10 Years Ago
Week of April 25, 2003
SBA Awards $9.8 Million For New School
On Monday, the state School Building Authority (SBA) announced that Pendleton County will be awarded $9,824,700 for the construction of a new Franklin Elementary School (FES).
The Pendleton County Board of Education had requested $9,267,000 for the project, but the SBA increased the amount by almost $560,000.
The school board is obligated to provide a local match of $1.029 million, making the total amount available for bricks-and-mortar construction $10,853,700. Superintendent Doug Lambert commented, “It’s a great day for Pendleton County.”
The county school system will seek to raise the remainder of the local match mostly through the sale of properties, including the current elementary school, and local fundraising efforts.
The purchase of land for the new school does not count towards the local match.
Two properties appear to be in play for purchase by the school board. One is on Entry Mountain just above town. The other is the Dalen field below South Branch Street and the Pendleton County Library.
20 Years Ago
Week of April 24, 2003
Wise Announces
Cabela’s to Locate
In West Virginia
by
Governor Bob Wise
Each year, many West Virginians enjoy outdoor recreation in the midst of America’s most beautiful natural areas. Hunters, anglers, hikers, bikers and rafters from around the world come to our state, bringing millions of dollars into local economies.
For these reasons and many others, “the world’s foremost outfitter” has chosen to locate in West Virginia. Cabela’s Inc., known worldwide for its catalogs and retail stores, will be opening a retail location and distribution center in Ohio County.
Most important, these facilities will create up to 1,200 jobs in the Wheeling area, and bring an $80 million investment in West Virginia by 2007.
SUGAR GROVE
Stiff Penalty Assessed
For Working on Sundays
In the early 1700s, there were stringent laws on personal conduct. Considerable fun has been poked at these New England people, but all America was Puritan and the laws were strict. The Sunday law stated that “no journeys be made except in case of urgent necessity, no goods to be laden in boats, no shooting in guns.” Around 1791, two Pendleton men were indicted for digging ginseng, another for carrying a gun and still another for driving a wagon and hauling dirt.
Most numerous offenses presented to the courts in Pendleton County were assault, slander, bastardy, neglect of road supervision, illegal selling of liquor, drinking and swearing. As late as 1837, a laborer was sentenced to receive 33 lashes on the bare back for stealing a hog worth $5.00. Counterfeiting carried at one time the penalty of death without benefit of a clergy. For swearing or getting drunk the penalty was a five-shilling fine for each offense, or the choice of 10 lashes. The colonial laws permitted the branding of criminal by having the jailer make a hot iron letter “R” in the palm of the left hand. There is no evidence of this occurring in Pendleton County. The penalty for Sunday work was twice as large as the fine for drinking or swearing. Each courthouse enclosure was to be equipped with stocks, pillory and whipping post. In Pendleton County, it was twice ordered that a whipping post be put in place, but it is not certain it was ever carried out. With many offenses punishable by death, the nailing of ears to the pillory, imprisonment for debt and whippings, it might appear that there was sufficient terror in the law to keep people on the “straight path.” The familiar spectacle of public punishment dulled any sensibilities people might have; however, oftentimes, people did not reform from lawbreaking. My, how times have changed!
30 Years Ago
Week of April 22, 1993
Rite Aid Opens
Drug Store Here
Rite Aid, the nation’s largest drugstore chain, will mark the April 19 opening of a new Rite Aid drugstore at the Rite Aid Shopping Center with a variety of special events and offers the week of May 3.
Pendleton Reels Under Pounding by Flash Flood
For the second time in less than a decade, flood waters last weekend ravished portions of Pendleton County destroying roads and highways and exchanging rocks and boulders for topsoil on riverbottom farm land.
Extremely heavy rain Thursday night in an area comprising the upper reaches of the South Branch of the Potomac River in southern Pendleton County and northern Highland County, Virginia, sent streams and tributaries dashing into the river raising it to perhaps its highest flood stage in more than a century except for the 1985 flood which devastated the area.
Local observers stated that Thursday night’s flood was the worst this area has experienced in the past century except for the flood of 1985. Many were of the opinion that the South Branch of the Potomac was at a higher level than it was during the 1946 flood which caused much damage and loss of life.
DAHMER
A phenomenon near the head of Mill Run Gap in Sugar Grove District on the William (Bill) Dahmer farm is a spring in years gone by would flow twice a year, once in the spring and once in the fall and would flow only for a short time. John Dahmer, accompanied by his little daughter, Ella, when shucking corn in the Mill Gap field heard the spring break forth. Alben and Gilbert Pitsenbarger when mushroom hunting, saw the water flowing from the spring. This spring is believed to be dormant for sometime. On Friday afternoon, April 16, Bill Dahmer when enlarging the summer mountain field heard a noise like a storm coming. Looking about and wondering where it came from, he noticed water flowing from this spring. He said the water looked clear and flowed for a short period and then ceased.
Week of April 29, 1993
DAHMER
A group of out-of-state cave spelunkers had quite a surprise Saturday when they found a live calf that had tumbled and fallen down the cave for approximately 30 feet. The owner of the calf, Carroll Kile, stated the calf appeared alright except for a big bump on its head.
Kevin Harper was the first to report that he found two grey mushroms April 17. From April 21 to 26, Vernon Propst has gathered 116 grey mushrooms (morels) around one dead elm tree, but unable to find any at other locations.
40 Years Ago
Week of April 21, 1983
Volunteer
Fire Department
Organized at Sugar Grove
The South Fork Volunteer Fire Department, which has its principal fire station at Brandywine, recently has established a sub-station at Sugar Grove that is in the process of being organized into a full fledged volunteer fire department with a complete line of fire fighting equipment and a capability of handling all fires in the area.
The Sugar Grove sub-station already has 12 active members and a junior member.
Week of April 28, 1983
33 Campers Rescued
From High Waters
In Smoke Hole
High waters in the South Branch of the Potomac River resulting from heavy rains over the weekend forced the evacuation of 33 campers from the Big Bend Campground in the Smoke Hole Sunday.
Although the camping area was not flooded, the bulging South Branch River overflowed into the Smoke Hole Road blocking traffic and isolating the campers.
DAHMER
The two inches of rain Saturday and Sunday caused the rivers and creeks to be the fullest that they have been for sometime. At the cave above Thorn Spring Park there is a rock in the Thorn called the riding rock. When the water covered this rock it was considered too dangerous to even ride a horse in crossing. During the flood of 1949, the waters deepened the channel in the Thorn at this point and it now takes more water than when our fathers rode horseback to Franklin. Anyway, the water had this rock covered completely Sunday.
The most cheerful dry land bird during the rainy weekend appeared to be the ruby-crowned kinglet, bubbling over with joy when it stopped here on its migration northward.
50 Years Ago
Week of April 26, 1973
Forest
Fire Wardens Meet
Fire wardens in the Potomac Ranger District of the Monongahela National Forest met March 30 for their annual meeting and picnic.
The purpose of the meeting is to bring together the volunteers and cooperators who help keep the forests green. Among subjects discussed at the meeting were fire prevention, initial attack, fire line safety and warden responsibilities.
60 Years Ago
Week of May 2, 1963
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.
Jackson Fatally Shot
At Chancellorsville
Gen. Robert E. Lee fought what is known as his greatest battle — Chancellorsville — 100 years ago this week, but the battle cost him his top general.
In the tangled woods west of Fredericksburg, Va., around a home called Chancellorsville, Lee and Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson saved the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia from what appeared to be a trap and defeated a Federal Army twice the size of their army. It was a case of superior tactics by Lee and Jackson, inferior tactics by their opponent, Federal General “Fighting Joe” Hooker. When the fighting ended, Lee had a victory, but Jackson was mortally wounded.
Hooker planned the battle, and when it came time to fight, it appeared that he should win it. In late April, he had brought 80,000 men across the Rappahannock River 25 miles west of the Fredericksburg tenches, where Lee’s 60,000 were dug in. At the same time, Hooker sent another 20,000 charging across the river at Fredericksburg and kept still another 20,000 in reserve. Lee had to make a choice: stay where he was—caught between Hooker’s forces, or come out of his entrenchments and fight on open ground.
Lee chose the open ground. On May 1, he pulled his men out and headed west toward Chancellorsville, leaving 10,000 behind to hold off Hooker’s smaller force. That same day, Lee’s and Hooker’s armies collided at Chancellorsville, and the battle was on.
Then, Hooker began his mistakes. Instead of attacking, he pulled back into some hastily dug trenches in the woods and waited, while Lee and Jackson planned their victory.
Next morning, Jackson’s men—22,000 strong—moved silently out of the Confederate camp, heading southwest, and disappeared into the brush. All day they made their way through the wilderness, circling in behind Hooker’s waiting army. By evening, they were lined up a few hundred yards behind Hooker’s right wing, which still had not caught on to what was happening.
Jackson gave a nod; bugles blew, and Rebel yells went up as his men hurtled out of the underbrush into Hooker’s Eleventh Corps. The Eleventh tried to turn, failed, and finally fled in panic as hundreds fell dead or wounded. The attack continued until after nightfall when Hooker’s army finally regrouped and stopped the push.
That night, Jackson rode forth from his front lines to survey the situation, and his own men mistook him and his staff for Federals. Shots rang out, and Jackson reeled from his saddle, hit twice in one arm and once in the other. He was carried immediately to the rear; one arm was amputated, but within a week, pneumonia and pleurisy set in and he was dead.
But the victory had been won. Hooker headed back across the Rappahannock next day. Lee, having disposed of that threat, now turned on Hooker’s smaller force, then coming from Fredericksburg, and drove it back across the river. Seventeen thousand Federals and 12,000 Confederates were lost in the battle. By dividing his army, Lee had won a brilliant victory, but with the loss of 12,000 men, including “Stonewall” Jackson, it was a victory that hurt his army almost as much as it had hurt Hooker’s.
Next week: Grant’s Invasion.
