Talk:Prenter, West Virginia

Block of history

This block of text was added to the main article. I moved it here to see if someone could do something with it.

[Copyvio text from http://www.wvculture.org/history/journal_wvh/wvh52-6.html removed.]

By Maria Stewart-Lambert in We Grew Up In Prenter, West Virginia #2 (Files) · Edit Doc · Delete In 1742, John Peter Salley in Boone County, near Peytona, first discovered coal in North America. (Boone County West Virginia History, published 1990)

In 1847, Boone County was formed from Cabell, Kanawha and Logan counties. (Boone County West Virginia History, published 1990)

The 1850 census shows that most Boone County miners were from Ireland. (Boone County West Virginia History, published 1990)

Boone County was split about 50/50% Union and Confederate sympathy during the Civil War.

In 1863 West Virginia was formed from the western counties of Virginia. Lincoln and his party orchestrated the secession of western Virginia to create the state of West Virginia (unconstitutionally, according to Lincoln’s own attorney general Robert Bates),

Seth was settled about 1892 with Charles Sutphin its most influential resident. (Boone County West Virginia History, published 1990)

The Prenter graveyard has only three standing tombstones (July, 2001), but one of them lists death in 1893.

The C&O Railroad completed the Big Coal River track to Seth, West Virginia in 1912. (Boone County West Virginia History, published 1990)

1919 saw major floods, which washed the sawmill at Seth down river two or three miles.

There was significant danger and violence in the area during the Coal Mine Wars 1912 – 1921. In 2000, Flora Hubbard, who was just a child at that time, accompanied Jim and Carolyn Clark from Sandlick to the top of Williams Mountain. When they were in the vicinity of Cabot, she mentioned that at times, during those days, her father, Henry Roach, had covered her with a mattress at bedtime to shelter her from stray bullets.

Before Prenter bore its name, the vicinity of the school ball field was called Griffith (the oldest/largest family in the field at the time?). Hopkins Fork was named after a guy named Hopkins who worked on that surveying crew. Hopkins Fork has been known by that name, or "Shadeed," but more commonly as "Jew Hollow." This is because the original store there was owned by the Shadeed family who, because they were from Lebanon, were commonly believed to be Jewish. They were probably Christians by the time they came to Boone County, but if not, then they were more likely Muslims than Hebrews. The patriarch of the Shadeed family was Charlie Shadeed. Similarly, the Haddad family owned stores in Madison and Whitesville and built the public swimming pool at Madison in honor of a son who had died serving the United States in WWII. They were of Syrian origin.

The Coal Valley News began publication of newspapers in 1925.

In 1925, there were 60 coal mines in Boone County producing over 4.5 million tons of coal. (Boone County West Virginia History, published 1990)

In 1925, the North American Coal and Coke Co. (also known as North American Coal and Dock Corporation) started operations at Keith and Prenter. (Boone County West Virginia History, published 1990)

In the fall of 1925, there were three concurrent issues that, at present, we can only speculate led to the naming of Prenter, West Virginia. Those issues were: (1) Conflict at Coal River Collieries (2) The plan/need for a U. S. Post Office at that coal camp. (3) The C&O’s acquisition of the track from Seth to that camp.

Prenter, West Virginia was not named on the 1911 USGS Map, but is on the 1929 Map. (http://historical.maptech.com/getImage.cfm?fname=Peytona11sw.jpg&state=WV) (http://historical.maptech.com/getImage.cfm?fname=Peytona29sw.jpg&state=WV)

There was a long and bitter struggle between the BLE (Warren Stone, President of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers) and the UMWA (John L. Lewis, President of the United Mine Workers of America) over the Coal River Collieries and “one of West Virginia’s most unusual strikes began on April 1, 1924”. In June of 1925, Stone died and was succeeded by W. B. Prenter. There were significant other BLE leadership changes, but the conflict continued. (http://www.wvculture.org/history/journal_wvh/wvh52-6.html).

The Seth to Prenter track was laid by the Federal Coal Company, but acquired by the C&O on October 14, 1925. (Boone County West Virginia History, published 1990) The C&O must have wanted a name for the place at the end of their newly acquired track and probably had a labor contract with the BLE.

With the railroad’s arrival in that coal camp and plans afoot for a Post Office, it cried for a name. It was common for railroad owners to name towns after their children, but perhaps in this case W. B. Prenter and the BLE, to make a bold statement to John L. Lewis and the UMWA (satisfying postal authorities as well), had the little town named after himself. Maybe some of his subordinates or even local BLE members conceived the idea.

 W. B. Prenter photo from the cover of Locomotive Engineers Journal, Spring 2001 issue.

 BLE ‘Money’ bearing W. B. Prenter’s signature.

(We contacted the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers in Cleveland, Ohio, on June 22, 2004 and learned this: They are not staffed to do this kind of research, but would allow one of us to visit their facility and browse old issues of their journal for the purpose of finding articles about W. B. Prenter during that period of time. If you have a mind to undertake such an effort, please contact us at wvgirlnfl@suwanneevalley.net for further details.)

The first postmaster at Prenter was Charles F. Wilcox on March 6, 1926. (Boone County West Virginia History, published 1990)

In 1927, the C&O offered daily passenger service between Seth and Prenter. (Boone County West Virginia History, published 1990)

In 1927, the state legislature passed a law to provide for the building of a sanitarium to house those infected with tuberculosis. The structure was located on top of Williams Mountain. (Boone County West Virginia History, published 1990). Lee Hansford Bradley then owned several acres of adjacent land. His granddaughter, Maria Lambert, collaborated with her relatives to provide this sketch of the area. The building was one floor with a full basement. At present we can only estimate that the building’s dimensions would have been about 50 ft. by 150 ft. and had beds for 30 patients.

The road over Williams Mountain was unpaved at that time. At some point, Bill Marlin (sp?) was running for governor and came up to Prenter campaigning in a convertible. He traveled the dirt road over Williams Mountain with all the dust flying up and the next year that road was paved.

The first road from Seth to Prenter mostly followed the creed bed. About 1946-47, it was paved only to Charlie Shadeed's store and later, all the way to Prenter all around the store, fountain and gas station.

1928 Supply House photo suggests a well-organized mining operation in Prenter at the time.

In 1931, the school at Prenter had 140 students and the principal was Herbert Heslip. (Boone County West Virginia History, published 1990)

Charleston Daily Mail, July 1, 1932

Prenter Operation Bought by Cleveland Concern for $368,000

Madison, July 1 - Properties of the Collieries company, largest coal

operation in Boone County, changed hands at a receiver's sale here yesterday.

The purchaser of the company was Red Parrot Coal Company, with headquarters

at Cleveland, Ohio and operating offices at Prenter. Included in the concerns

holdings is 10,000 acres of land under laid with domestic and steam coal.

R. C. Harris of Cleveland is President of the Red Parrot Company. Other

officers are E. L. Baker of Cleveland, secretary-treasurer; J. A, Kelly, of

Huntington, general manager; John T. Sydnor, Prenter, general superintendent and David O. Jarrett, purchasing manager and store manager. The North American Coal Corporation of Cleveland will be its sales agent. Mines of the Collieries Company were opened in 1924 and 1925 by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. The purchase price, subject to confirmation by the circuit court, was $368,000.

Red Parrot issued scrip bearing the names Prenter and Red Parrot Coal Co. The Osborne Register Company, Cincinnati, Ohio, minted the coins.

At the 2001 Reunion, Matt Coach provided some keen insight into the operation of those two boarding houses just below #5 (displayed in the Prenter website homepage). In the 1930’s, Sophie (I’m not sure of that name) ran a full service operation. Everyone from C&O officials to the itinerant Catholic priest knew where do depart the train if they were thirsty for an ‘adult beverage’. The source of those beverages was dubious, but there was a certain tree on the hill above the boarding house where you could find a bottle with the right connections and money. Her operation was so successful that, at one time, she essentially held most of the Red Parrot scrip and company officials approached her for a U.S. dollar buy-out so they could continue their store operations. It would be good to get all of this from Matt himself.

In 1934, Dr. Newcombe was the doctor at Prenter.

The houses in Prenter were constructed by Rock Castle Lumber Company, which was owned by Lackawanna Coal and Lumber Company. They were built of local timber which was milled at a sawmill just below Cabot, which was called Camp 2. All of the houses were constructed before 1935 when Appalachian Power took over the power service to the houses. Bob Viars once related that the houses on the main road were completed with one fell swoop. A group of workers would set the foundation on one lot and then move to the next and do the same. The flooring crew would come next. After them, the wall crew would start, then the roof crew and eventually the painters. After the first house was completed, another was finished every day until the camp was built. Great system.

Note: Some minor changes in grammar and syntax have been made for clarity.

The Charleston Gazette March 27th. 1938

Prenter Cites Civic Growth,

Asks Highway

Opening of New Seams

By Red Parrot Company

Will Provide Jobs

For 500 Men

Prenter is not one of those cities that turn civic ambition into trying to grow into a New York or Chicago; it wants to be the best town of its size, and right now feels it lacks only one feature to get there -- a hard-surfaced road into the state highway net. Already a necessity, the project will reach emergency need status when about May 15 the Red Parrot Coal Company, the reason for Prenter's existence, opens the Five Block and Lewiston seams with a new tipple, which will require about 500 men to operate. There are no accommodations for more residents in Prenter and nearby hamlets, so practically all the additional help must be hauled in and out over a road that, in the best weather, provides 10 miles of bumps from Seth, where it departs from Route 3. Last year the ambulance alone made 810 trips both ways though the Red Parrot Company in celebrating their safety record at The Daniel Boone Hotel banquet recently boasted no fatalities for the year. The school bus bumps its way daily and the company bus makes its trips besides the large amount of other traffic to this, the largest mine in Boone County and soon to be the largest on the C & O Railroad.

Have Medical Center

When the present [in] adequate roadbed is surfaced, many will visit Prenter to find one of the most remarkable setups a village ever had. Under the leadership of such men as John T. Sydnor, general superintendent, W. T. Ramsey, bookkeeper, David. O. Jarrett, store manager, G. E. Daugherty, safety director and R. W. Morgan, chief clerk, the civic aims have been realized in a way few places of that size and many larger have not attempted. Under Dr. W. V. Wilkerson, there is a health and accident center such as is seldom afforded outside of full-fledged cities. His X-ray apparatus alone entitles him the envy of county practitioners. There is a mercury vapor lamp for ray treatments, a fully stocked dispensary, instruments seldom seen outside a well-equipped hospital and a graduate nurse on full-time duty to assist. In addition, the company has a contract with the Charleston General Hospital for cases needing continued treatment or clinical diagnosis and care. Mining is a hazardous occupation at best and safety is vital because not only does it heighten morale and working efficiency, but the coal communities figure roughly that compensation and hospital bills total about as much as wages in a year's budget. But how much humanitarian considerations influence Sydnor, operating chief of a property held by the North American Coal Corporation of Cleveland, is shown by other considerate moves.

Fruit Trees Planted

Last week, for instance, he resumed pushing a private hobby in a campaign to plant trees all over Prenter. These are fruit trees with cherries in the front yards so that in years to come, the highway will be 'Cherry Blossom Lane' in the springtime. Apples, peaches and other varieties have been planted with Sydnor taking [an] active share in providing the stock. So that each family will have a financial interest in the trees, it was required that a nominal price be paid for each one set. This was to assure first there was a genuine demand for them and that they would be well cared for, because by the time they are bearing they will have cost the company several times what the individual paid. Another activity is the annual prize awards for the best looking yards. The home landscapers get busy each spring and the judging during the summer results in the winner getting a fully equipped bathroom with hot and cold running water and a kitchen sink. Second prize is a lavatory installation with hot and cold running water and a sink. Third prize gets a sink with hot and cold water. "These prizes", Sydnor said yesterday, "have more pull than anything else we could think of. This contest has run for some years and the company has installed a lot of such equipment." There is a garden club with Mrs. W. H. Cooke, president, Mrs. Henry Ward, secretary, and Mrs. W. A. Wilkenson, treasurer. Mrs. Ruth Glass, a home demonstration agent, helped organize the club and it is becoming a powerful factor in little Prenter's civic life.

Democrats Have Majority

There is a movie show, two pictures a week shown in cooperation with nearby cities, a store that ranks in prices and quality with any in Charleston and carries a stock that only a department store can exceed, a "pool room" which is a soda fountain and booths, but no pool tables, a modern barber shop and above all a close nestling group of comfortable homes with radios blaring, children playing in the yards and all that spells quiet contentment for the average man. The filling station at Prenter is the biggest Elk Refining Company has, handling a gasoline gallonage of 110,116 a year. The Democrats have Republicans outnumbered 87 to 13 percent so there is not a high political rivalry that splits some communities ever so often. They have only one political aim now days which is getting that road to Seth surfaced and are dubious about the tentative approval the state has given the project until they see the crews at work. They pay nearly $5,000 a year in auto license fees and nearly $15,000 in gasoline taxes so they cannot understand the state's tardiness in making that $24,000 already "earmarked" actually available at once. With a payroll of $950,000 already, which will run higher when the list goes to 1,200 employees, Prenter folks spent only $350,000 at their company store, well equipped as it is. So, there is already more than a half million dollars worth of business and more later for the Charleston stores.

In 1947, Dr. W. V. Wilkerson lived in Prenter.

In 1947 or earlier, Prenter had a movie theater that was also used by Willard Peale's Basketball Teams and other School activities during the year.

The 1948 Red Parrot Coal Company brochure shows a model community. We have many photos, but are still missing the theater, scout house, assayer’s office, 2-story houses at Hunky Heaven, swimming hole, bath houses, what else?

Noel Morgan recalls that his dad, Mason Morgan, had a major hand in the construction of that scout house. It was, in fact, built for Boy Scout Troop 97 of Prenter as an after hours affair, presumably not being done on company time. It must have been started in the late 40’s or early 50’s. Almost certainly the Rogers boys had a hand in the construction, since they were the most dedicated Scouts at that time.

Noel Morgan recalls that his dad, Mason Morgan had a major hand in the construction of that scout house. It was, in fact, built for Boy Scout Troop 97 of Prenter as an after hours affair, presumably not being done on company time. It must have been started in the late 40's or early 50's. Almost certainly the Rogers boys had a hand in the construction, since they were the most dedicated Scouts at that time.

We know where #5, #2 and #3 (Camp Three) mines were, but what about #1 and #4?

We know that in the 1950’s, fresh water was supplied by an artesian well just across the creek and paved road from the school ball field. Water was pumped to a wooden tank on the hill at Hunky Heaven. A larger steel tank replaced that tank before 1960. ( In the early 80's this tank was replaced again along with all the main water lines in the community--By several community men and company men from Big Mountain Coal Complex)

In the 1950’s there was a television antenna site on top of the mountain. The feed from it came into the camp in the vicinity of the Catholic Church and provided good quality TV reception for all the folks on the community. Vehicular access was from a road just as you reach toe top of Williams Mountain from Prenter. Ray Cummings was the guru of that operation.

We did finally get Real cable TV access in about 1972.

The one room school at Prenter was used until 1955, but when was it built? It was located to the rear of the existing structure, about half way toward the house occupied by Jake Bratcher for so many years. Its entrance faced the mountain (not the creek). On the front, there was the door (facing the front of it) and on the left side and windows to the right of that door. The side facing the present building also had windows. There were about 30 desks and almost the entire end (near the creek) was covered by a slate board. How about the later building, which could have held 140 students in 1931? That building as originally constructed had four rooms. At some time, two more were added which accounts for the irregular shape. It’s likely that, at that time, one of the original four rooms was made into the cafeteria. According to Boone County Board of Education’s records, the first school year for PES was 1934-35 and the last was 1972-73. (So, where were the 140 Prenter students taught in 1931?)(Prenter Grade School was shut down in 1972-73, we were sent to Seth Grade School in the 7th grade a couple years later the 1st through and 6th grades were moved down and the building was then turned into a mine office still in existence ) There was a public school on top of Williams Mountain in the 1950’s. Do we know when it was built and closed? There was also a public school at Cabot It had grades 1-5 and maybe higher. Augers (strip mining, as it was then called) began operation in late 1950’s Peabody/Pine Ridge began operations began when? In July 2001, Pine Ridge was producing 9000 tons of coal per day, six days per week.

As per Eddie Yeager::: When Red Parrot closed down in 60-61 ,it was opened up as Big Mountain Coals by Secondo Dalporta .In December 1973 he sold out to Armco Steel who sold out to Peabody Coal Company in 1984. Est. Dates.

--Auric (talk) 19:18, 2 October 2012 (UTC)

We can quote parts of it, but if you just reproduce the whole thing, you run the risk of a copyright violation. I am rather familiar with Prenter, I can help if you wantCoal town guy (talk) 23:31, 2 October 2012 (UTC)

I wasn't intending to use it. I moved it here in case someone else could use it to expand the article.--Auric (talk) 23:38, 2 October 2012 (UTC)

Are you not aware that it is just as much a copyvio here as on the main page? Gtwfan52 (talk) 23:46, 2 October 2012 (UTC)

As far as I can tell this is a loose collection of WP:OR, not a single document. The intent is so that no one can reasonably read the article and the talk page and say "This a small town that nothing ever happened in. Speedy Delete." --Auric (talk) 00:05, 3 October 2012 (UTC)

If it isn't Copyrighted text, then perhaps the sentence that says it is should be removed? And CSD isn't a risk for places. As long as they are on an official map, or in census records, they pass notability for places. Gtwfan52 (talk) 00:29, 3 October 2012 (UTC)

No, that marks a section that was copyvio. I replaced it with that for completeness. Hence the square brackets. Also We Grew Up In Prenter, West Virginia #2 is a Facebook group. CDMFb --Auric (talk) 00:43, 3 October 2012 (UTC)

I see. Hey that newspaper article you referenced might make for an interesting addition to Facebook. Gtwfan52 (talk) 00:49, 3 October 2012 (UTC)

Thats not a cool thing to say in any environment. These places were remote and the idea that anyone believes its all in a book takes mt breath away. Coal town guy (talk) 00:54, 3 October 2012 (UTC)

The material is a collection that is maintained at the WV Cultural archives, it came from a compendium which was published. Some of the data is YES, public source other parts NO. SO, if you stick the whole thing out there, it will be a violation. YES, I have been to the WV archives, YES, its there. As to a speedy del;ete, NO. Prenter had a PO, it meets notable standards, it is a significant place. We are literally starting thousands of articles on WV. The standard of having it all there in under a few days is absurd. AGAIN, I can and will help. Prenter was a coal town, I grew up in one. Do we have a picture of a piece of coal scrip from Prenter?? It has a parrot on it if I recallCoal town guy (talk) 00:51, 3 October 2012 (UTC)

Link please?--Auric (talk) 01:00, 3 October 2012 (UTC)

http://www.wvculture.org/history/journal_wvh/wvh52-6.html is the link

IF you look at the page it states that this came from a COPYRIGHTED publication of the WV Culture and History....Parts of the data above are just copies. arts are public data. Parts are from other books, parts are personal recollections. This needs ALOT of work.Coal town guy (talk) 01:07, 3 October 2012 (UTC)

No, I meant a link to the rest of it in the archives. The material in you link has already been removed and replaced with the that was squarebracketed at the top.--Auric (talk) 01:18, 3 October 2012 (UTC)

uhhh, NO. One more time with clarity. The data above, is a mixture. I cant tell on the fly ALL of the precise sources. If I could, I would not be on wikipedia, I would be a vault with lots and lots of historical documents and money as I read minds......I can tell you that the Boone County History is a book, which was RE published in 1990. To cite the book, we need pages, edition author etc etc The recollections I know very well because I know a few people from Prenter, and those are memories, they are NOT in a book, which is NOT bad, its just that, a recollection. HOW do we cite those, I do not know. Another source would be the census data, which is dated, which would need an update, which is more work, BECAUSE I do not know if American Fact Finder covers Prenter anymore. I would need to look, see where I am going with this yet??Coal town guy (talk) 01:25, 3 October 2012 (UTC).

I'm sorry, I think you misunderstood what I was trying to say, and looking at it now, I see how that happened. I meant that the newspaper article from the Charleston paper that Auric cited would make for a good addition to the Wikipedia page on Facebook, not to facebook itself. It really has nothing in it of interest to this article. Keep up the good work on adding content to Wikipedia. Thanks for your contributions. Gtwfan52 (talk) 01:05, 3 October 2012 (UTC)

Appreciate the reply. I did misunderstand, my apologies as wellCoal town guy (talk) 01:07, 3 October 2012 (UTC)

We can do this

OK, I am willing to find the citations for the data. I think I can get almost all of it. IF I do that, who wants to tackle getting the stuff in an encyclopedic style??Coal town guy (talk) 01:11, 3 October 2012 (UTC)

Sure.--Auric (talk) 01:38, 3 October 2012 (UTC)