The Shadow
90 YEARS AGO
May, 1927
May 19: Midland Trail Represented At Highway Meeting
The State Highway Commission held public hearings at Staunton yesterday on allocation of money for roads in the Staunton, Culpeper and Lynchburg districts.
The Midland Trail was represented at this hearing by delegations headed by B.C. Moomaw Jr., secretary of the Covington Chamber of Commerce; Hon. E.A. Snead, member of the House of Delegates for Alleghany County; Mr. Paul Feener, secretary of the Chamber of Commerce of Clifton Forge and Captain M.B. Corse, Captain Greenlee D. Letcher, Hon. Frank Moore and Mayor Rhodes of Lexington.
Tentative allocations had been made to the Midland Trail, west of Covington, of $150,000 and between Covington and Clifton Forge of $69,000.
One survey party is already at work west of Covington and the highway commission has informed Mr. Moomaw that another party has been ordered in the first of next week to work from Crow’s toward Covington.
To The Voters Of Alleghany County
I hereby announce myself a candidate for election to the office of Treasurer of Alleghany County, at the election to be held in November of this year.
If elected, I promise the close personal attention which the duties of this office demand.
I assure each taxpayer within the bounds of this county fair, impartial and courteous treatment.
Your support will be appreciated.
May 20: Notice
I wish to announce to my friends and the public that I have moved from the Yellow Front Garage on Bridge Street and have opened a complete garage on Highland Street.
I hope to be favored with your repair work, washing and greasing.
M.W. Mankey
New Barber Shop
I wish to announce to my friends and the public in general that I have moved from Weikel Barber Shop and have opened an up-to-date two-chair barber shop with the Peerless Pool Parlor.
Harry W. Dickson
214 Maple Ave.
75 YEARS AGO
May, 1942
May 19: Covington Taxpayers Relieve Citizens Bank Of Its $8,500 Mortgage On Mid-City Garage
By a recorded vote of 3 to 1, the Covington Town Council, at a meeting held in the Town Manager’s office last night, voted to purchase the Mid-City Garage on Maple Avenue between the O’Gara and Collins Hotels for the sum of $10,000 from T.C. Karnes and Lucy G. Karnes.
For the purchase: Tom Winn, Councilman John McDanald and Councilman Harry W. Robertson.
Against the purchase: Councilman Dick Beirne.
After Councilman Robertson had spoken in behalf of the purchase of the property and said he had been assured by a number of citizens that it would be a good buy, he offered a motion that the property be purchased. His motion was seconded by Councilman John A. McDanald.
Councilman Scott Nesbit was recorded as not voting, he being an officer in the Citizen’s National Bank, which holds a mortgage of $8,500 on the property and thus disqualified in voting to relieve the bank of this mortgage.
The council turned thumbs down on the offer of the Coca-Cola Bottling Works, in which they had offered to sell their vacant building on Lexington Street by the town for the sum of $13,000.
An offer to rent to the town his building on Lexington Street, W.S. Friend or to lease same was likewise turned down.
May 20: Young Colored Citizens Of Alleghany County Respond To Call For Army Service
Eight young colored citizens of Alleghany County left Covington for induction into the U.S. Army Monday.
They were an enthusiastic send-off by quite a large assemblage of colored parents and citizens and a liberal sprinkling of white friends and patriots.
The Dorsey Chorus, under the direction of Lucian Washington, sang a number of patriotic songs and inspiring spirituals.
A prayer for the safe-keeping of our nation and our service men was offered by Professor L.T. Binford, principal of the Watson High School.
Sergeant Walker, veteran of the Spanish-American War, sounding the keynote, “Don’t fear the Japs, you can lick them,” was cheered.
Those leaving were Uriah Barnett, Fletcher Hubbard, Edward Fitzpatrick, Woodson Liggings, Bill Smith, James Taylor, Sam Tinsley and Julian White, the last named of Falling Spring.
50 YEARS AGO
May, 1967
May 19: Bids Sought On Gathright Project
Contractor bids for clearing, abutment and portal-striping and test-fills on the Gathright Dam project will be opened Tuesday, June 20, at 2 p.m., in the Army Corps of Engineers office in Norfolk, according to information received by the Covington-Alleghany County Chamber of Commerce.
Thnis project will have a value of $1 million to $1.5 million.
The invitation to bid notes the project is located about 12 miles north of Covington, adjacent to State Route 600, and 1.5 miles north of its intersection with Route 666.
The invitation states the completion time proposed is 180 calendar days.
Lost Child Hunt Ends Happily; WKEY Assists
Karen Sue Chaplin, 2, took a walk early Thursday afternoon around 7 o’clock, and touched off a lost-child hunt.
Karen’s father, Gene Chaplin, was mowing his yard at 106 Chestnut Street, when Mrs. Chaplin permitted her daughter to play outside.
While Chaplin was not looking, Karen wandered out of the yard and out of sight down the street.
The blond, blue-eyed child, dressed in blue, with red sandals, and carrying a pink baby bottle, was seen by an unidentified passer-by, who took her to WKEY radio station, where announcer Will Shawver was on duty.
Shawver called the police, who took the child into safekeeping, while Shawver began a series of announcements in an effort to locate the child’s parents.
May 20: Porch Project In Progress
Removal of the existing double-decker porch of the old building at the corner of Court Avenue and Main Street, opposite the courthouse, occupied by the law and real estate office of Eldon Crowder and Lowe’s Barber Shop, began Thursday.
Crowder, who has maintained his office there since 1916, said the building was a private residence belonging to J.P. Long when his father, Robert W. Crowder, acquired it about 1900.
The double-decker porch was added about 1903 to allow both the first and second stories to be used as law offices.
He said he thought the building dated back to the 1870s or 80s, as a residence, and still has some of the elaborate mantle pieces dating back to that era.
Another long-time Covington resident, who is familiar with the history of the downtown area, said the building is 100 years old or more and is the second-oldest structure on Main Street, the oldest being the building across Court Avenue from it, now occupied by The Dress Shop.
25 YEARS AGO
May, 1992
May 19: Boiling Springs Dedicates Substation
The Boiling Springs Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad held an open house and dedication service at their new substation located in Rich Patch Sunday in celebration of Emergency Medical Services Week and Rescue Squad Week.
The open house was the culmination of an idea that was born due to the flood of 1985. At that time, the Rich Patch area was cut off from the rest of the county due to the washout of roads.
As a result of this, a fire truck was stationed at a member’s house, Teddy Humphries Jr., in Rich Patch for two weeks. This raised the interest of residents of the community in obtaining a substation in the Rich Patch community.
With continued committment by the members in Rich Patch, the department decided to build a substation in Rich Patch to serve the residents of that community, if land could be donated for that purpose.
This was obtained quickly, as Carlos Botkins and Jerry Wolfe donated the land necessary to build the substation. After obtaining the necessary financing, the building was begun on November 1, 1990.
The idea that was born in the aftermath of the flood of 1985 became a reality as the building went into service in September 1991.
May 20: Supervisors Want Regional Meeting To Resolve Jail Dispute
The Alleghany County Board of Supervisors has issued a call for an intergovernmental meeting in hopes of resolving a dispute over a proposed regional jail for the Alleghany Highlands.
The meeting was suggested by L.J. Rose Jr., supervisor of the county’s Boiling Springs District.
Rose said that if initial stages of the talks go well, the governing bodies will break down into subcommittees to discuss jail-related issues.
The latest controversy surrounding the proposed jail is the authority’s decision to purchase land in eastern Alleghany County for a possible construction site.
Upset with the authority’s action, Covington City Council last week said that it is exploring the feasibility of the city building its own jail.
10 YEARS AGO
May, 2007
May 19: Three Area Officers Added To Memorial
Three law enforcement officers from the Highlands were memorialized Sunday in Washington, D.C., when their names were added to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial.
Virginia State Trooper Kevin Manion, former Alleghany County Sheriff Edwin B. Butler and Alleghany County Deputy Sheriff Samuel A. Brown are among the 382 names that were added to the memorial’s walls this year.
Butler and Brown were added to the memorial through the efforts of Maj. Greg Crowder of the Alleghany County Sheriff’s Office.
Born in Staunton in 1872, Butler came to Covington in 1894 as a barber and opened a shop on Maple Avenue. He was elected mayor of Covington in 1909 and 1913.
May 20: Covington Planning For Citizen’s Police Academy
The Covington Police Department is getting ready for its second installment of the Citizen’s Police Academy program.
The program began in the city of Covington last fall, when area residents began the 10-week class, which is designed to help the public better understand legal issues, personnel issues and police departmental procedures.
