Echoes of the Past is a collection of historical articles curated from The West Virginia News, The Greenbrier Independent, White Sulphur Star, and other publications archived since 1852.
100 Years Ago – 1992
Lewisburg hotel stock selling
The new Lewisburg hotel project is now under way, and the sale of $100,000 worth of stock started this week. The company was recently incorporated upon application of the following prominent Lewisburg men: R. P. Bell, Mason Mathews, F. H. Anschutz, W. E. Nelson, E. L. Bell, R. M. Bell, R. E. L. Wood, E. H. Crickenberger, F. H. Campbell, and W. J. McLaughlin.
Cave-man taken [sic]
Captain W. W. White, Lieut. Rinehart, J. W. Wooddell and Arnold Moore, members of Co. A, Elkins Detachment of State Police, on Feb. 18, captured the moonshine whiskey plant owned by Ike Teefer. Ike had two stills in operation, twelve gallons of moonshine whiskey, two hundred gallons of mash, eight hundred pounds of sugar and six dozen fruit jars. This plant was located about four miles from the Pocahontas county line, in Randolph county.
Ike is the only cave man left in northern West Virginia. He was wearing two guns when arrested, one a German Mauser, the other one a Smith & Weston “special.”
The destruction of this plant will end a large quantity of the moonshine which is being bootlegged in Randolph, Pendleton, Grant and Pocahontas counties.
Fair grounds purchased
The executive committee of the Pocahontas county fair has purchased the farm of Pat Gay, to be used for the permanent site of the fair. This is the old Levi Gay homestead. It consists of about 127 acres of land, 67 of which is bottom land and is as level as a floor. It lies on the west side of the river, above Stony creek, and is one mile and a half from the county bridge. The consideration was $12,000.
A more ideal site would be hard to imagine. For nearly a mile it fronts on the greenbrier river; it is convenient to the railroad; it is not far from a macadam road. There are houses and barns which will serve the purposes of the fair. The plans of the committee for preparing the grounds are comprehensive. A half-mile track forty feet wide will be made, and a substantial fence put around it. Beside the track will be a place for parking automobiles, and immediately behind will be a roadway, to allow cars to come and go at will.
There are three living springs on the place. These will be cemented up, and will furnish good water. If more is needed for livestock or fire protection, the river is but a few yards away.
75 Years Ago – 1947
Robert L. Wallace heads
Robert L. Wallace, who has assumed the management of Wallace & Wallace Funeral Home in East Rainelle, is the fifth generation of the Wallace family to fill a position in this capacity.
Young Wallace, son of Mr. and Mrs. L. R. Wallace of Wallace & Wallace in Lewisburg, graduated on February 28 from the Cincinnati College of Embalming. During this course, Mr. Wallace was awarded the highest honor offered by the college, the Albert G. Nunnamaker Medal, also two other honors, one a medal for general proficiency as an outstanding student and an award of restorative art.
Mr. Wallace is also a graduate of Greenbrier Military school at Lewisburg, and attended Ohio Wesleyan university at Delaware, Ohio, as a premedical student. He served with the army air forces for four years with the rank of captain.
Mr. Wallace’s grandfather, T. W. Wallace, known as “Pop” Wallace to a host of friends, founded the Wallace & Wallace Funeral Home in East Rainelle in 1927, also The End of the Train cemetery between Rainelle and Lewisburg
50 Years Ago – 1972
Project schedule filed by officials
The consulting engineers for the proposed Lewisburg area sewer system have filed their project schedule with officials of the Greenbrier Public Service District One. The Roy F. Weston Co. of West Chester, Pa. is planning to place the system in operation by June 1973.
Teachers meeting held
More than 200 educators from four states members of the National Education Association, are attending a Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference a t The Greenbrier this weekend. Attending the opening session were Mrs. Pearl Carter of White Sulphur Springs, faculty member of Greenbrier East High School; Mrs. Margaret Boone of Organ Cave, a teacher at the Ronceverte Elementary School who is a representative of the Association of Classroom Teachers; Renick Clendenen of Renick, president of the Greenbrier County Education Association, and Bill Sturgill, GEHS faculty member, [and more].
Airport news
Work on runway extension and other additional paving at Greenbrier Airport is scheduled to begin next week, according to Mayor John Bowling. Ralph Burns Paving Company, of Hillsboro, low bidder on the project, will begin grading for the five-fold improvement program, weather permitting. 800 feet of heavy duty paving will replace the grass runway extension that was constructed at the west end about twelve years ago.
25 Years Ago – 1997
Lewisburg focuses on requirements for new city hall by Christine Jerman
Members of the Lewisburg City Council were given a report during a special meeting on March 4 by an architect working on plans for a new city hall. Bill Huber reported his findings on the amount of square footage the city needs. These figures were based on a ten year projection, City Administrator Morse Reese said. According to Huber’s findings, the city needs 9,535 square feet, with the police department requiring the most at 2,465 square feet.
Greenbrier County awarded $20,000 for court security by Christine Jerman
The West Virginia Court Security Board has announced awards of $798,800 in West Virginia Court Security funds for fifteen projects statewide, a press release said. Locally, the Greenbrier County Commission has been promised $20,000, which will be administered by Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Bob Deeds. The funds will be used to add bullet-proof material to the judge’s bench in the second floor Circuit courtroom, emergency lights throughout the courthouse, metal detectors in the courtrooms and security locks on the doors of the courtrooms, Deeds said.
“We received the grant through the efforts of myself, (Circuit Court Chief) Judge Frank Jolliffe, and County Commission President John Arbuckle,” Deeds said.
Greenbrier East Choir to perform in New York City
The Greenbrier East High School Choir will travel with the Alleghany High School Choir to New York City to perform at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine on Saturday, April 12. The cathedral is the world’s largest Gothic style cathedral. The choir’s trip will last from April 10 when they depart for NYC to April 13 when they will arrive home.
The group is planning to tour St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Times Square, Broadway District, Diamond District, Central Park, and Madison Square Garden. They will receive a backstage tour of Radio City Music Hall and will see the Broadway musical “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” that evening. The group will tour the upper west side, the financial district, and the Empire State Building on Saturday, April 12. They will also receive a backstage tour of Lincoln Center. Their last day, Sunday, April 13, will include a visit to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
Local delegation will travel to Washington
More than 20 people from Greenbrier, Pocahontas and Monroe counties have signed up to travel to Washington, D.C., to meet with Congressman Nick J. Rahall and express support for improvements to US 219 on Thursday, March 13.
Leslie Wickline, executive director of The Greenbrier Valley Economic Development Corporation, GVEDC President Bill Guy and airport manager Jerry Sullivan will meet earlier in the day with Rahall and representatives of Senator Robert Byrd and Senator Jay Rockefeller to discuss legislative issues regarding federal support for our local roads. Carol Hall, editor of the Mountain Messenger, and Christine Jerman, staff reporter at the West Virginia Daily News, will provide media coverage of the event.
Also attending the luncheon meeting will be Earl Roth, vice chairman of the Greenbrier County Airport Authority, Ellwood Groves of the Pocahontas County Development Office and Donna Stone of the Alleghany County Development Office, from neighboring Alleghany County, Virginia. Other attendees include Realtor Charles Scott and David Perkins of Greenbrier Community College. The delegation will be led by Garnette Haynes, public relations director for Greenbrier Valley Airport, her husband, Lloyd Haynes is also attending.
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