20 Years Ago
Week of March 25, 2004
County Scores
Three Golden
Horseshoe Winners
There are 23,686 eighth-graders in the State of West Virginia this year.
Of that number, 2,599 qualified to take the Golden Horseshoe test this year.
There were 221 statewide winners whose names were announced almost two weeks ago.
And three of those winners—Colleen Beatty, Sarah Mallow and Lindsey Propst—are from Pendleton County.
Four PCHS Students Serve as Senate Pages
During the last week of the 2004 session of the West Virginia Legislature—a period known as “crunch time,” when key legislation begins to move out of committee—four Pendleton County High School students served as pages for Pendleton County’s two senators, Mike Ross, chair of the transportation committee, and Walt Helmick, chair of the finance committee.
The four pages from PCHS were Allison Brown, Keely Lambert, Brittany Linaburg and Courtney McCutcheon.
The young women assisted in the Senate by distributing legislative materials, as well as refreshments, to members of the upper chamber.
Heritage or Scenery—Make Heads or Tails
Of Finalists
Gov. Bob Wise has unveiled the final two state quarter designs and asked West Virginia to cast their votes for the design that will represent West Virginia.
“We began this process with the help of all West Virginians,” Wise said. “It’s only fitting that West Virginians determine what is on the back of our quarter.”
More than 1800 designs were originally submitted to the governor’s office for the coin. Students for the arts narrowed the designs to five. Those five were submitted to the U.S. Treasury and two were recommended by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee. The designs were then recreated for coinability.
“We have a lot of people who have pride in West Virginia, and I hope everyone votes for his or her favorite designs,” Wise said.
The 50 State Quarters program is a 10-year initiative commemorating and honoring each of the states with a quarter dollar design.
Homemakers
Eat Foods Associated With Good Luck
While none of the members of Franklin Home Demonstration Club are especially superstitious, they believe in doing what they can to garner good luck in the new year. So, for their January meeting, they had a supper featuring foods that are thought to bring good luck for the new year. Cabbage is traditional for Asians, as are greens in parts of this country. Both represent money and good fortune. For Italians, the round shape of lentils symbolizes coins, thus wealth and prosperity. Beans are a favorite good-luck food all around the world.
Perhaps the most popular of these is the black-eyed pea, actually a member of the bean family. The black spot that gives them their name has throughout history been associated with power. Romans linked the spot with death, and used these beans as sacrifice.
Black-eyed peas came to North America through the Atlantic slave trade from West African countries. These people exerted a powerful influence on American cooking. They adapted new world foods to their methods of cooking, and introduced many flavorful and healthy varieties of greens to the European diet. They turned many of their own classic dishes, such as black-eyed peas and rice, into southern traditions. Their skillful use of peppers and spices, plus their ability to turn every part of a pig or chicken into delectable food is now imbedded in American cuisine.
40 Years Ago
Week of March 22, 1984
88-Year-Old
Acts Quickly
To Save Home
From Fire
Quick action and hard work by an 88-year-old Pendleton County man saved his residence from destruction by fire last Friday morning.
When Ed Propst of the Propst Gap community south of Franklin entered his bedroom about 11 a.m., he found the ceiling and area around a stove pipe in flames.
As a result of a frozen water line, the Propst family had stored water in containers in their pantry which they used for domestic purposes.
With the fire raging in the bedroom, the aged man made repeated and hurried trips to the pantry to carry water from a 30-gallon container which he threw on the ceiling and around the stove pipe while his son, William, ran to a neighbor’s home to call the Franklin Fire Department.
The firemen arrived minutes later and thanks to the work of Mr. Propst, they were able to save the home from extensive damage.
Neighbors had rebuilt the flue and repaired the home by Sunday making it unnecessary for the family to seek other living quarters.
50 Years Ago
Week of March 21, 1974
Trout Hatchery
Being Built Here
Work has begun on a trout hatchery in Pendleton County which eventually may become the largest trout hatchery in West Virginia.
The hatchery will be located on Reeds Creek on a tract of 12 acres of land acquired in 1965 by the West Virginia Department of Natural Resources from Lon Simmons.
Water for the hatchery will come from a large spring just above the hatchery site acquired by the Department of Natural Resources from Eston Simmons.
According to Bill Skaggs, local inspector for the Department of Natural Resources, construction of the hatchery will be done in three places.
Work began last November by Wilson Construction Company of Huntington on the first phase of the project.
“The design of the hatchery is unique in that it provides for filtering and recirculating the water through the raceways,” remarked Harvey Beale of Elkins, supervisor of hatcheries for the Department of Natural Resources.
Overall plans for the hatchery include 12 raceways if water supply and temperature and other factors are adequate. If all 12 raceways ultimately are used, the capacity of the hatchery probably would be in excess of 200,000 pounds of fish per year.
The hatchery was designed by H. C. Beaver of Elkins and Larry Harrah of Charleston.
60 Years Ago
Week of March 26, 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.
Red River Campaign
Begins in Louisiana
During the busy month of March, 1884, while big changes were in the making in Washington, Gen. Nathaniel Banks undertook a new Federal campaign that was destined to become an historical flop.
It was the famous “Red River Campaign,” designed to reduce the state of Louisiana, restore the Union flag over Texas and recommence the flow of cotton from Texas to the North. Authorities in Washington had promoted the plan, and Banks dutifully set out to execute it.
On March 10, therefore, the campaign opened when a fleet of 13 ironclads and seven gunboats, followed by 30 transports carrying 10,000 troops, dropped down the Mississippi River from Vicksburg and turned westward into the Red River.
So far so good. The fleet—under the veteran Admiral David D. Porter—was the strongest ever assembled on a river, and more men were coming. Up from New Orleans, Banks was to lead another 20,000 troops to meet Porter’s fleet at Alexandria, deep in Confederate-held territory of central Louisiana.
Porter did his job well. His fleet moved up the Red River and landed the 10,000 troops at Simsport on the 13th. The soldiers, under Gen. A. J. Smith, attacked Fort De Russy near Alexandria and drove out or captured the Confederate defenders there.
Porter slowly brought his fleet on upstream, clearing the river of obstructions, while Smith’s men marched 10 more miles to Alexandria. Everyone arrived on the 14th, as Confederates fell back hastily.
Then trouble began developing. Banks’ cavalry didn’t appear at the rendezvous point until the 18th, and Banks and the rest of his men were not on hand for another week. Finally, on the 26th, Banks, Porter, Smith, the fleet and 30,000 men were ready to march.
Confederates in the state had mobilized in the meantime. As the first Federals marched into Alexandria, Confederate Gen. Richard Taylor was not far away, leading his 11,000 men in a hasty 70-mile retreat through pine woods toward Shreveport. Gen. E. Kirby Smith, commander of the Confederacy’s department of the Mississippi, was firing off messages calling for support. Gen. Sterling Price in Arkansas was to send 5,000 troops; more were called in from Shreveport and surrounding territory.
As March ended, Banks began pushing farther up the river, where a long line of well-prepared Confederates awaited.
Next week: Blockade runners.
Female Workers Wanted
quick action needed
Whether or not an adequate labor supply is available probably will determine whether a shirt manufacturer will locate in Pendleton County. Therefore, an additional labor survey is being made, and it is absolutely necessary that it be completed immediately.
“We need at least 500 women, of which 250 must be between the ages of 16 and 26,” George I. Sponaugle, president of Pendleton Industries, Inc., said today.
Women who are available for employment are requested to complete the survey blank printed below and return it immediately to Pendleton Industries, Inc., Franklin. If more than one form is needed, additional ones may be obtained at business places throughout the county.
“Even though you did answer the labor survey which was conducted approximately 10 months ago by Pendleton Industries, Inc.,” Sponaugle added, “you are requested to answer this one also.
“We are sending applications out with all the school children so that adequate forms will be available for everyone who desires one. You are requested to either fill out the one in the newspaper and return it immediately, or fill out the one your child brings home to you and return it with the child the next morning. We will pick it up from the child’s teacher.”
Sponaugle requested persons who have daughters working away who would like to return home to work to fill out a survey form for them also.
All women who are available for work regardless of their age should fill out one of the survey forms.
TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE—Survey forms should be returned immediately.
Local Limestone Plant
To Expand Operations, Employ 25 More Men
Production of a high-quality lime for the steel, pulp and paper, and chemical industries is expected to get underway on May 1 at Germany Valley Limestone Company’s quarry operation at Riverton.
Workmen are now completing the installation of the first rotary kiln. This unit has a capacity of 150 tons per day.
Executive Vice President R. A. Raese said a second kiln, with a 350-ton capacity, is expected to be placed into operation by late summer. Long-range plans also include a third unit. The size of the crushing plant is being doubled to service the new product line.
At present, the firm produces agricultural lime, rock dust, highway aggregate, and calcium sand for the glass industry.
An around-the-clock production schedule is planned requiring an additional 25-man working force plus the necessary hauling contractors to transport the lime to new storage and rail facilities being constructed at Petersburg.
70 Years Ago
Week of March 25, 1954
Naomi Simmons
Is Champion Speller
Naomi Simmons, a sophomore at Franklin High School, won the Friday annual spelling contest last Friday by defeating 15 other top spellers in the final round of the contest.
Runner-up in the contest was Mary Evelyn Neville, a junior, and Medford Hoover, a sophomore, was third.
Judges for the contest were Brooke Boggs, Harlan Eye and Mae Ritchie, and Mrs. L. W. Rhudy pronounced the words.
CPL. DOLAN KIMBLE SERVING IN KOREA
Corporal Dolan R. Kimble, son of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Kimble of Franklin is stationed in Korea and would be glad to receive letters from his friends at the following address: U. S. 52194121 363rd Ord. Ammo. Co., A. P. O. 77, c/o P. M. San Francisco, California.
