Monday, April 11, 2011

Talcott, West Virginia. More to the town than just "The Legend of John Henry"





Talcott, West Virginia


The ferry at Talcott was established for Griffith Meadows on the third Monday in August, 1871, and the rates of ferriage were fixed as follows:

Two horses and wagon $ .25
One way for every additional horse 05
Horse and rider 10
Foot passengers 05
This ferry is still in existence, never having been discontinued. This ferry was established at what was known then as Rollinsburg, now Talcott, Rollinsburg being the name of the post office at that place up to the time of the building of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad through this county in 1872.   From page 134.


Justice of the peace was E. C. Flint was appointed justice of the peace for Talcott District
on May 13, 1881.  From page 168

The post office at Talcott was first known as Rollinsburg, named after Charles K. Rollyson, who owned all the lands around and has left as his descendant and our present citizen, C. S. Rollyson, commonly known as "Shan," residing on a part of the old homestead on Big Bend Mountain. Rollinsburg was on the opposite side of the Greenbrier River from Talcott.  From Page 356, History of Summers County, West Virginia.


Church:
The first church in all the region of the Talcott country was a log church which stood within 200 yards of where the residence of Ben R. Boyd now stands, on top of the Little Bend Tunnel. It was a Union Church, worshiped in by all denominations ; built of logs, covered with boards, and was burned prior to the Civil War and never rebuilt, but a new church—Pisgah—a Methodist house of worship, was built on top of the Big Bend Tunnel, where the present Pisgah Church now stands. All the original churches were log buildings and of the most primitive character, covered with clapboards, built from the trees of the forest by the people of the community, who joined in aiding for miles around.

On Saturday, May 28, 1887, Rev. C. D. Kincaid was elected pastor, and served until December, 1892. This is known as the Rollinsburg Baptist Church, having been founded when that was the name of the post office at that place and before the construction of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad, and before the founding of the present thriving village of Talcott. This congregation now occupies a comfortable frame church building. This church was organized on August 29, 1868, by Rev. Martin Bibb, assisted by Rev. Rufus Pack and Rev. Henry C. Tinsley, three of the pioneer Baptist ministers of this section.  Page 306 and 307, History of Summers County.

Merchant and store owner:
Patrick, the other child, died in 1884, aged twenty-three. Joseph, the oldest son of John and Florence Nowlan, married Miss Mary Keeney, of Kanawha County, in 1865, and now lives on
a farm near Pence Springs on Greenbrier River, once owned by his uncle, Samuel Graham. He has been a prominent farmer in the county. His son, John C, has been a justice: another son is an
attorney and telegraph operator ; Elmer, now living at Alderson ; Rebecca, Florence, who married Rev. C. T. Kintner; Stars, J., is a merchant, and Wm. C, lately died at Talcott, having married a Miss Huston, a daughter of the veteran station agent. E. P. Huston. He was a practicing physician. Page 369, History of Summers County.


TALCOTT TOLL BRIDGE.
This is a steel bridge spanning the Greenbrier River at Talcott Station, and is owned by the Talcott Toll Bridge Company, a West Virginia corporation, of which Nathaniel Bacon, a direct descendant of the Virginia patriot of that name, celebrated m prose and poetry as well as in history as the hero of "Bacon's Rebellion," and the hero in the famous novel, "Hansford," is president, and J. A. Fox, of Hinton, general manager and the largest individual stockholder.
The bridge was contracted for and the construction begun in 1904, and completed in 1905. The piers are concrete and the superstructure iron, and it is the first and only steel bridge across Greenbrier River in the county. It is 400 feet long, and occupies the site of the old Rollynsburg Ferry, later Talcott Ferry, of which Thomas C. Maddy, the old Confederate soldier, was for
many years the owner and ferryman. The bridge company purchased the old ferry and employed Mr. Maddy as bridge-keeper.  Page 736, History of Summers County.

CORONERS. Summers County has never had but two coroners—L. M. Dunn and G. A. Fredeking—who were appointed by the county court.  From page 755.

At Talcott the first doctors to locate were Drs. J.W. Ford and J. W. de Vebber. These gentlemen practiced under the firm name of Ford & de  Vebber for a number of years. After the dissolution
of the firm. Dr. Ford continued, and still resides in that town and practices throughout that vicinity.  Page 780.


The first doctor to locate at Talcott was Dr. Thos. Bray, the English surgeon, about 1871.
There was an itinerant doctor, who for many years did a rambling practice in the lower end of the county. He was a "Thompsonian" or "herb doctor," and something of a genius in his way.
Page 782.

Miller, James H. 1908 History of Summers County from the earliest settlement to the present time.

1 comment:

Jerry M. Weikle said...

Across the river from Talcott, by ferry, was the town of Rollinsburg. In 1880, the population census indicated a total of 9,016 individuals within Summers County, West Virginia. Along the Greenbrier river, at the infamous “Big Bend Tunnel”, a very thriving town existed by the name of Rollinsburg. A Boarding-House, was owned by a Mrs. M. L. Bray. The dentist, was a E.W. Maddy. Three General Merchants stores were operated; a James M, Booh, was a General Merchant; Peck H. A & Co, operate a General Merchandise; and Silling A R, was a General Merchandise and a saw mill owner. As to the fine qualities of the wood and timber within the region, a W. W. Jones, being a cabinet-maker and a undertaker who built wooden caskets. As the region surrounding the town consisted of farms, both large track land owners and smaller farms, R. C. Bacon, owned and operated a corn, flour and grist mill, and C A. Woodson, owned and operated a corn, flour and grist mill and his brother Z A Woodson operated a saw mill. Each of these industries were supported by the major farmers within the area and the population in the surrounding communities. To finalize any of the government paperwork and authorize acknowledgements, a Griffith Meadows, was the Notary Public within the town.

Chataigne, J. H, (1881), The Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Directory: History and Description of the road.