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Bretz Coke Ovens
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1902
Stephen B. Elkins purchased the Morgantown & Kingwood Railroad Other events that happened on or around 1902 Harrison Ash became chief of police at Thurmond Baldwin-Felts Agency helped break a strike in the New River Field Rosa Pelham was forced out of the castle by debt Sam Black Church is built Mother Blizzard's family was evicted from their home because of her support of the coal strike Aaron Bloch succeeded his brother, Samuel, as president of Bloch Brothers Tobacco James Callahan was appointed chairman of the Department of History and Political Science at WVU Andrew Carnegie donated $33,000 to Lewisburg Female Institute to build Carnegie Hall Cecil B. Highland became a stockholder of Clarksburg Exponent Telegram The Coal & Coke Railway Company sold the Central & Pittsburgh Watson-Fleming-Camden syndicate acquired the Somerset Coal Company Voters amended the constitution making Secretary of State an elected office The Mahan family quit farming the land Edward Franzheim was probably the most successful architect in West Virginia The Greenbrier Military Academy was bought by the Greenbrier Presbytery and renamed the Greenbrier Presbyterial School The Homer Laughlin China Company purchased the Newell Farm and expanded across the Ohio into West Virginia Nancy Hart died The state called troops to mining strikes The state called troops to areas with striking miners The Hazel Atlas Glass Company was created The UMWA organized about 7,000 miners in the Kanawha Valley James H. Nash bought Holly Grove Mansion and made changes Albert F. Holden and William H. Coolidge inspected 30,000 acres of land on Coppers Fork of Island Creek Elmer Jacobs designed the parts of Seneca Glass Company building that had fallen to fire A History of the Valley of Virginia was reprinted The C&O Railroad was built along the Guyandotte River Patients other than coal miners were charged $1.59/ day at McKendree Hospital The West Virginia University School of Medicine was founded in Morgantown Samuel Alexander McCoy and G. W McCauley bought the Hardy County News from Capt. J. J. Chipley Matthew M. Neely opened a Fairmont law office John Nugent came to West Virginia as a UMWA organizer Oak Hill's first high school was established by Charles T. Jones and Albert G. Sevy George Rashid migrated to the United States from Syria The Pinch Reunion was established by Judge William W. Wertz The Greenbrier Division of the C&O was completed to Durbin Potomac State College began operation as the West Virginia Preparatory School The Rending of Virginia was originally published in Chicago by Mayer & Miller Frederick Rhead came to America Charles Ritter married Mabel McClinock Benjamin Rosenbloom played on the WVU football team St. Lawrence Boom & Manufacturing Company at Ronceverte began to receive logs from Anthony's Creek by rail Shannondale Springs was sold to H.C. Getzendanner The New River Coal strike occurred The Capitol City Lodge incorporated the Pythian Mutual Investment Fund A constitutional amendment increased the Supreme Court of Appeals justices to five The Interurban streetcar line reached Vienna Vienna opened West Virginia's first country club Ward Engineering Works built the James Rumsey for the U.S. Engineering Corp H. Rus Warne and Charles G. Rabenstein established an architect firm Fairmont Coal Company operated 28 mines and employed 6,067 The community of Addison receives the postal name of Webster Springs A narrow-gauge railroad arrived at Webster Springs Davis sold the West Virginia Central & Pittsburg(h) Railroad to the Gould interests The Medical Society of West Virginia name changed to West Virginia State Medical Association
1903
The town of Bretz and the mining plant were built by West Virginia Coal Company Other events that happened on or around 1903 Barger Springs property purchased by company of 30 investors Ambrose Bierce returned to Randolph and Pocahontas counties to revisit locations where he had served in the Civil War Camden Park was established Col. E. G. Via became park manager Annex was built across from State Capitol Construction on the new section of the Coal & Coke Railway began Grover Lewis was born in Alabama John Harrington Cox received appointment in English Department of WVU Legislature enacted a uniform teachers' examination law William Edwards produced a book of Edwards family genealogy Fairmont Coal Company was absorbed into Consolidation Coal Company of Maryland William Glasscock was admitted to the bar The Coal & Coke Railroad was completed from Elkins to Durbin. A junction was made at Durbin with the C&O and the Coal & Iron railroads Capt. Greene built the side-wheel packet Greenland Harrison County was fourth in the state in total tons of coal produced A compulsory attendance law was enacted The Homer Laughlin Company traded factories with the National China Company The House of Delegates grew to 86 delegates Teddy Weatherford was born in Bluefield Herman Kump attended the University of Virginia law school Carnegie library was established in Huntington Reported 63% of McKendree Hospital's patients were miners Local businessmen bought the Fairmont Electric Light and Power Plant The Morgantown Glass Works employed more than 400 people Oak Hill was incorporated The Owens bottle-making machine was invented by Michael Owens President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Christopher Payne as consul general to the Danish West Indies The Barbour County courthouse was constructed at Philippi Melville Davisson Post married Ann Bloomfield Gamble Schoolfield The West Virginia death rate from smallpox was reported as being from 12 to 20 percent of reported cases A new wing was added to St. Joseph's Hospital John G. Knutti became administrator of Shepherd College The Pope Dock Company built the Eisenbarth Henderson Floating Theater-The New Great Modern Temple of Amusement The Parkersburg & Marrietta Interurban was built An interurban railway line was built from Sistersville to New Martinsville The Parkersburg & Ohio Valley Electric Railway was built T. C. Townsend opened a law office in Fayettesville The USS Huntington was constructed at Newport News The West Virginia State Federation of Labor was founded Carter Woodson accepted an administrative and teaching assignment in the Philippines Zane Grey wrote Betty Zane Paul Wissmach and Joseph Reininger began to manufacture stained glass as the Empire Glass Company in Paden City T. G. Nutter opened a law office in Charleston
1906
Stephen B. Elkins acquired Bretz Other events that happened on or around 1906 There were 35 churches belonging to the African Methodist Episcopal denomination with 1,002 members in West Virginia Hotel at Barger Springs opened to the public The Carter Opera House, Beckley's first theater, opened Florence Blanchfield graduated from the South Side Training School for Nurses in Pittsburgh Robert Page Sims became president of Bluefield Colored Institute (now Bluefield State University) West Virginia Central & Pittsburg Railroad intersected by Coal & Coke Railroad Charleston National Bank moved to Capitol Street J. R. Clifford was chairman of committee on arrangement of the meeting of Niagara Movement Explosion in Parral Mine killed 23 Collins and Whipple mines were sold to New River Company Columbia Corporation formed to construct high pressure pipeline to West Virginia gas fields Fleming-Watson family acquired control of Consolidation Coal Company Wehrle B. Geary opened the Diamond Shoe Store Country club moved to location in Edgewood section of Charleston Fenton Art Glass Company built factory in Williamstown Follansbee became a city The First National Bank of Glenville and Glenville Banking and Trust Company were created H.B. Moore was hired as the Greenbrier Presbyterial School headmaster and reintroduced military curriculum Henry Hatfield was elected to the McDowell County court Hamilton Hatter and much of the Bluefield Colored Institute (now Bluefield Stat College) faculty was replaced The federal Antiquities Act was passed as first legislation aimed at protecting federally owned historic sites The Hitchman Coal & Coke Company began notifying employees they could only be employed if they agreed not to join the UMWA Interwoven Mills had 2,000 domestic accounts Our Lady of Lebanon Church in Wheeling was founded William Leigh took a train excursion to New Mexico Madison was incorporated The Mason College of Music and Fine Arts was founded in Charleston by Dr. William Sandheger "Sandy" Mason Hu Maxwell and Richard E. Fast wrote The History and Government of West Virginia Another courthouse struggle ensued in Mercer County The Morgantown & Kingwood Railroad began running regular trains to Kingwood Virgil A Lewis reported the motto "Montani Semper Liberi" was suggested by Joseph H. Diss Debar The Morgantown News merged with the New Dominion to form the New Dominion-News West Virginia's natural gas production exceed that of any other state Calvin Price became the sole owner and editor of Pocahontas Times 19 cases of smallpox were reported in Hampshire County Reported six Salvation Army corps in West Virginia Morris Shawkey became superintendent of Kanawha County Schools William A. MacCorkle founded the Kanawha Land Company The Lewisburg & Ronceverte was built to the C&O John Swint established the Apostolic Mission Band for the Wheeling Roman Catholic Diocese The Ideal Glass Factory opened at West Union West Virginia Wesleyan College name was adopted A line connecting the Western Maryland and West Virginia Central was completed The New River Company bought Fayette County mines including Whipple Carter Woodson travelled around the world
1907
Elkins Coal & Coke Company put beehive coke ovens into full production Other events that happened on or around 1907 Babcock Lumber & Boom Company bought Thompson Lumber Company Walter Barnes began teaching English at Greenville State Normal School (Greenville State College) Fairmont, Clarksburg, and Piedmont played baseball in the Class D Western Pennsylvania League The great Winding Gulf coalfield opened Brinkley Bridge was built Harry F. Byrd established the Martinsburg Evening Journal McMillan Hospital created by Dr. William A. McMillan The Chilton family acquired an interest in the newspaper and changed the name to the Charleston Gazette The Chilton family acquired an interest in the newspaper and changed the name to the Charleston Gazette Greenbrier Railway Company purchased by C&O Oliver Chitwood became professor of history at WVU Empire Bank building was finished in Clarksburg Michael Benedum moved business headquarters and home to Pittsburgh Stuart shaft mine explosion killed 85 men Alston Dayton issued sweeping temporary injunction against the UMW in Hitchman Coal & Coke v. John Mitchell John Easton came to Williamstown Edgewood Country Club membership under Angus W. MacDonald constructed clubhouse and tennis courts State property levy was eliminated West Virginia lumber production peaked with 1.5 billion board feet sawed Stella Fuller returned to Huntington Howard Gore's father died and he took control of the farm Rimfire Hamrick was employed by the Webster Springs Hotel as guide and handyman City of Chester was incorporated A meeting of the West Virginia Fish and Game Protective Association occurred at Clarksburg John Nugent was appointed immigration commissioner Lily Jackson inherited the family estate after her father, John Jay Jr. died Fanny Johnson and husband, Vincent Costello moved to Wheeling UMWA President John Mitchell came to Charleston to launch a major union offensive Blanche Lazzell studied at the Art Students League in New York Coal mining began around Walkersville Mayor Scott Justice renamed the city of Logan Courthouse (formerly Aracoma) as Logan Ezra Cline was born Lawrence J. Corbly's title was changed from principal to president of Marshall College (now University) The old Tyler County High School building was built Three other mine disasters occurred including the Monongah Mine Disaster The first Corn Club in West Virginia was established in Monroe County Margaret Montague published The Sowing of Alderson Cree The B&O line extending to the Morgantown & Kingwood line was completed The Niagara Movement attempted to meet again at Storer College but officials wouldn't allow Pineville was renamed and incorporated, and became county seat of Wyoming County The William Ritter Lumber Company was indicted by a federal grand jury on charge of peonage Reported 6,159 schools in 396 districts in West Virginia The Lewisburg & Ronceverte brought rail service to Lewisburg The Banner Glass Company relocated from Indiana to South Charleston The Robey Theater opened in Spencer The original stone structure was replace by a viaduct Morris Harvey died There was an explosion at the Pleasant Valley Coal Company mine killing 12 men The Virginian Railway was established H. Rus Warne had two exhibits at the Jamestown Exposition in Norfolk, Virginia The Wheeling Custom House (West Virginia Independence Hall) ceased being a federal building. Black teachers formed a separate Northern Teachers' Association I. C. White advocated for legislation establishing the U.S. Bureau of Mines
1919
Bethlehem Steel Corporation acquired the Bretz property Other events that happened on or around 1919 There were 33 churches belonging to the African Methodist Episcopal denomination with 1,325 members The position of State Supervisor of Negro Schools and an appointed Negro Board of Education were created by the state White mob lynched two black miners at Chapmanville Alderson Baptist Academy became Alderson Baptist Academy and Junior College (now part of Alderson Broaddus University) Mary Atkeson competed a PhD in Literature at Ohio State University George Atkinson wrote Bench and Bar of West Virginia First state tournament for girls' high school basketball was held at Spencer John Peale Bishop was hired at Vanity Fair magazine after being stationed in Europe Don Chafin was shot when entering UMWA District 17 offices American chestnut trees provided West Virginia with 118 million board feet of lumber The normal school at Athens became independent as Concord State Normal School (now Concord University) National coal and steel strikes Governor John Cornwell supported the Red Flag legislation and Constabulary legislation in creating the State Police John Warren Davis became president of West Virginia Collegiate Institute (now West Virginia State University) Clarence Donnelly began his ministry Dunbar was laid out by Dunbar Development Company Legislature abolished first board and created a seven-member Board of Education Gertrude Humphrey began work in WVU extension system West Virginia enacted legislation that made it unlawful for livestock to be on the railroad right of way Harrison Ferrell was stricken with polio Nathan Goff married Katherine Penney The West Virginia Good Roads Federation campaigned for amendment to make road improvements under slogan "Help Pull West Virginia Out of the Mud" Greenwood Cemetery, on the National Road in Wheeling, became a nonprofit corporation Mayor C. C. Testerman named Sid Hatfield Matewan's police chief The Board of Children's Guardians was established Dave Gideon became the sole owner of the Huntington Herald-Dispatch The UMWA began efforts to unionize the mines of southern West Virginia The problem of sharing Virginia's debt was finally settled A large stone monument was erected at Jackson's Mill in the memory of Stonewall Jackson Mother Jones joined the steelworkers' organizing drive in Pittsburgh Joseph Joy won a patent for his design of a mechanical coal loader Frank Keeney announced his intention to unionize the remainder of southern West Virginia coal mines Teepi Kendrick helped found the West Virginia 4-H All Stars Lakin State hospital was established by an act of the Legislature Walter Martens began working for architect L. F. W. Stuebe of Danville Louis Marx established Louis Marx & Company Legislature provided for the establishment of mine rescue station to train personnel in rescue and first-aid work Margaret Montague's story "England to America" won the O. Henry Award Ephraim Morgan ran for governor Howard Sloan organized a congregation in Grafton Greasy Neale played in the World Series for the Cincinnati Reds The Nuttallburg mine was sold to Henry Ford The Owens Bottle Machine Company changed to the Owens Bottle Company Mateo Pinkard wrote his first hit, "Mammy 'o Mine" after moving to New York. 125 acres of land was purchased for the operation of the agriculture program. A poultry extension program was started in West Virginia The state received a federal grant for the control of venereal disease. The West Virginia Department of Prohibition began William Revercomb earned a law degree from the University of Virginia Red Ribble moved to Prince Rat Rodgers was named to the All-American teams Rat Rodgers was the leading scorer in the nation St. Mary's Glass opened S. Orestes Bond became president of Salem College Thomas C. Miller was designated president instead of principal of Shepherd College The Twin Mountain & Potomac railroad line ended WVU's football team amassed an 8-3 record Weirton Steel added a blast furnace Weirton Steel employees jumped to 11,630 Clint Thomas returned to Columbus after army service W. W. Trent became secretary of the West Virginia Education Association Tucker County's school enrollment peaked at 4,144 students Attempts to unionize southern West Virginia occurred West Virginia legislature created a Virginia Debt Sinking Fund to settle the Virginia Debt Byrd Prillerman left as president of West Virginia Colored Institute (now West Virginia State University) I. C. White received an honorary law degree from WVU Carter G. Woodson began Associated Publishers Company Carter G. Woodson began serving as Dean of Liberal Arts at Howard University West Virginians participated in the Russian Expedition, a military fiasco C. H. Mead completed the first commercial gas well in Wyoming County Lenna Yost became the Washington correspondent for the National WCTU's Union Signal West Virginia held a state basketball tournament for girls for the first time T. G. Nutter became the first African-American to represent Kanawha County in the House of Delegates
1953
Mercury Coal & Coke Company purchased the Bretz property Other events that happened on or around 1953 West Virginia Air National Guard's 167th was reorganized Appalachian Bible Institute graduated 6 students in its first class Mercer County Airport built All American Aviation changed its name to Allegheny Airlines Michael Benedum spent $1.5 million to build the Bridgeport Methodist Church Calvin W. Price State Forest was created
Jul 19, 1964
Grave Creek Mound was designated a National Historic Landmark
1975
Bretz coke ovens and mining plant were placed on the National Register of Historic Places Other events that happened on or around 1975 Clarksburg opened a new public library designed by Marcel Breuer William "Wally" Barron was released from prison Birch River was included in the State Natural Streams Preservation Act James Rowley served as interim president of Bluefield State College (now University) Shelley Moore Capito earned B.S. from Duke University City National Bank assets at $37.4 million Tim Pyles hired by the Bureau of Vocational Education to revitalize the crafts education program Elvis Presley stayed in Daniel Boone Hotel when visiting Charleston Little Jimmy Dickens rejoined the Grand Ole Opry Congress designated the Dolly Sods Wilderness and Scenic Area Easton Roller Mill was surveyed by the Historic American Engineering Record
1981
Operation of the Bretz Coke Ovens in Preston County ended Other events that happened on or around 1981 Augusta acquired and hosted by Davis & Elkins College First bald eagle nest documented in West Virginia West Virginia Baptist Historical Society occupied a vault and adjoining room of the West Virginia Baptist Conference Center at Ripley Governor Rockefeller converted old Morris Harvey College buildings in Barboursville into state's first and only veterans home President Jerold O. Dugger ended the football program at Bluefield State College (now University) Jennings Boyd retired from coaching Braxton County Memorial Hospital opened Charleston National created bank holding company, Centurion Bancorp Rabbi Samuel Cooper retired from B'nai Jacob Richard Currey published his first short story Daniel Boone Hotel was closed Hazel Dickens released Hard Hitting Songs for Hard Hit People Henry Louis Gates received the MacArthur Fellowship or the "genius award" The Glen Ferris Inn was sold to Elkem Corporation The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fenced the entrance sink of Hellhole Cavern to prohibit unauthorized entry Homer Hickam went to work for NASA at Marshall Space Flight Center The Preservation Alliance of West Virginia was founded An experimental liming device was installed on Laurel Run to neutralize the stream's acidity Jeff Hostetler transferred from Penn State to WVU Jennings Randolph Lake and Dam was completed John Knowles wrote Peace Breaks Out Dale Colyer of WVU College of Agriculture and Forestry wrote report for Mountaineers for Rural Progress Richard Virship stopped making chairs and put the Linger Chair Factory up for sale Comprehensive state gazetteers were published by the U.S. Geological Survey M. Blane Michael joined Jackson & Kelly law firm
May 04, 1983
Elkins Coal and Coke Company Historic District was designated a National Historic Landmark View Articles by Existing Key Dates or Specify Your Own Date Range |
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