90 Years Ago
Aged Man Hit & Killed By Car West Of Covington
About 9 o’clock Sunday morning, a Nash sedan, driven by Mr. E.H. Lockhart of Beverly Street, struck and killed Mr. Floyd Vass.
Mr. Lockhart, accompanied by his family, was driving along the White Sulphur Road, about eighteen miles west of Covington, in the vicinity of what is known as Tucker’s Hollow.
According to Mr. Lockhart’s statement, Mr. Vass was driving a cow up the road when he came up behind him in his car.
Mr. Lockhart started to pass and Mr. Vass stepped out in front of him.
He was so close that he could not avoid hitting him, he said.
Deputy Sheriff Carson, at Alleghany Station, phoned news of the accident into Covington about 11:30 a.m.
Town Manager Bob Dyche, Sheriff Hepler, Dr. H.W. Anderson, county coroner; and Hon. Julian Bryant, Commonwealth’s Attorney, left immediately for the scene of the accident.
Hoboes Start Fire Near Here
What might have been a serious blaze was avoided Sunday afternoon between 1 and 2 o’clock, when a mountain fire in a deep ravine which lies midway between the home of J.H. Hoke and “B.S.” Cabin was quickly subdued by Mr. Hoke and his children.
Hoboes had camped in the ravine the night before and on leaving had left a camp fire, which had been made from a railroad tie.
T.G. Massie Jr., Thornton Sibley, Clyde and Brownie Kennon and several others were on the scene and helped to beat out the flames, which were burning in the space surrounded by the fighters.
75 Years Ago
Trials & Tribulations Of Late ‘Rascal’ End In Fine Of $50 For Defendant
Mrs. Lena Archer, charged with cruelly and unnecessarily beating and maiming a certain dog, the property of Sallie Henrie (Chix) Payne, was found guilty by Trial Justice R.E. Dyche and given a $50 fine and costs.
Those testifying for the commonwealth in the case were Mrs. Forest Payne, Miss Chix Payne, Mr. Forest Payne, Mr. and Mrs. W.E. Milton Jr., Mr. Omri Cox, Chief George Arritt, Mr. Lawrence Thompson and Will Rogers.
Mrs. Milton, of South Marion Avenue, and a next-door neighbor of Mrs. Archer’s, testified that she had seen the dog in question at Mrs. Archer’s many times.
On August 9th, she stated that while washing windows, she saw “Rascal” coming under the fence into Mrs. Archer’s yard.
She then saw Mrs. Archer come by the window with a stick about three feet long and two inches wide, and hit the dog three times and then threw the stick at him.
At that time, the dog was yelping so bad and hollering for dear life that she left her window and went to the front of the house.
Mrs. Milton testified she had never seen the dog bother anything and once about a year ago she saw Mrs. Archer hold the dog and beat it, also that she often shot at dogs with an air rifle.
50 Years Ago
School Bells Ring For Area Teachers
School bells rang for city and county teachers yesterday, as area educators met at Covington High School for the kick-off session of a week-long pre-school conference, in preparation for the school’s official opening for students next Monday.
Although hosted by Covington, teachers from the Alleghany County and Clifton Forge systems participated, in this first session.
Dr. Roger Long, a former resident of Clifton Forge, now with the division of field services of the University of Virginia, delivered the keynote address on “The Teacher of the Disadvantaged.”
An afternoon session for city teachers featured addressees by W.N. Rice, mayor of the city of Covington, and Leonard O. Switzer, chairman of the City School Board.
25 Years Ago
Rezoning Request Approved
Clifton Forge City Council voted unanimously Thursday night to rezone property to allow the operation of an office to coordinate hospice services in the Highlands.
The request by James Bay III of Mountain Regional Hospice was opposed by some Ingalls Street residents.
The hospice office will be located in a house on 1533 Ingalls.
Thursday’s action by Council rezones Bay’s property to General Business, while the rest of the neighborhood remains Residential-1.
Patients will not be brought to Bay’s property and if the hospice office closes, its zoning will revert to R-1.
Bay owns additional Ingalls Street properties.
One structure is used for storage of nursing home supplies and another is used as a residence for Glenn Perry.
Perry is employed by Bay and he served as a spokesman for Mountain Regional Hospice Thursday night.
10 Years Ago
Joy Fridley Graduates From Banker’s School
Joy D. Fridley, Highlands Community Bank administrative officer, was among 63 Virginia bankers that graduated Aug. 6 from the Virginia Bankers School of Bank Management.
A graduate of Alleghany High School, Joy and her husband, David, reside in the Falling Spring area of Alleghany County.
They have two daughters, Holly and Marisa.
Fridley has been employed at Highlands Community Bank since 2002.
Prior to that, she worked at the State Bank of the Alleghenies.
She is also a veteran of the U.S. Air Force.
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