Pocahontas County Bicentennial ~ 1821-2021

Historical Sketches of Pocahontas County ~ 1901
By William T. Price

During the war, Huntersville was burned by Federal Troops sent in from the garrison at Beverly, to prevent it being a Confederate depot for military supplies.

When peace was restor- ed between the States, Huntersville recuperated rapidly. Flourishing stores were carried on by Amos Barlow, J. C. Loury & Son, and Loury & Doyle. The farms were re-enclosed, improved methods of agriculture adopted, and at this time presents a more attractive appearance than at any time in all its previous history…

For many years a thriving business was carried on in the harness and saddlery business. First by John Haines, who employed three or four hands. After him, William Fertig, who employed as many, and handsome returns were realized by both. The business is now in the hands of William Grose & Son.

Before the peripatetic children of Israel brought already made clothing to our county, tailoring was a good business at Huntersville. Messrs. Campbell and John and James Holden turned out a great deal of work. Three or four hands would be busy much of the time, especially in the fall and early winter, or when there were weddings in prospect. Weddings also gave the saddlers a goodly share of business. It was considered in good form for the bride to have a new outfit, horse, saddle and bridle. The groom would not think he had much of a chance for success if he did not do his courting and visiting on a new saddle and bridle, all made at Huntersville.

For a long while blacksmithing was an excellent business, as there was so much horse shoeing and wagon repairing to do for the teamsters, and so few shops of any pretensions anywhere near. Finley’s shop stood at the intersection of the Cummings Creek and Marlinton roads. Three or four hands seemed to have had all they could do. No traces of it now remain.

Jack Tidd, a man of herculean strength and physical proportions, carried on the work in a large shop that stood in the corner now occupied by H. S. Rucker’s law office. Jack Tidd was succeeded by William Dilley, whose skill as an artisan was thought to be rather remarkable. The business is now in the hands of G. W. Ginger.

For a long series of years, however, nothing seemed more flourishing than the hostelry business in conjunction with salooning. One of the principal hotels, and where the colonels usually had their headquarters, was located about where the Loury store house now stands. It was conducted by J. Williams, John Bussard, John Holden, Porterfield Wallace, I. C. Carpenter, and E. Campbell in succession, but was burned in the great fire of 1852.

About the year 1848, license for salooning was refused by the court, which course has been uniformly sustained from that day to this…