2 - Sunday Register, Beckley, W. Va., Sunday, May 12, 1946 A Sermon Set the Tone 100 Years Ago Meadow Bridge Is a Big Little Town By Eugene L. Scott MEADOW BRIDGE -- "Fifty years ago Meadow Bridge was just a laurel thicket," says Ed Gwinn, long time merchant in this Fayette County town and a grandson of Squire John Gwinn, first settler in the Meadow Bridge area. Squire John's grandson remembers when about the most common site in Meadow Bridge was a fox running across the road in front of you "That was the period when nothing more than a bridal path provided an outlet to Hinton, save for the winding, tortuous trail down Meadow Creek to New River, where the farmers could catch a train to Summers County seat. Although the town is located in Fayette County, it was virtually cut off from Fayetteville for many years. A hundred years ago a few years after John Gwinn settled near Meadow Bridge, the early settler brought the first preacher here. He preached in John Gwinn's house, to the Pioneers who had congregated there. The text of that first sermon delivered in this section -- "This Day Salvation Come To Thine House" -- seems to have set the pattern of life in this farming center. For here one finds that the activities of the town are strongly centered in the three churches and the community's modern high school. IN THE MUD FOR YEARS Probably no community in Southern West Virginia so well illustrates the advantage of good roads as does Meadow Bridge. Until a decade ago residents had to depend on the Sewell Valley Railroad as an outlet to neighboring towns. The roads to Rainelle, Hinton and Danese, to the west, were impassable during the winter months. Anybody who has been here ten years will tell you of the wagons that used to mire down to the hub right here in the town. OTHER EARLY SETTLERS After Squire John Gwinn came Dan Griffin, who settled southwest of town, built a log house, cleared the land and engaged in farming and stock raising. Next came Caleb Lively who settled one mile east of the present town. Then came Adam Hutchinson who took up all the bottom land up to and around Beelick Knob and beyond. This land was all well timbered a hundred years ago, and these early settlers had their hands full protecting their flocks of sheep and herds of swine from the wolves, bears and other wild animals that roamed the wilderness region around Meadow Creek. FIRST CALLED MONTRODE About 1890 a post office was established here and was called Montrode. Bill Sweetwood was the first postmaster. In 1908 the Meadow River Lumber Company built the 20-mile branch line from Meadow Creek, on New River to Rainelle -- and that was the beginning of Meadow Bridge as a town. Theodore Clute, a Virginia lumber man, came in with the railroad to set up a saw mill. This timber man promptly had the name of the town changed to "Clute," and he became the postmaster, and first merchant within the present limits of the town. "There was nothing but a house or two and a little old log school house before the railroad came", says Ed Gwinn. But the railroad brought "foreigners" and outside capital. The Hutchinson Lumber Company bought a large tract of timber land in 1913, and later the firm brought in a large band mill which sawed millions of feet of lumber. Theodore Clute laid off 366 acres in lots and sold them to individuals. Houses were erected and stores sprang up. A town was in the making. PROGRESS WAS SLOW It is a mistake to assume that progress is possible only in the cities. Here in this little farmer center, where the "hitching post" stands alongside the community building, one can sense the endless struggle of a people to improve their lot by fighting for roads, for better schools, and other improvements. Progress has been slow here because the town was virtually isolated from the county seat for man years. It took a hard fight to get a high school, in 1924. Prior to that time, Meadow Bridge's young people finished the eighth grade and started to work. There was no high school for them to attend. However, in 1938 the road between Hinton and Rainelle, which passes through Meadow Bridge, was hardsurfaced. A year previous, the seven-mile road between Meadow Bridge and Danese had also been hardsurfaced, connecting the town with Route 41 and providing an outlet to the western part of Fayette County. INCORPORATED IN 1920 July 26, 1920, was an important date in the development of Meadow Bridge, for on that day, J.F. Hedrick, E.F. O'Dell, H.E. Fife, C.A. Malcolm, O.J. Walkup and Logan Gwinn petitioned the Fayette Circuit Court for a certificate of incorporation. Circuit Clerk John Nuttall issued the certificate -- and 318 acres of land were embraced within a town. Charlie Withrow was the first mayor. Others who have followed him are F.F. Cooper, A.B. Reynolds, A.T. Thomas, W.A. Patton, C.C. Rose, W.A. Harrah, Rev. W.R. Smith, C.C. Rose, K.S. Patton, and the present mayor, W.A. Harrah, who is serving his fourth term. The present city officials are Mayor Harrah, Recorder A.B. Clay, Councilmen K.S. Patton, Carl Farley, E.H. Garten, C.H. Vandell, and Frank Arritt. "Roads have improved conditions here 100 per cent," says Mayor Harrah, speaking of the progress of the town. However, local citizens are still battling for another section of road. The thickly-populated section between Meadow Bridge and Backus is impassable during the winter months. "We need that road bad," Mayor Harrah emphasized. The distance between the two communities is 13 miles, and there are 85 homes along the way. Elzie Kincaid who had ridden his horse in from that section, stopped at the mayor's office and explained the situation: "Sometimes we have to have a doctor out there, and you can't get through with a car. You have to come after the doctor with a horse. If any place needs a road it's our section." Well, Meadow Bridge _____________ be in the same fix ___________ is to give these people ________se with the outside world. NO BEER JOINTS Meadow Bridge is probably one of the few incorporated towns in West Virginia where no beer is sold. "We just protect against it, and no licenses have been granted," said Mayor Harrah. "The tax commissioner said as long as the people didn't want beer he wouldn't grant any licenses here." As with every other town in this section, there is much building in prospect here. Toney Alloy is now erecting a two-story business building, and more are in prospect. Many lots have been sold to individuals during the past three or four years. At the present time there are only four lots remaining to be sold within the city limits. Many mining families have taken up residence in Meadow Bridge, working at the Standard Fire Creek Coal Co. at Beelick Knob or the Alaska Coal Company, both located near-by. Others work at Bellwood and as far away as Clearco. THE SCHOOL'S THE THING Probably in no other community of this size is the high school looked upon with so much pride. It took a long time for local citizens to obtain a well-equipped institution, offering their sons and daughters equal advantages with children in larger or more wealthy towns. But the battle has been won. The high school now has 200 students, coming from Meadow Bridge, Springdale, Crickmer, Beelick Knob, and a few from Danese. There are 250 pupils in the elementary school -- and the new building program underway in Fayette County will provide this town with a new elementary school. A new gymnasium and auditorium has just been completed, and this past year the school had it's first basketball team. Next fall it will have it's first 11-man football team. Most of the teachers here take up their residence in Meadow Bridge. Principal Frank Arritt has been here since 1935. Mrs. Arritt, who also teaches, has been here since 1932. They own their own home, and Frank is a member of the city council. Last year the Arritts set out 1,000 strawberry plants, to experiment a bit. The frost last month got the crop, but this setback hasn't discouraged them. This sort of thing typifies the solid kind of living one finds here. Many of the local boys and girls who graduate high school remain here to take their place in the life of the community. Typical of these is Mrs. Estrue Kessler Harrah, Meadow Bridge postmaster since 1938. She graduated in 1932, went on to college, and came back to teach school here. After two years she was appointed postmaster. Next to Frank Arrit, high school principal, and the town's ministers, she's about the most important personage in the town. Everybody comes to the post office for their mail, and four star routes go out from here, to Crickmer, Beelick Knob, Lockbridge, and Backus. The office has been advanced during the past three years from a fourth class office, to a third class one. Stamp receipts for last year total $2,632.24. The town boasts of many citizens who have spent many years of their lives here. These people are well settled; they do not run hither and yon a lot over the country. Hence, there is that feeling of well-being, of contentment, of happiness here. Mrs. Mary Jane Gwinn, 98, has the distinction of being the town's oldest citizen. She doesn't look old, "It's only been the last year or two that I've begun to feel that I'm getting old," she says. The daughter of George Washington Ford, she was born at the foot of Big Sewell Mountain. She was 13 when the Civil War began. Her father was taken prisoner by the Rebels passing over Sewell Mountain, but they later turned him loose. The Confederates stripped her father's corn field and confiscated the oats from the barn. They started to take the flax, the her mother told them the horses would eat flax -- that was good only for making clothes for the family. Once the Confederates took over the Ford home for a hospital, "and we had to care for the wounded soldiers," Mrs. Gwinn recalls. "But when it was all over, we sorta hated to see them leave," she added. She attributes her longevity and good health to the right kind of living, hard work, and a high altitude. Her father raised nine children, "and never once had a doctor with any of us". Mrs. Gwinn is the oldest of the group, and the only one living. The youngest died at the age of 75. THE TOWN'S FUTURE Meadow Bridge will never be a great town, but it will remain a substantial commercial center for the farmers of this area, and for the mining communities nearby. Nearly everyone owns his home here, and many new homes are planned as building materials become available. As a self-contained community, Meadow Bridge is unique. It typifies ever so well the constant effort of a people to improve their lot, to educate their children, and to find security. Most of the people here like their town. For example, Mr. & Mrs. W.L. Davidson who have lived here for many years, moved to Virginia in 1944. They weren't satisfied, and after 18 months they came back to Meadow Bridge, bought a home and plan to stay here. Submitted by Guy Dotson and transcribed by Amber Dalakas