Thinking Outside of Box

Below is the news from back home, only it is from 1918. The community where I am from has went through several different names. The first name of the area was Buffalo Bottom, due to the abundance of woods bison in the area. Now the name would only apply to some of my Aunts (That was bad, I know). After the buffalo were extirpated it ddin't seem like Buffalo Bottom was such a good name so the area became known as North Fork Hills. Since that name was confusing because there were hills all over the North Fork Valley, the name progressed into the community of Box. People didn't like living in a Box so the area started being referred to as Bland Hills, but as Bland Hills became more populated, our end of Bland Hills became the community of Hopewell. A few years later, Hopewell was given the name of Monkeytown by my great-grandfather, Don Burns due to all of the children hanging out of the windows of the houses. It seems that the name Monkeytown stuck, at least for the past 80 years or so, and most people still know and refer it by that name. However, to add to the confusion we do get our mail in Riverton (7 miles away), vote in Circleville (8 miles away), and are listed in the county newspaper as Hopewell (though nobody calls our area Hopewell anymore). So, who knows exactly where I'm from, the only thing I am sure of is I didn't come here and I ain't leaving. My granddaddy used to say that.

The Pendleton Times
Friday, December 20, 1918

Box News

The health of this section is very good now.

The Hopewell school has begun with an enrollment of about thirty-five scholars. Mr. Biby is the teacher.

A.C. Thompson has moved to Osceola, a cold country.

C.J. Landis, the photo man, has quit farming and gone into the picture business again.

Miss. Mucie Burns has gone to the wild western country to teach school. We wish her a successful term.

Charlie Burns was hauling hay from W.D. Simmons’ one day last week.

Don Burns has purchased a horse of Erving Hinkle & Bros. He says he can go see his girl now.

News reached us that Virgil Hinkle while in Franklin Thursday was arrested because of failing to register on Sept. 12, and will be court-martialed at Parkersburg.

Don Bland has gone to the lumber camp to work for awhile.

Fred Lambert was a recent visitor at the home of Harness Teter at Osceola.

God hath made of one blood all nations of men, and we are his children, brothers and sisters all. We are citizens of the United States and we believe our flag stands for self-sacrifice for the good of all the people. We want therefore to be true citizens of our great country and will show our love for her by our works. Our country does not ask us to die for her welfare, she asks us to live for her, and so to live and so to act that her government may be pure her officers of her territory shall be a place fit to grow the best men and women who shall rule over her.—A Bland Hills wife

16 Dead, Millions in Damages in Pendleton Flood

The Pendleton Times
November 14, 1985

Flood Leaves 16 Dead in Pendleton, $Hundreds of Millions in Damages
Entire County Pounded by Worst Flood in History

High waters resulting from five days of steady rain roared down the hollows and valleys of Pendleton County November 4 leaving at least 16 persons dead and hundreds homeless in the worst flood to hit this county in history.

Hundreds of homes were washed away and hundreds more were destroyed as walls of raging water struck with unyielding force. Rivers overflowing their banks cut new river channels through farms and skimmed thousands of acres of rich top soil from bottom land leaving mountains of rock and sand in its place.
Property damages will run into hundreds of millions of dollars. Farm machinery, buildings, mobile homes, dead cattle, sheep, hogs and poultry were strewn along the entire length of the county as if this once fertile agricultural valley had been turned into a giant trash dump.

The community of Riverton, a town of approximately 150 persons situated in the North Fork Valley, was particularly hard hit. Some six or eight homes along the North Fork River washed completely away, and practically every other house and business place in the community was either destroyed or extensively damaged.

Much of the Smoke Hole area, nationally known for its rugged beauty and good trout fishing, was gutted. The raging water extended across the narrow valley from mountainside to mountainside sweeping away houses and road and everything in its path, leaving sheer vertical cliffs on each side extending into its path, leaving sheer vertical cliffs on each side extending into the river channel with no semblance of a road to be seen.

Evacuation centers were setup in the Franklin Elementary School where approximately 60 persons spent Monday and Tuesday nights and in the Dixie School at Riverton. However, it was necessary to evacuate the Dixie School Monday night when it was on the verge of collapsing.

The county was isolated from the outside works for three days with 18 bridges washed out and massive slides blocking roads in all sections of the county. Electricity and telephone service were halted with utility poles washed out and trees across lines. The only communication out of the county was provided by ham radio operators who worked 24 hours a day relaying emergency messages.

Communities within the county were isolated from each other making it impossible for local service organizations to render assistance to many areas. The Franklin Fire Department sent teams of members to try to get to isolated areas to assess their needs and try to get emergency supplies to them. Attempts were made to obtain help from the National Guard at Buckhannon and the Elkins Fire Department, but they were unable to get past Harman.

Sanitation and health problems posed a threat until the National Guard came in with helicopters and began airlifting medical supplies to isolated areas. Of particular concern were shortages of insulin and nitroglycerin and a means of distributing the supplies that were available to those who need them.

Water supplies throughout the county either were destroyed or the water was rendered unfit for drinking. All community water systems in the county were knocked out.

The large spring five miles south of Franklin which has been the sources of the town's water supply since the 1930s was filled with rock and gravel and much of the water line leading from the spring to town was washed out. Volunteers and the town maintenance crew working over the weekend laid 5,000 feet of water line through the fields south of Franklin. Town residents hauled water in buckets from a spring at the Fred Mullenax residence west of Franklin until Wednesday when the town water system was placed back into operation.

The community water system at Circleville was ruined, and several thousand feet of water line was washed out in the community water system being installed at Upper Tract. Residents have been boiling their water before using it on the advice of county sanitarian Raymond Harr.

Sewage also has been creating a major health hazard. The lagoon in the Franklin sewer system was washed out, and sewage throughout the county is running directly into streams and rivers.

Electricity was restored in Franklin on Wednesday and long distance telephone service from Franklin was restored Friday, but most of the remainder of the county still was without either electric service or telephone service on Monday of this week.

Two mobile home parks and four trailer camps along the South Branch of the Potomac River near Franklin were washed away or completely destroyed. Completely wiped out were the Trout Rock Trailer Park and Hanging Rock Trailer Park, both south of Franklin, and the trailer park at Meck's Cabins where 63 trailers and cottages washed away, and Thompson's Trailer Camp and Riverside Trailer Park north of Franklin and Cave Country Camping Area south of Franklin.

The swinging bridge spanning the South Branch of the Potomac River in South Franklin, which has survived floods for 45 years, was washed away, and the approach to the bridge a half- mile south of Franklin leading to Propst Gap was washed away.

Pendleton, along with seven other counties, was declared a federal disaster area last Thursday by President Reagan, making it eligible for federal assistance.

Times they are a-changin'!

The Pendleton Times, 17 December 1943
North Fork News

A tower has been erected on the Nige Rocks on North Mountain. The soldier boys constructed a phone line to the tower. This gives a panorama view of Monkey Town, Spruce Knob, Allegheny Mountain, North Mountain and different other places.

W.A. Judy has been appointed to teach Hunting Ground school vacated by Luke Crossland. Rev. Ray Hinkle has been placed in the high school to a place vacated by Mrs. Cornelia Dyhre.

A human skull was found along route 33 on the east side of North Mountain and it was sent to the office of Dr. J.L. Lambert. On examination he pronounced it to be a girl’s skull about sixteen years old.

Okey Day is loud in his praise of the Democratic Party for giving him a pension in his declining days.

Everything is quiet in the peaceful little village of Circleville. Large chicken houses have been erected by Mr. Parker from South Carolina, C.A. Warner, Forrest G. Lantz and Doll Lantz. Saw Mills must have been erected on the edge of the village. Martin W. Nelson is building a hotel. Every thing points for a boom for that town in the near future.

The cry of the terrible Snoligaster as it seemed to be at the moment sent the dogs scurrying to safety. A mournful howl filled the air and sent chills up the backs of the inhabitants. On investigation it was found to be a false alarm. It was the good women of the neighborhood moving in a slow procession with filled chaffticks from the writer’s straw stack. This procession reminded one of the covered wagons in by gone days.

Blessed are the peacemakers. A convoy went all night Friday night. These boys are fighting for our freedom. We respect them and should do our part in making their lives pleasant.

We don’t know whether it is right to mutilate and destroy women, mothers and little children. The great teacher took little children in His arms and blessed them.

We have no great feasts to mention. We are living on bacon, beans, cornbread and mush. Now and then a pound cake for which we are thankful.

Nothing Changes but the Seasons

Thought y'all might find this old newspaper clipping of interest. The Pendleton Times is still in publication and still has news items like this in it. I find these old ones amusing.

Bland Hills 1930's, about the time of this was written.

The Pendleton Times

10 February 1933

North Fork News

Mr. and Mrs. Arlie Simmons and Brooks Calhoun made a business trip to Crabbottom selling radios, Delco-lights, punch boards, etc.

Born last week to Mr. and Mrs. Forrest G. Lantz a six pound daughter.

David Cunningham, of Job, is visiting friends in Circleville. Mr. Cunningham and Okey Day were discussing the trend of the times, Mr. Cunningham claiming they were growing worse. Mr. Day argued to the contrary. To prove his point he exhibited one of Stark's Golden Delicious apples, but the wheels of depression had bruised and mangled it and it didn't look natural.

The Ladies Aid of Circleville was at Harman Saturday night and gave a play. This society works harmoniously together and is doing good work among the citizens of Circleville.

Frank Nelson, a man of ninety-three years, died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. P.H. Kisamore, near Riverton, Monday. He could read without using glasses. Jacob Harman, an aged man of the same neighborhood, died Saturday.

Born to Mr. and Mrs. Kenny Warner last week, twin daughters. They lived only a few hours.

A negro member of the convict gang working on Elk Mountain road was killed by a flying stone last week when a large blast was set-off. Also, the blacksmith went mad and was preparing to kill some of the workers. The boss felled him with a blow and handcuffed him and sent him back to the penitentary at Moundsville.

Sunday was the worst day we have had this winter. The mercury was down to zero. The wind blew a gale that tore down trees, toppled over haystacks and unroofed houses.

Jenifer Mullenax and Boyd Harper took a load of cattle to the Baltimore market Monday.

Luther Hammer has returned from Baltimore and reports the market low on stock. Fairly good cows sell $8 a head. At a sheriffs sale in Bath County, VA good cows averaged $9 a head and good yearling cattle were sold at $3.50 a head.

"Buzz" Warner, of Hunting Ground, caught a large catamount and brought it to Circleville alive. He sold it to C.A. Warner to put in his menagerie. He had twelve coons and nine police dogs in his collection.

We believe President Allen of Davis and Elkins College was right in saying there are too many teachers in West Virginia. The wise man Solomon said that of the making of books there was no end and too much study was a weariness to the flesh. This wise man knew what he was talking about.