Thursday, December 6, 1973
A letter comes from Miss Dice Smith, formerly of Hillsboro and now living in Charleston, telling of her interest in the renovation of the Courthouse. Her father, Asbury R. Smith, was one of the men who worked on it when it was being built. His special contribution was running and building of the stairway.
We should have mentioned earlier – the hand worked bannisters will be kept and refinished.
Also being preserved in the basement are three open hearth type fireplaces, or more accurately, ovens. There are big dampers in the flues. Presumably charcoal was burned in these. The heat went up the flues to the upper floors.
The cement floors have been poured in the addition and it is all now under cover. There are many nice office rooms – an amazing amount of new space.
November 1973 Weather
Minimum temperature: 5 degrees on the 11th
Maximum temperature: 71 degrees on the 15th.
Average high: 54.5
Average low: 25.3
Rainfall: 2.81 inches
Snowfall: .1 inch
Note– November 1973 had the lowest snowfall measured at this station since 1942, which was a trace.
– J. P. Schaffner
AWARD
Albert L. Wilfong, of Dunmore, and 13 other top U. S. farmers have been named to receive Ford Motor Company’s 1974 Ford Farm Efficiency Awards for outstanding agricultural accomplishment.
The Pocahontas County farmer, winner in the sheep category, received notification of his award by personal letter from Henry Ford, II, chairman of the board of Ford Motor Company…
Mr. Wilfong manages a top quality herd of 250 ewes and feeds out 350 to 400 feeder lambs a year.
“Sheep are a big part of agriculture in our part of the country,” he noted, “and we count on them heavily along with our 175 cow-beef operations…”
Fish Hatchery
A visit to the Fish Hatchery is always a must for the grandchildren, so we took the stale bread on hand and journeyed forth during the thanksgiving holiday.
After feeding the big ones and enjoying the sight of them gracefully churning the water to get the tidbits, we looked over the round ponds with the four and five-inch fish. These will be stocked for spring.
Superintendent Bill Evans was on hand and kindly showed the children the troughs of the very small fish with the eggs pouch attached. Then to the other building with the eggs, 40,000 in each gallon container, and newly hatched fish in the troughs.
The Edray Hatchery stocked streams with a fourth of a million fish, 48 tons of fishing size, last year…
DEATHS
Cyrus Lee Kidd, 66, died at Marlinton; born at Jumping Branch, a son of the late Letcher M. and Olive Bennett Kidd. Funeral service held from the home of Clyde Cutlip, with burial in the Morningside Cemetery at Renick.
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Edward Clark Kelley, 59, of Houston, Texas; born at Richmond, Virginia, a son of the late Mrs. Anna Kellison, who lived at Hillsboro. Burial in Rosewood Memorial Cemetery.
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Arthur M. Gum 48, of Parkersburg, formerly of Cass. Funeral was held at the Arbovale United Methodist Church, with burial in Arbovale Cemetery.
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John Andrew Gay, 93, of Valley Head; born in Pocahontas County, a son of the late Hamilton and Laura Alterman Gay. Funeral service from the F. E. Runner Funeral Home Chapel; burial in Wardes Ridge Cemetery, Valley Head.
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Carl Griffin Shields, 68, of Stony Bottom; funeral service from the Clover Lick United Methodist Church with burial in Mountain View Cemetery.
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James Anderson Chestnut, 93, a retired carpenter, of Mill Gap, Virginia. Born at Mill Gap, a son of the late John Anderson and Nancy Wiley Chestnut. Funeral service from the Green Hill United Methodist Church. Burial in the Wade Cemetery.
