in session, consequently a majority of us seem to feel that we are a law unto ourselves and that includes me. I was summoned on the Jury along with others and Mason Kisamore and I decided that the work we were doing these busy days was more important than sitting around a hot Courthouse in Mid-July—Well, we didn’t show up; Yes we did! If you get me right, it was our plan to keep the home fires burning, but Judge Calhoun had an entirely different notion about what we should do. I sent Mace on and I was lingering and the Sheriff called me up and said, Mr. Calhoun told me to tell you to get over here in a hurry—Well, when I heard those bracelets rattling, I said, O.K., get the State Police and the “Old Red Rooster” off of the highway for “I am coming around the mountain and I’ll be carrying the mail when I come.” Low chuckles could be heard over the Court room as Mace and I walked down the aisle with our knees knocking together to face the Judge.
We arrived too late to sit in with the Jury.
