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 – 1922
THE COAL STRIKE.
The strike of union miners be. ginning April 1, is claimed by the union officials to be 100% perfect. The operators however, claim that many mines are in operation, and cite facts to prove that mines are running. Throughout the country it is estimated that 600,000 miners laid down their tools and walked out.
Thursday morning both sides still claimed that they had made gains. Keeney, head of district 17, says that “the situation is excellent,” while the operators tell of operations at many mines. Union officials claim that many non-union miners are seeking to join the union. Few disturbances are reported.
PERCENT OF NON-ATTENDANCE.
Of the residents of Monroe county between the ages of six and 20 years, 44.2 percent do. not attend Sunday school. In Summers county, 49.6 percent do not attend.
In Greenbrier county 9.13 per cent do not attend, and in Fayette county 76 percent are not Sunday school attendants.
Putnam county has the largest percentage of persons between those ages not attending Sunday school-85.93 percent.
THE NEWS WANTS REAL NEWS FROM ALL COMMUNITIES
If you are a reader of THE News and something interesting happens in your neighborhood or about your family, send it in to us. We want interesting items from all over the Greenbrier Valley, if it is only one item from each community.
Don’t think that a long array of news items are necessary in order to make it worth while, or that an interesting item or two must be accompanied by a lot of items relating to visits between neighbors, which are of no real news value. The comings and goings of people from and to distant points are real news items, and we want them, but space is too limited to permit neighborly calls.
Also, don’t think it necessary to have some beginning or preface to the letter, like “It is a long time since we saw any items in your paper from our village, so please allow us space for a few.”
This takes up valuable space and is not necessary. It is your fault if it has been a long time since the happenings of your community have been recorded in print.
Just give your post office, date, and get down to business, which is the events worth noting. If mentioning visitors to your community from a distance, give the place definitely where they are from, get their names right, and say who they are guests of, and how long they are going to stay, if possible; maybe some friends from around at some distance would like to know this so they might come to see them, particularly if they have come from a long distance and are well known in the community.
Don’t get off some joke on the neighbors. A joke may interest a few but it does not interest a great many of our readers.
A notice of marriage is not complete without the following!
Essential details: Full and correct names of the couple, date and place of wedding, officiating minister, parents of bride, at least, residence of bride and groom before marriage, where they are going to make their home.
“Our school is progressing nicely,” has been so worn out that it is not news, and means nothing. It is a matter for the board of education to look into, anyway. If anything happens at the school, like an entertainment, or a literary program, that is news and should be written up in detail. It would be better even to give it beforehand as a coming event, and to state who will participate in the program, etc.
The announcement of a coming interesting event in the community is always a more interesting piece of news than a chronicle of the event afterwards. It must be an announcement, however, that cannot give offense to anyone, or cause any person pain or annoyance.
Again, please don’t send in the inconsequential gossip or calls between neighbors of a community, or of closely neighboring communities between which calls are frequent. And don’t say: “Please don’t print my name.” We don’t do that anyway, but your name must accompany the items as an evidence of good faith.
Send us the real news of your community, if it is only an item or two. The importance is what counts and not the number or quantity. But don’t overlook an important item concerning your neighbors, whether you like them or not.
75 Years Ago – 1947
CHURCH DEDICATION
On Sunday, April 13, the building of the Ronceverte Presbyterian Church will be formally dedicated. The dedication service will begin at 10:30 a. m., with the present pastor, W. Kirk Allen, Jr., and the three living past ministers, R. L. Kinnaird, A. N. Brown and E. J. Agsten, participating. The sermon, “Yesterday, Today and Forever,” will be preached by Dr. Kinnaird. The guests of honor will include Dr. A. H. Clarke, Capt. J. W. Wright, Hugh E. Cook, Rev. D. L. Erwin, Rev. W. E. Harrop and other ministers.
Erected in 1923 at a cost of $86,500, the structure has been declared one of the finest church buildings in southern West Virginia. The sanctuary seats approximately 300 worshippers, and the Sunday school portion of the building will house around 400 pupils and is used for other activities such as women’s work, young people’s organizations, vacation Bible schools, etc.
The members of the church have extended an invitation to all friends of the church to an open house between the hours of 3 and 5, Sunday afternoon. During this time the church
will be open for inspection and visiting.
At the Evening Worship, 7:30 p. m., Rev. Donald L. Erwin will preach. His subject will be “God Measures His Church.”
Organized in 1881 with 21 charter members transferred from the Old Stone church of Lewisburg, the Presbyterian church worshiped for 42 years on Monroe avenue. At the time of organization the following officers were elected: Elders D. W. Weaver, E. L. Kramer, John A. Coffman, T. P. Sydenstricker; Deacons Quin Morton and W. W. Brackman. In the years 1881-83 these handful of members faced the semi-annual problem of paying Lone-fourth the purchase price of their church until $776,17 would have been paid.
Today there are 331 members, with eight Elders and ten Deacons, and an annual budget of $10,000. During the past church year the church contributed $15,882 to its local work and the larger denominational work.
During the 66 years that the Ronceverte Presbyterian church has been in existence nine ministers have served as pastors of the church, the longest pastorate being that of Rev. Ben Harrop for 25 years.
Mr. Harrop resigned in 1916 to be followed by Dr. R. L. Kinnaird, under whose ministry the present church building was erected. Rev. A. N. Perryman, now deceased, was pastor from 1925-31, succeeded by Rev. A. N. Brown, who served the church from 1932-38. Rev. E. J. Agsten was pastor from 1940-45. The present pastor, W. Kirk Allen, Jr., was called to the church in August of last year and began his duties in September.
Members of the church, as well as friends in the community will join Sunday in thanking God for their opportunities in the past and in asking His blessing upon the future work before them.
Ronceverte Presbyterian Church |
50 Years Ago – 1972
Closure Of GMS May Hurt Economy
The closure of Greenbrier Military School next fall will result in the loss of about 50 jobs according to Col. W.A. Rawl, the school’s treasurer.
Included in those who will be seeking new employment are 15 instructors.
The closure of the school will also result in a blow to the economy of the Lewisburg area according to Rawl. He estimated that GMS students spent as much as $1,200 a week in the Lewisburg economy during the institution’s better days.
Normal enrollment in good years reached 340, but Rawl said this year it is down to 145. The economy of the area will feel the loss of more money than just that which was spent by the students at area firms. A full year’s tuition cost $1,900 at GMS and the addition of uniforms and books brings the total to about $2,300, Rawl said. Much of this income is spent in the Greenbrier County economy, the official indicated.
The closure of the school is contributed to financial problems and because “this is an age of permissiveness,” Rawl remarked.
The official said the school can no longer operate on tuition alone and without an endowment, expenses far exceed the income.
“Enrollment has declined steadily for the past three years,” Rawl said. “We had hoped to build it back up, but it just couldn’t be done,” he added.
“This is an age of permissiveness,” he said. “Parents let their boys do just about whatever they please. Military schools aren’t as popular as they were some years ago,” he remarked.
State officials announced in 1965 that the military school along with Greenbrier College for Women were ineligible for federal aid because they had not signed a statement of compliance with the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
The closure of the school will end 160 years of operation.
MEMBERS LEGISLATURE OFFER SUPPORT TO ROUTE 63
All three of Greenbrier county’s representatives in the West Virginia Legislature offered their support to the highway project being pushed by the Ronceverte Chamber of CommerceRoute 63 to North Caldwell—at an impromptu dinner meeting held at the Gateway Hotel Friday evening.
Senator John H. Bowling of White Sulphur Springs offered to make an appointment with the Governor and Stane Road Commissioner for a conference within the next two weeks, and to accompany a delegation from Ronceverte. Claude E. McLaughlin of Lewisburg, a member of the Road Committee of the House of Delegates, and H. Rodgers McVey of Alderson also agreed to accompany the delegation.
Several points were cleared up in an open forum discussion of Route 53. One of them was that this project already has the approval of the Federal Public Works Administration for Federal aid, verified by a letter from U. S. Senator Chapman Revercomb. Another was the location of proposed Route 63 on the North side of Greenbrier River.
Although this project is classified as a Federal secondary road, it is a state primary road and will not detract from funds set aside for a state secondary farm-to-market road program.
The commercial advantages to the Greenbrier Valley of this short link of highway were stressed, as was the need for all communities of the Valley to cooperate for the general welfare. The hope was expressed that an era of inter-community cooperation would begin for the improvement and development of the great Greenbrier Valley.
L. Stuart Creigh, chairman of the Chamber of Commerce Road Commik tee, cleared up several points of technical consideration regarding Route 63 and pointed out that this road project has been more or less “on the shelf” for more than 30 years.
Len B. Allen, agricultural agent of the C. & O. Railway, said the railroad is vitally interested in this road project and urged its completion.
Attending the meeting were: State Senator John H. Bowling, Delegates H. R. McVey and Claude E. McLaughlin, L. B. Allen Jr. of Huntington, Edgar F. Dickson, L. S. Creigh, C. P. Vogel, C. E. Tucker, J. K. Martin, Paul N. Scott, Wm. B. Blake Jr., Wm. E. Blake, Henry H. Kauffelt, L. Gordon Hedrick, J. Wm. Lee, Mark Gee, P. B. Kirby, E. J. Martin, C. W. Graves, H. M. Penenington and Norman B. Blake.
25 Years Ago – 1997
Relief Offered For Water Customers In Ronceverte By Christine Jerman
The Ronceverte Board of Commissioners have arrived at a resolution for municipal water customers who had high water bills in February and March.
During the regular meeting on Tuesday, the commissioners decided to charge an average of the last six months of 1996 for any customers who had water bills that were in excess of 35% more than that average.
Commissioner Connie Young spoke on behalf of a family whose water bill for February was over $140. The family’s normal bill had only been running around $40, she said.
The commissioners were informed on Tuesday by another customer that those whose bills were normal in February had high bills for March.
Julie Carter told the commissioners her March water bill indicated she had used 24,000 gallons of water.
“We have a septic system, and I don’t think it could handle that much water,” Carter said.
Her family’s usage for the last five months of 1996 had been low, she said. “I even called to city hall to ask if there had been a rate reduction,” she said.
“What’s happened is that the meter was read low for five months and now it’s being made up for,” she asserted.
In addition to only being charged an average amount, all late fees will also be eliminated for those customers, the commissioners decided.
Mayor Tom Morgan is continuing his investigation into the problem, he said.
“As recently as (Tuesday) afternoon, I have met with the employees from the water department to discuss this issue,” Morgan said.
Morgan said the city is handicapped in this situation because of there are only three commissioners.
“Any time two of us meet, it constitutes a public meeting,” Morgan said.
“So I’ve been meeting with the water department employees alone,” he continued.
Morgan also asserted that any meeting with the employees could turn into a personnel issue if it is determined there is wrongdoing or incompetence on the part of one of the employees.
Several citizens at Tuesday’s meeting said they have observed the meter reader appear to fail to write anything down when reading the meters. Others also said their meters are so dirty, the numbers could not be read.
Morgan said those types of issues have already been addressed.
Although meters that were unreadable were replaced in the past, that is no longer the case, according to City Clerk Susan Honaker.
While Bobby Lane, the head of the water department, was invited to attend Tuesday’s meeting, he did not.
He will be asked to attend the next meeting.
The water department is currently operating with a $22,000 deficit, according to Honaker.
Greenbrier CEO Says Slot Machines Killed Casino Gambling Legislation By Tina Alvey
All bets are off. The casino gambling bill which seemed to be breezing through both houses of the Legislature this session was mysteriously pulled from consideration on Friday.
The legislation would have permitted Greenbrier County voters to decide whether to allow casino gaming at The Greenbrier resort in White Sulphur Springs.
While the legislation did not mention the posh resort by name, bills in both houses were designed to limit casino gambling to one facility in the state, with the stipulation that facility must have at least 500 rooms and be listed with the National Historic Registry. Currently, The Greenbrier is the only such facility in the state.
Fingers were reportedly being pointed in the Legislature, as the leadership of the Senate blamed weak support in the House of Delegates for the bill’s demise and the House leadership said the Senate’s addition of slot machines to the bill made the legislation unpalatable.
Finance Committee Chairman Oshel Craigo (D-Putnam) added the slot machines to the Senate bill with the explanation that he wanted to raise more revenue for the state. Lobbyists from The Greenbrier had not asked for slot machines to be permitted.
Craigo had earlier led the charge in the Senate to raise the tax on adjusted receipts at the proposed casino from 17% to 70%.
In the House version of the bill, net profits at any casino would be taxed at 90% and adjusted gross receipts after winnings would be subjected to a 50% tax.
The Greenbrier did not protest the profit-taking, but was opposed to the slot machine addition.
Ted Kleisner, president of the resort, said he believes the slot machines ultimately killed the legislation.
“We didn’t want it, we didn’t understand it, and it apparently caused a problem in the House,” Kleisner said.
He said House Speaker Bob Kiss (D-Raleigh) asked Senate leaders to remove the slot machine provision from the Senate bill, but senators would not agree.
“Once we gave up all the profits and made it clear that we were only looking to create jobs and increase occupancy…we had a clear majority in the House,” Kleisner maintained.
He said he was particularly bothered by the lack of support for viable casino legislation shown by Senator Shirley Love, whose district includes Greenbrier County.
“Senator Love was quoted in the (Charleston) Gazette saying he was not trying to kill the bill with all these amendments, but was ‘loving it to death,” Kleisner said. “His words will certainly ring in our ears for a long time.”
Despite this latest setback, The Greenbrier will continue to press for a local option on casino gaming, Kleisner said.
“We’ve been around for 219 years, and even if it takes 219 more years, we’ll continue the fight,” he said. “We will be untiring in our missionary zeal to accomplish this goal of making The Greenbrier a year-round resort.”
The Greenbrier is the county’s largest single employer, with 1,500-1,600 employees during the height of the season, but the resort lays off a substantial portion of its workforce during the winter months, when occupancy rates fall. As a result, Greenbrier County’s unemployment figures hover between 12% and 15% for three to four months out of every year.
Supporters of the gambling measure point to employment and to the local impact taxes from gambling itself would have. The legislation considered this year would have put 2.5% of the casino’s adjusted gross into county coffers, and a like amount would have been split among the county’s municipalities.
Opponents fear a casino at the resort would only be the first of many new gambling operations in the state. Most who spoke out against the proposed legislation at a hearing in Charleston last week cited moral and religious grounds for their opposition.
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