20 Years Ago
Week of May 9, 2002
SUGAR GROVE
Mothers Have
A Challenging
Rewarding Career
There is no assignment on earth that requires the array of skills and understanding that is needed by a mom in fulfilling her everyday duties. She must be a resident psychologist, physician, theologian, educator, housekeeper, nurse, chef, taxi driver, fire marshal and occasional officer. God makes them good at what they do. He gives them a passion for their children. They would lay down their lives to protect the children entrusted to their care. Their hands work hard to make life easier for their children. If they do their job properly, their hands will leave a lasting legacy of love, conveying warmth, security and protection. They should provide comfort, discipline and affirmation—but never abuse or neglect. Mothers teach many lessons. She teaches the value of hard work and the satisfaction of completing a job. By having a faith in God, she teaches prayer, church attendane and to put God first in one’s life, thus making it a way of life. Being a mother is a never-ending process. It takes the authority of an Army General, the wisdom of Solomon, the patience of Job, the cunning ways of a fox, the stamina of a workhorse and a warm sense of humor.
Pendleton County
During Civil War
Time Period
(Ref: Twixt North and South, by H.M. Calhoun)
In early 1861, the Lutheran Church was the dominant church on the North Fork. The church was located one and one half miles south of Mouth of Seneca, on the west side of the road. It was built years before the start of the Civil War; it was the first church building in the Union District. The Harmans, the Harpers and many of their neighbors were ardent Lutherans. Adam Carr, Jonas Miller and Michael Mouse who lived below the Mouth of Seneca were also Lutherans. It was agreed all would help build the church if it was built, where it would be convenient to all.
They cut, hued and hauled the logs, then had an old time house raising by all the available men from the communities for miles around. Over time, the building became too small. They sawed out one end of the building and built a log addition to it. From the floor to the ceiling was 15 feet or more, and there was a roomy gallery for the accommodation of the colored folks and children.
During the war, the church was converted into a sort of barracks and rechristened “Camp Luther.” It was used by Union and Confederates. The church was burned to the ground during the war. The fire was set by women of the neighborhood farms because it had become a neighborhood nuisance. The Reverend George Schmucker was the only regular pastor of the church. During the war, the Reverend became a strong Southern sympathizer, while his congregation was strong for the Union. This political sentiment brought about a division between the Pastor and his flock. These events brought an end to the Lutheran congregation in the area.
40 Years Ago
Week of May 6, 1982
Pendleton’s 13 Clubs
247 Members
Celebrating NEH Week May 2-8
Be the interesting, informed person you have always wanted to be! A whole new world is open to you through an Extension Homemaker’s Club.
An Extension Homemaker’s Club is a group of people who meet on a regular basis to learn together. The purpose of a club meeting is education, home, and community improvement and fellowship.
Pendleton County’s 13 clubs have a total of 247 members which are celebrating National Extension Homemakers Week May 2-8.
The county extension office, which is an extension of West Virginia University, provides the most useful, updated information available to these clubs. Members also have an opportunity to participate in many county and state activities, tours, workshops, craft days, conferences, seminars, educational fairs, picnics, and achievements.
Franklin
Farm Women’s Club
Was Organized 59 Years
The Franklin Farm Women’s Club was organized in 1923 and has met continuously since that time with the name later being changed to the Franklin Home Demonstration Club.
In 1924 the town of Franklin had a fire which burned the four center blocks of town and the club helped in many ways during this disaster. The same year they built a Burr Portable, a sanitary cottage on Entry Mountain for a boy suffering from tuberculosis. The cottage was to help him as long as he lived and to aid his family in taking care of him.
In 1925 the club purchased the Thorn Spring Reunion Ground property. On July 20, 1926 (while sitting on a log) near Mouth of Seneca, the Franklin Farm Women helped organize the Seneca Rocks Farm Women’s Club. It was reorganized in 1932.
In 1930 the club sponsored the Rhododendron Festival at Thorn Spring Park. Miss Mary Johnson of Circleville was crowned queen with Miss Gertrude Sieburg (Crigler) of Brandywine as attendant.
Other interesting projects the club has sponsored have been the Pendleton County Library, Christmas Decorating Contest, Clean Up of Mt. Hiser Cemetery, The Country Flower–the Red Geranium, The Paint-Up, Fix-Up, Clean-Up Campaign and many other community projects.
Week of May 13, 1982
DAHMER
Quentin Moyers of Doe Hill was clipping sheep on the late Charlie Lambert farm Thursday and Friday. On the John Harman farm Walton Shrader was also clipping sheep. These men would differ from the late David Bowers’ time to shear sheep. The way Mr. Bowers determined when it was warm enough, was when at nighttime, it was warm enough to be in the nude.
Sheep Industry
Looking Up Here
Pendleton County soon will regain its leadership in the sheep industry in West Virginia if present trends in the county continue.
A ewe owned by Jack Lambert of Circleville recently gave birth to a set of Dorset twins, and the next day the same ewe gave birth to a set of Suffolk twins.
If that is not enough to boost Pendleton’s standing in the industry, Carole Hartman of Franklin reports an increase in her flock of sheep of 39 lambs from 19 ewes.
But the 40th was a disaster. Mrs. Hartman performed a Caesarean operation to deliver the lamb, but the lamb died and she had to shoot the ewe.
DAHMER
Brighten up the corner where you are and that is what Russell and Carroll Blizzard did through fixing the Franklin town clock to run and strike again after being silent for some time.
Mrs. Ceila Mullenax Miller of Greenwood, Delaware, sent a sketch on the early history of the Calhoun family, as is true of the early history of so many families. It is more or less clothed in mystery and legend. The family exists and existed both in Ireland and Scotland, but in all probability, has its origin in Ireland. The family became one of the Scotch clans, the head of which was a Baronet. The emblem of this clan was the trailing arbutus, the motto, “If I can” and the war cry was “Cnock Ealechen” which probably meant the hill by the lake, as the ancestoral castle is said to be still standing on the banks of Loch Lomond. Sometime in the year 1,733, James Calhoun migrated from Donegal Country, Ireland, to Bucks County, Pa., with his five sons.
Hang On!
by
- M. (Horsie) Wells
Did you know when and where the first telephone numbers were used? The year was 1879 and the place was Lowell, Massachussetts. The city was having a serious measles epidemic and Dr. Moses Greeley Parker, one of the town physicians, realized that if Lowell’s four telephone operators came down with the measles, telephone communications would come to a halt! Dr. Parker suggested that numbers be used instead of the names of the 1200 Lowell subscribers, so that substitute operators, if they were needed, could learn to operate the exchange as quickly and easily as possible. The idea worked so well that it spread to other communities. Those original 1200 numbers have become over 120,200,000 in the U.S. alone!
DIRECT DISTANCE DIALING IS…the fastest, most economical way to get from here to almost anywhere. And I want to assure you, if you happen to reach a wrong number, you won’t have to pay for the call. Just dial our operator and explain what happened.
To dial direct you merely dial “1,” then the area code (if different from your own) and then the telephone number.If you don’t know the distant number, dial “1,” then the area code (if different from your own) and then 555-1212.There are no long distance charges for calls to Directory Assistance or for calls not completed. Look in your telephone directly for complete information on DDD and a list of area codes.
People need to talk to each other. C&P people help make it happen.
60 Years Ago
Week of May 10, 1962
100 YEARS AGO
Stonewall Pursues
Gen. Milroy to Franklin
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.
The people in Washington and Richmond, Chicago and Memphis, St. Louis and Atlanta, had trouble keeping up with the events of 100 years ago this week. One moment there would be a development to cheer about; next moment there would be something to weep about, and often it was hard to tell just what was going on in the Civil War.
First came an important announcement that gave the North something to cheer about, the South something to weep about. Norfolk, Virgiia’s most important seaport, had fallen to the Yankees. And with it, the dreaded ironclad, the “Merrimack,” had been blown up and sunk.
The fall of Norfolk was preordained when Confederate Gen. Joseph E. Johnston had withdrawn from his Yorktown line. Norfolk now was cut off from the rest of Johnston’s army, and he had ordered the evacuation of the port city at the same time he had ordered the withdrawal.
Hardly had the Confederates pulled out of Norfolk when federal troops landed and marched in. On May 10, the city was surrendered by its mayor.
President Lincoln came to Ft. Monroe (just across the bay from Norfolk) to discuss the Virginia affairs with McClellan, and he personally gave some of the orders in the occupation of Norfolk.
And while on his visit to Virginia, the President heard an explosion that gladdened his heart. It was the explosion of the “Merrimack,” the ship that had thrown his administration into panic back in February.
The “Merrimack” had become trapped with the fall of Norfolk. It was too big to ascend the James River to Richmond and safety, and it was too unwieldy to make a dash for the open sea. As a result, its crew took it out into the harbor and set it afire. At 5 a.m. on May 11, it blew up.
But while the South moaned over the loss of Norfolk, Confederate Gen. Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson gave his countrymen something to cheer about.
On May 9, a message was sent to Richmond from western Virginia, signed by Jackson: “God blest our arms with victory at McDowell Station yesterday.” That was all.
It was not a major victory, but it had its effect. Jackson, who had been dashing up, down and across the Shenandoah Valley with his little army for weeks, had disappeared early in May in the mountains of the southern valley.
Suddenly, on May 5, he made a surprise appearance in Staunton, and the people cheered him, thinking he would save them from the Yankees. Then, just as suddenly, his men left Staunton and headed west. Joining his army of 7,000 with 3,000 other Confederates just west of Staunton, he attacked several thousand Yanks under Gen. R. H. Milroy at McDowell, just east of what is now the West Virginia line.
The Union forces were thrown into confusion and retreated back into the mountains. Jackson pursued to Franklin (W.Va.), then turned back toward the valley. It was another part of what would become his famous Valley Campaign of ‘62, a campaign that would be largely instrumental in saving Richmond.
Still another development occurred last week. Federal and Confederate gunboats fought a sharp but indecisive battle near the Mississippi River 40 miles above Memphis, and the federals followed it up with a heavy bombardment of the fort.
Next week: A Hero and A Heroine.
