Echoes of the Past: Babe Ruth, WWII and racing

*Disclaimer: The stories in Echoes of the Past are printed in their original form, including typos.

1923 – 100 Years Ago

New Features At The Fair

The Greenbrier Valley Fair Association has provided a rest room for women and has cooperated with the county Red Cross in providing for the County Nurse a Health Exhibit room and an emergency first-aid station.

Horse Dropped Dead

A horse belonging to Lewis Honaker fell dead in front of Graham’s blacksmith shop, north side of Alderson, and it is believed by some that its death was caused by electricity from the street electric system, says the Alderson Advertiser. The theory is that a puddle of water near the base of an electric pole had become charged by a wire leading from the transformer at the top to the ground. As one of the horses of a team stepped into this puddle, it began to tremble violently, fell and died almost instantly.

Fast Racing

Fast racing is promised at this year’s Greenbrier Valley Fair. There will be two harness and one jockey race each day, including eight $400 harness races and four $150 running races.

1948 – 75 Years Ago

State Fair Is In Full Swing

The 1948 edition of the State Fair of West Virginia threw opened its gates at the exhibition grounds Monday afternoon, August 16. That afternoon Joie Chitwood and His Hell-Drivers tried for a new record, leaping a fast-rolling car over seven cars and a big bus. They entertained Monday fair visitors with a show the like of which has never been seen in West Virginia.

3,961 World War II Dead Returned From Pacific

The remains of Pfc. Joseph C. A. Carola, U. S. Army son of Mrs. Mabel Carola of Ronceverte, is among the seventy West Virginia World War II dead who have just been returned to the United States from the Pacific aboard the United States Army Transport Dalton Victory. The 3,961 bodies aboard were interred in temporary military cemeteries in the Southwest Pacific.

Babe Ruth No More

“Babe” Ruth, the idol of baseball fans if not of the entire world of sports, died Monday night in a New York hospital of cancer of the throat. He was 53 years old.

1973 – 50 Years Ago

Nixon Holds Press Conference

President Nixon told an emotionally charged news conference Wednesday he is not going to resign and said “I would have blown my stack” if he had been told the illegal and very, very embarrassing facts in the Watergate case by former Attorney General John Mitchell.

Gasoline Operators To Close

Many gasoline station operators plan to shut down over the Labor Day weekend to protest the government’s Phase IV price controls. The protest will be aimed at profit margins allowed under Phase IV price controls. Petroleum prices have been one of the chief targets of the federal anti-inflation program. 

Lady Attends 49 State Fairs

Mrs. R. W. Simon, 85 years old, is attending the 49th annual showing of the West Virginia State Fair.  What is unique is that Mrs. Simon began attending 51 years ago and has never missed an exposition (Two years of the fair was not open because of WWII). For many years, Mrs. Simon owned a farm adjacent to the grounds.

1998 – 25 Years Ago

Girls’ Soccer Team Ready For Challenge

For the first time in the school’s history, Greenbrier East High School will have a girls’ soccer team this fall. Under Coach Rusty McDaniel, a pioneer in the promotion of soccer in the Greenbrier Valley area, the Lady Spartans have worked extremely hard in preseason practice.

“Crook & Chase” Pay Visit To WV State Fair

Travis Simons of Jodie has been bringing horses to the State Fair for the last 15 years. He refers to raising draft horses as “just a hobby.” “I’ve got to have something to keep the grass chewed down,” Simons stated with a smile. Crook and Chase,  two eight-year-old Belgian draft horses weighing over one ton each, accompanied Simons to the fair this year.