Plant and Gibson Store, Grantsville WV (later Godfreys) - David Kutz Photo
By Bob Weaver 2024
Uncle Amos Gibson, a son of the historic Confederate soldier George Gibson was among the
best known storekeepers, having had at least five country stores around Calhoun County, eventually settling into Grantsville with three successive locations, Rt. 16 south of Grantsville near the town limits, a store and service station near the old Calhoun County High School (hamburgers 10 cents) and eventually to Main Street (the P&G Cash Store). They were typical piled-high country stores.
His son Willard was a longtime storekeeper in Grantsville.
Amos (1880-1964), was the son of George and Elizabeth Starcher Gibson, marrying Virginia Craddock (1886-1976). They had six children. During his early life he went off to the WV mountains (with several hundred Calhoun men and boys) to harvest timber.
Perhaps he will be best remembered for his evangelist work preaching the gospel. Wandering into a dozen of more closed Calhoun churches, I found evidence of his presence.
Amos Gibson Store, Service Station, and Lunch Room in South Grantsville
 George and Elizabeth Starcher Gibson family at homestead,
First Row (L-R) Unknown, George Gibson, Unknown, Elizabeth
Starcher Gibson, Unknown, Unknown; Second Row (L to R) Pete
Starkey, Virginia Gibson, Florence Gibson, Unidentified Infant,
Unidentified Infant, Elizabeth Gibson, Wes Craddock, Amos Gibson
Sometime in the 1950s, I was of few who had a reel-to-reel tape recorder. Amos had hatched a deal with county music and gospel singers Long John and Cherokee Sue to come to his Grantsville store to perform for airing on WPDX, a Clarksburg radio station.
When they were set up to perform, their tape recorder broke down and Uncle Amos cranked me up for help. I showed up.
Fast forward a few years, while working at Spencer radio station WSPZ, I sold Amos radio time for a one hour live gospel program known as the "Calhoun Bible Hour." He and his singers showed up for the performance every week.
Amos Gibson had a work gene and a faith that never quit.
In my moving around I lost the tapes, grieving all these years about their disappearance. | 
