George Bell and his border collie at Time's stone 2 years ago photo by Jeanne Bell

      As an aspiring shepherd and trainer of Border Collies, I was deeply touched by this monument to a faithful sheepdog. How had he ended up on a ridge top in West Virginia? I asked around the neighborhood. Eventually I talked to Mr. Keith Mace, who was particularly interested in the monument because his father, the late Troy Mace of Mace, used to refer to the ridge between the Mace property and the neighboring Marshall Farm as "Time's Ridge." As a child, it had been Troy's job to gather his daddy's cattle when they wandered across the ridge to the neighbor's farm. As it turned out, none of my neighbors had ever seen the monument. They were all, however, familiar with A. Lawson. So I focused on learning about A. Lawson with the hope of discovering something about the dog.
     In this year, 2002, the primary industry here is tourism, with Snowshoe, a major international resort, located just across Cheat Mountain. But until about 30 years ago, this was prime grazing land. One hundred years ago, Mingo was the site of an intriguing settlement. The story of Mingo is also the story of this English dog. In 1895 a young Englishman named Arthur Lawson made preparations for a journey to America. He was seeking opportunity and adventure in the heart of the great Eastern hardwood forest. Arthur's journey would take him deep into the interior of the Allegheny Mountains. He was joining a community of fellow Englishmen who had settled there twelve years earlier.

Arthur Lawson (photo courtesy of the Randolph Co. Historical Society)

     The first Englishmen to settle in Mingo were a pair of young adventurers named Cholmondelay (pronounced Chumley) and Bruce. They arrived in 1883, after a careful study of the world sheep industry pointed them toward the Allegheny Highlands. The region was noted for limestone soil and the production of high quality wool. They traveled by boat to New York, and by train as far as Clifton Forge, Virginia. From there, it was an eighty-mile journey by foot or on horseback across the mountains. Mingo was little more than an outpost, with a Post Office and a country store that served a community of rugged and independent farmers, whose homes were widely scattered across the landscape. The nearest town of any size was Marlinton, a farming community 25 miles to the south.
     In Mingo, Cholmondelay and Bruce found large flat meadows on a series of mountain terraces locally known as the Mingo Flats. There were mountain pastures, springs bubbling out of limestone, secluded glens, pristine rivers, and high knobs where the mountains rolled out in blue-green waves for as far as the eye could see. All this bounty was wrapped in the arms of an immense, nearly virgin wilderness, an ancient hardwood forest abundant with game and as yet untouched by timber barons.
     Cholmondelay and Bruce purchased a farm on the headwaters of the Tygart Valley River, and wrote home encouraging others to join them. By 1895, there were at least 40 English households living in the Mingo area. They were well accepted by the local families and were noted for their generosity and honesty. They owned large, immaculately kept farms stocked with sheep, cattle, and horses. They were a social bunch, and had the means to make fun happen on the frontier. Around 1892 they surveyed and built a half-mile racetrack on "The Flats." It was the site of many races, both horse and foot races. They also introduced soccer, hockey, cricket, and fly-fishing. They learned baseball from the native West Virginians. It is argued that the first international soccer match was played in Mingo between the English team in Mingo and the native Marlinton team. Records indicate that the English team carried the day. The local farmers enjoyed these sporting events and competed equally with the English gentlemen and their English servants. It was this interesting frontier community that welcomed Arthur Lawson when he arrived in 1895 riding a fine thoroughbred mare.

'Old Hemp' (photo from "The Blue Riband of the Heather" courtesy of Farming Press)

     Arthur Lawson was the son of an English nobleman, Sir Wilfred Lawson. Wilfred was a Member of Parliament and master of Brayton Hall, a holding near Cockermouth in Cumberland County, England. Wilfred was known as England's "Great Teetotaler;" however his son doesn't seem to have shared this sentiment. Arthur quickly became a leader in the sporting traditions at Mingo, and refreshment was a prominent feature of his itineraries! In Mingo, Arthur was considered somewhat eccentric. Although he lived there 20 years, he never married. He had a fierce love and devotion to his animals, and was renowned in the community for erecting a marble monument on the grave of his favorite horse. He ran a 700-acre sheep and cattle farm at the base of Cheat Mountain and built his house in a sunny hollow next to a large spring that gushed out of a limestone cave. His farm had board fences, a large orchard, and some of the best bluegrass pasture in the area. He stayed until 1915, finally leaving for England after his house burned. He was one of the last to go. The settlement broke up by World War I.
     We have lived in Mingo for sixteen years. I've always been curious about the English settlement and wondered if they brought Border Collies with them. My elderly neighbor, the late Mrs. Ruth Marshall, and her son, Adam Marshall, who still lives at the homeplace, told me stories about the old days in Mingo. They told me about an English sheep dog named Jock who lived in the late 1890's and helped her father-in-law, Piatt Marshall, with a droving business. Every fall, with the help of the dog, he would buy cattle and sheep and drive them to the railroad in Huttonsville for sale to Baltimore. Jock was said to be worth six men. He is remembered so fondly that the Marshalls still keep a dog named Jock today. In all the stories, this Jock dog was the only hint of Border Collies in the colony until George found the gravestone in the woods. The research inspired by this monument led to some interesting correlations.
     In 1893, on the farm of Adam Telfer in Northumberland County, England, a dog was born that would shape the future of shepherding in the British Isles. He was named Old Hemp. For hundreds of years, English and Scottish farmers had employed dogs to help with the job of shepherding the vast open spaces of the hills and moors. The farmers shepherding in the border counties had developed a strain of dogs that were particularly adept at stock work. Old Hemp was born of old ‘Rookin White' dogs from the Northumberland strain. He was born with a special, quiet working quality that impressed all who watched him. Neighboring farmers recognized that his working style caused less stress on their livestock and bred their farm bitches to him. He proved to be a potent sire, passing his working quality on to his offspring, and his fame spread. He was highly sought after as a stud dog, siring over 200 pups before his death in 1902. He became known as the "father of the modern Border Collie."

The missing gravestone. photo by Jeanne Bell

     Northumberland County, England, is adjacent to Cumberland County, England. Both counties lie on the Scottish Border. In 1895, in Cumberland County, Arthur Lawson was making preparations for his trip to America. In Northumberland, Old Hemp was making history, stamping the genetic blue-print on the modern Border Collie. When Arthur Lawson made the long ride across the mountains on his fine thoroughbred mare, perhaps a couple of collies trotted at his heels, carrying Old Hemp's genetic promise into the frontier. Or perhaps Arthur picked up a pup on one of his return trips to England. Timing and circumstance certainly make it a possibility. Arthur Lawson had the means and the interest to purchase the best dogs available, and the best dog was locally famous and located right next-door in Northumberland. Was Time of Mingo a descendant of the famous Old Hemp? "In tending sheep without a peer?" It does make one think. Perhaps the answer is out there waiting to be found. Or the mists may gather around him again, like the clouds that hang on the mountains after summer rain, and Time will keep his secrets.

Postscript:
      George and I recently hiked out to the ridge where Time sleeps. We wanted to take digital pictures of the stone. It has been over two years since we last visited. A four-wheeler track now runs the length of the ridge. Time's stone is gone. If anyone has any information that could lead to the return of this historical monument, please contact the Pocahontas Times office. "No questions asked." Only a grateful thank you will be offered for the monument's return. Keith Mace has never seen the monument that his father talked about. It was already gone when he told me his story. Time's stone belongs on Time's Ridge.

      Jeanne Bell and her husband George are originally from Pennsylvania. They live in Mingo with their three children and work at Snowshoe.. They raise sheep and own two border collies, Sly, and Glen, who are trained to Border Collie Trials. Jeanne's interests include history of the breed, and she trains dogs as a hobby.. Her passion is sheep farming.

Dining the down-home way at Suzi's Chic Inn

Pam Pritt
Managing Editor
Photos by Pam Pritt

Suzi Lane, owner and chef, keeps busy in her kitchen. photo by Pam Pritt

      It's a local favorite, for sure. Going back more than two generations of area high school kids who liked to hang out there because of the drive-in service that lasted until the 80s, people come home now to savor the flavors owner Suzi Lane cooks up in the kitchen. It's a great place for lunch or dinner, especially lunch on Sundays after church.
      Appetizers are a must at Suzi's. Try the mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese sticks or battered mushrooms with your choice of ranch dressing or marinara sauce. If it's salad you want, Suzi makes her own fresh salads every day and tops the lettuce with tomatoes, onions cucumbers, bacon bits and your choice of dressing.
      Her house specialties vary from sandwiches to entree salads and taco salad and beef burritos. The Mexican dishes have seasoned beef, cheddar cheese, salsa and sour cream. The salad is served with taco chips and the burrito is wrapped in a large tortilla. The house salad is a delightful mix of greens, chicken and walnuts, lightly grilled. It's topped with Mandarin oranges and the house dressing, sweet ‘n sour. The big ol' salad is grilled chicken and and cheddar cheese over crisp lettuce topped with tomato slices, bacon bits and your choice of dressing.
      In keeping with the restaurant's farm friendly name, the Big Cluck is the leading sandwich on the menu. A large breaded chicken breast, American Cheese, bacon, lettuce tomato and mayonnaise on a large seeded bun is also served with French fries. The Big Bob burger is the base for mushrooms, Swiss cheese, bacon, lettuce tomato and mayo and also served on a large seeded bun. Big Bob is served with fries, as well.

Diners at the Chic Inn will find a clean, comfortable atmosphere, good food and great service. Interesting down-home decor and lots of natural light add to the ambience. photo by Pam Pritt

      The dinner selection is well-rounded with chicken, beef, pork and seafood selections, as well as spaghetti. Although known for her chicken dishes, Suzi makes a great rib-eye steak, cooked the way you like it. All dinners are served with baked potato or French fries, cole slaw or tossed salad and a homemade roll.
      Seafood selections include batter-dipped cod, flounder stuffed with crabmeat, grilled halibut and tuna steaks, and fantail and grilled shrimp.
      Suzi's still caters to the high school crowd and those of us who just remember being there with pizzas, 12-inch cheese, to be exact. Toppings are extra, but plentiful.
      And for dessert, if you dare, her hot fudge cake is superb, as are the seasonal Key lime and pumpkin pies. She also has blackberry cobbler and apple dumplings with ice cream. Cheese cake come with your choice of cherry or strawberry toppings. Prices are reasonable and drinks are included on some lunch specials.
      Suzi's Chic Inn is a great place to eat if you're looking back at old memories or if you're new in town and want to make new ones. Suzi's Chic Inn is at the top of Price Hill, just south of Marlinton on Rt. 219. Eat up!

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