Pocahontas County is a treasure chest of history. The first settlers crossed the Alleghenies in 1749, and thus, the roots of families and communities run deep.
Without special effort and proper care of collections local history can quickly disappear. Pocahontas County is rich in people who care about its history. This project will provide the resources to help them preserve it and share it with the world.
The Historic Preservation Project will identify, stabilize, curate and store papers, pictures, records, recordings and artifacts. We will capture writings, photographs, interviews, buildings, and artifacts as digital images, sound files and text. We will create and maintain a Digital Library on the World Wide Web where digitized material will be freely available to researchers, historians, students and genealogists. And, we will facilitate community building by working with individuals and organizations as they exchange ideas and showcase their hard work.
Neighbor working with neighbor is the cornerstone of "Preserving Pocahontas." People in our communities will be actively engaged in this project as they are trained in the digitization process. Families and individuals will be encouraged to have their records and photographs digitized and to share those materials with the project.
To learn more, visit pocahontaspreservation.org.
Hill-Morgan Photo Album ca. 1894
This week's photo is a page from the Hill-Morgan Photo Album which holds 26 photographs of the Hill and Morgan families of the Lobelia area. Pictured are four young children named in the handwritten note as Miriam Cora, Ambrose, Bryan and Dick Hill. Florence Miriam Hill Morgan started putting together the album in 1894. Though in very fragile condition, family members have held the book together through the years with rubber bands and tape. This album is an example of the many "at risk" collections that document Pocahontas County's history. Appreciation goes to Joe Hollandsworth, of Delaware, for loaning this family treasure so that it could be scanned for our digital library.
Access the "Preserving Pocahontas" Digital Library at www.pocahontaspreservation.org
If you have photographs or documents to be scanned for the county Historical Archive Project contact Preservation Officer B. J. Gudmundsson at 304-799-3989 or email info@pocahontaspreservation.org
Preservation News
Nominations are now being accepted for the honoree to appear on the 2012 Pioneer Days Badge. Submissions should include historical information and the reason you believe that your nomination should be selected. Mail submissions to B. J. Gudmundsson, 1200 Second Avenue, Marlinton, WV 24954 or call 304-799-3989. Email submissions may be sent to info@pocahontaspreservation.org. Deadline for submissions is March 23.
For those who missed the Smithsonian Exhibit in Marlinton this fall - the local photographic exhibit "Logging History in Pocahontas County" can be viewed at the Linwood Library through the end of May.
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J. R. Propst Flour Feed and Groceries - Frank, W.Va.
Mrs. Harry Widney, now of Lewisburg, donated this week's photograph of her parent's store. James Rankin and Eva May Propst opened their store, J. R. Propst Flour Feed and Groceries, in Frank in 1930. Mr. Propst died on New Year's Day 1950 and his wife continued to operate this successful business until the building burned in 1964. Pictured (l to r) are Roscoe Potter, customer, and store owner Eva Propst.
Access the "Preserving Pocahontas" Digitial Library at www.pocahontaspreservation.org
If you have photographs or documents to be scanned for the county Historical Archive Project contact Preservation Officer B. J. Gudmundsson at 304-799-3989 or email info@pocahontaspreservation.org
Preservation News
Nominations are now being accepted for the honoree to appear on the 2012 Pioneer Days Badge. Submissions should include historical information and the reason you believe that your nomination should be selected. Mail submissions to B. J. Gudmundsson, 1200 Second Avenue, Marlinton, WV 24954 or call 304-799-3989. Email submissions may be sent to info@pocahontaspreservation.org
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Falls of Hills Creek, c. 1896
Nineteen people posed for this photograph taken at Hills Creek Falls around 1896.
Access the "Preserving Pocahontas" Digital Library at www.pocahontaspreservation.org
If you have photographs or documents to be scanned for the county Historical Archive Project contact Preservation Officer B. J. Gudmundsson at 304-799-3989 or email info@pocahontaspreservation.org
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Louise McNeill Pease - WV Poet Laureate
Louise McNeill Pease was born January 9, 1911 in Buckeye, on the farm that had been in her family since 1769. Her parents were George Douglas ("G.D.") and Grace McNeill McNeill. After writing her first poem at the age of 16 she vowed "to be a poet and write poems forever." After graduating from Edray District High School she received degrees from Concord College and Miami University of Ohio. She earned her doctorate at West Virginia University. In 1939 she married Roger Pease and was a teacher of English and history for more than 30 years. Her career as a poet began in 1931 with the publishing of her first collection, "Mountain White." Her other works include "Gauley Mountain," "Time Is Our House," "Paradox Hill," "Elderberry Flood," "The Milkweed Ladies" and "Hill Daughter." Louise McNeill Pease was named West Virginia Poet Laureate in 1979 by Gov. John D. Rockefeller, IV. She died on June 18, 1993.
Access the "Preserving Pocahontas" Digital Library at www.pocahontaspreservation.org
If you have photographs or documents to be scanned for the county Historical Archive Project contact Preservation Officer B. J. Gudmundsson at 304-799-3989 or email info@pocahontaspreservation.org
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Thornwood Street Scene - 1912
This photograph was taken on the 10th of June, 1912. It is a street scene of the lumber town Thornwood - which was originally called Dunlevie. The town was founded in 1905 by Ernest V. Dunlevie, of Buffalo, New York, who owned a vast stand of timber in the area of northern Pocahontas. He erected a band mill here and named the town after himself. The mill was sold the next year and in 1910 became the Thornwood Lumber Company.
They may be difficult to see without a magnifying glass but there are a number of people in this photograph. The easiest to spot is a very young boy decked out in his dress clothes. You'll see him on the left and he appears to be moving quickly up the wooden sidewalk toward the store where a man stands on the porch dressed in a black suit and a fine white hat. Further up the street is a group of men walking. And the most difficult to see is a woman in fancy dress in front of a store where the sign reads "Ladies and Gentleman Hats and Shoes, Jos. Ameen."
Try using the magnifying glass next time you're looking through your old photos. You might be surprised at what you find when you see your history through the looking glass!
Access the "Preserving Pocahontas" Digitial Library at www.pocahontaspreservation.org
If you have photographs or documents to be scanned for the county Historical Archive Project contact Preservation Officer B. J. Gudmundsson at 304-799-3989 or email info@pocahontaspreservation.org
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North Fork Lumber Camp
North Fork Lumber Company's Camp No. 1 located on the North Fork of Deer Creek.ﾠ
Access the "Preserving Pocahontas" Digitial Library at www.pocahontaspreservation.orgﾠﾠ
If you have photographs or documents to be scanned for the county Historical Archive Project contact Preservation Officer B. J. Gudmundsson at 304-799-3989 or email info@pocahontaspreservation.org
Shanghai Parade in Hillsboro - ca. 1908
People in costume are lined up for the Shanghai Parade in Hillsboro, probably around 1908. In the background is the Preston McLaughlin house located at the corner of Elm Street and Rt. 219.
Access the "Preserving Pocahontas" Digitial Library at www.pocahontaspreservation.org
Preservation News
2011 was a busy year for the county's Historic Preservation Project. Our archive has grown by leaps and bounds as many private collections have been loaned for digitizing. The Digital Library now has more than 4,000 photographs, 300 rare documents and numerous video and sound recordings. Other noteworthy accomplishments include: the Smithsonian Exhibit and Logging in Pocahontas County photo display; digitization of The Pocahontas Times; and the Green Bank Seniors video interview project.
A number of important collections have been digitized and many are scheduled for digitization in 2012. They include photographs and documents from the Pearl Buck Birthplace, CCC Camp Price at Droop Mountain, Jail Records from the Town of Durbin, Ernest W. Smith Family, the Emma Beard Collection, Extension Homemakers, Green Bank Home Demonstration Club, Woman's Club, and the County Farm Bureau,
A recent acquisition from The Field Museum in Chicago is a pair of digital images taken from glass negatives made in 1908 of timbering on land belonging to the Pocahontas Lumber Company.
The Preservation Officer, representing the Pocahontas County Free Libraries, is a member of the statewide "Connecting to Collections" Consortium. During the past year the Consortium has written and approved West Virginia's Historic Preservation Plan. Implementation is scheduled to begin soon.
As we step into another exciting year we are reminded of how we got here. Because of support from the Pocahontas County Commission, the Pocahontas County Free Libraries, The Pocahontas Times, the Pocahontas County Historical Society, the Genealogy Group, a dedicated steering committee and a host of people interested in preserving our county history, "Preserving Pocahontas" is a success. We look forward to watching it grow over the coming years.
If you have photographs or documents to be scanned for the county Historical Archive Project contact Preservation Officer B. J. Gudmundsson at 304-799-3989 or email info@pocahontaspreservation.org
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Billy Buckingham - 1910
Camp foreman Billy Buckingham is seen in this photograph taken in December 1910. The scene is on Cheat Mountain as the horses are pulling a trail of logs into the landing at Camp 15.
Access the "Preserving Pocahontas" Digital Library at www.pocahontaspreservation.org
If you have photographs or documents to be scanned for the county Historical Archive Project contact Preservation Officer B. J. Gudmundsson at 304-799-3989 or email info@pocahontaspreservation.org
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Let It Snow, Let It Snow!
A photograph from 1892 shows an ice harvest on Knapps Creek, probably near Marlinton.
Access the "Preserving Pocahontas" Digitial Library at www.pocahontaspreservation.org
If you have photographs or documents to be scanned for the county Historical Archive Project contact Preservation Officer B. J. Gudmundsson at 304-799-3989 or email info@pocahontaspreservation.org
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Napoleon Arbogast ca. 1915
A winter scene in Durbin, circa 1915, shows Postmaster Napoleon Arbogast walking in the snow at the Durbin Post Office.
Access the "Preserving Pocahontas" Digitial Library at www.pocahontaspreservation.org
If you have photographs or documents to be scanned for the county Historical Archive Project contact Preservation Officer B. J. Gudmundsson at 304-799-3989 or email info@pocahontaspreservation.org
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