RESSURECTED NEWS 1897 - Calhoun Ghost Tale, Butter 8 Cents At Wiatt And Barr, Grantsville Had Three Hotels

(12/04/2023)
Transcribed by Norma Knotts Shaffer from microfilm of the Calhoun Chronicle dated 10/11/1951.

Old Paper Kept By Johnson Clan

A copy of the Calhoun Chronicle for Tuesday, September 13, 1887, has been carefully preserved in the William Johnson family and was recently brought to the Chronicle office by Glen Johnson, one of Mr. Johnson's sons.

It had been kept in the Johnson family for 64 years because of the one paragraph telling of the wedding of William Johnson and Miss Emma Westfall, who were married on the Tuesday evening preceding publication at the residence of the Rev. A. Westfall.

Another wedding also recorded at the same time was that of Albert Ball and Miss Sadie Scott, taking place at the residence of S.M. Scott.  Mr. and Mrs. Ball were the parents of L.L. Ball of Grantsville.

The preceding week the Mt. Pisgah Baptist association had met with the Bethlehem church and attendance was estimated at 500.  A good portion of their program seems to have been on the temperance question.

Another interesting story by Editor R.M. Marshall was the account of the ghost of "Nigh Cut" hill.  The ghost according to one Henry Stevens, who reported he had seen it, was a (illegible) pole with a pillow on it.  Having filled his buggy with rocks he felt fortified for the journey over the hill.  On seeing the ghost the horse became frightened and broke one of the buggy shafts, but the driver never stopped until he was clear to the bottom of the hill.

Report of the home market conducted by Wiant and Barr gave some interesting grocery prices.  Bacon was 15 cents per pound, butter, eight to ten cents, salt two dollars a barrel, coffee, 25 cents per pound, honey 12 cents per pound.  White sugar was ten cents a pound.

Some other news in the column "Local Lacoinics" included:

The Bethlehem church sports a new cupola and bell.  Campbell and Hays are timbering largely on the West Fork.  Charles Bell passed through town Saturday with 32 fine cattle.  D.C. Sturm is building an addition to his Arnoldsburg property.  James E. Ferrell will teach the Grantsville school the coming winter.  B.F. Jeffreys says that by shaving off his mustache he has taken the worst cold he ever had in his life.

Hotel cards advertised the A.H. Stump hotel on Main street in a new building, the Campbell Hotel with Mrs. M. Webb proprietress, the S.M. Scott hotel and livery, the J.W. Umstead hotel at Brooksville and the A.M. Bennett Hotel at White Pine.

There were two fraternal organizations in Grantsville at the time, the Eureka Lodge No. 40. A.F. and A.M., with John M. Hamilton, worthy master and Hagan Barr, secretary; and the Grantsville Lodge No. 100 I.O.O.F., with Peter Morris, noble grand and Lemuel Huffman, secretary.

R.G. Fleming was judge of the circuit court, George W. Silcott, circuit clerk, and A. Knotts, prosecuting attorney.  County commissioners were H.R. Ferrell, James Barr and Robert Means, and Mr. Silcott was also county clerk, J.P. Knight was the sheriff, J.E. Ferrell the superintendent of schools, H.C. Goodnight the assessor and W.M. Bennett the surveyor.