From the optimism of good times to the sorrow of bad times, the history
of Richwood, West Virginia, is colored with tales of personal success,
daring robberies, arrests of moonshiners, drug abuse, natural disasters,
murders, civic pride and an enduring hope for a better future.
A definitive history has yet to be written about this small mountain
town founded at the turn of the 20th Century so entrepreneurs could
harvest a treasure of hardwood timber. Until someone pens the complete
story, the best picture we have comes from artifacts such as microfilm
of contemporary newspapers, pictures, special publications and factory
products that have survived.
So it is that we turn to The Nicholas Republican, the town's
main newspaper for more than four decades. In reporting about events
of the day the editor gives us a record not only of facts but of the
community's lifestyle, mores and social environment of the times. For
your reading pleasure, here are some of the stories. The original paragraphing
has been preserved. Corrections to the original story are inserted in
brackets [ ]. Click on the headline to read the full story.
A
Good Behavior Party For Harry S. White
Wow! Parties in the 1920s were really different than they are for today's
teens. The report about this party for a Richwood High School student
captures the social values of those innocent days.
Russian
Lumberjack Killed
Have you ever paused in the Richwood Cemetery to wonder about the lives
of those buried there? A Russian man who apparently came to the city
to work in the lumber industry met an untimely end at the hands of robbers.
He is buried somewhere in the cemetery.
Officers
Capture Moonshine Still on Little Laurel
Did Richwood's social elite in the 1920s partake of moonshine
made in unsanitary conditions? This account of a raid on a moonshine
operation suggests that police may have put a temporary dent in the
local supply.
Richwood's
Chief Industries
When things are going well, it's easy to boast and be
optimistic about the future. So it was in the 1920s when Richwood's
economy was booming. This fact sheet from The Nicholas Republican
describes the town's businesses of the day.
City
Directory Goes to Press
The Nicholas Republican published a Who's Who in
Richwood in 1926 in the form of a city directory. Apparently, the directory
didn't prove to be as popular as the publisher hoped because this appears
to be the only year it was published. Nonetheless, the few copies that
survive provide a glimpse into the business community in particular.
This story tells about the impending publication and the publisher's
plea for support of the project.
Richwood's
First Log Houses
Richwood's original housing apparently consisted of three
log houses. A story from the Nicholas Republican in 1937 mentions
the houses and owners while reporting on a visit to the town by an octogenarian
and newly commissioned Admiral in the Cherry River Navy.
Pay Up Week
If we had followed this advice from a 1917 story in the
Nicholas Republican, we might have avoided the financial mess
we're in now. The story also makes it clear that folks in those days
were expected to practice financial sobriety if they wanted to be known
as upstanding citizens of the community.
A
Tribute To Bugs Teets
John L. "Bugs" Teets was editor of the Nicholas
Republican once in the 1930s and again in the 1950s and early 60s.
He was a good-natured civic promoter whose legacy is part of Richwood's
culture. This is a personal tribute to Bugs, a citizen who made a difference
in the life of the community.
Original Five Stories Posted: September 15, 2008
Last Three Stories Posted: December 4, 2008