Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-06-02
ROANE COUNTY.
Spencer, Its Seat of juStIce-The Little
Town Now Putting Forth Every Enort to
Get"Out of the NonIs"

Spencer, Its Seat of juStIce-The Little
Town Now Putting Forth EVe cry Efrort to
Get"Out of the MonGs"
Special C6rrsSyOrd.ncs Of ne Register.
SpExrER, May Z9.-Wss; Virginia pre-
sents few, If any, pretris- inland rOwas
than Spencer, the county sect Of Roaue,
and no county in this section rsnSs higher
as an agricultural sad grazing section than
mis-. We shall not be surprised If the r.
ports for the present year does show its
wool production to Be greater than tha: OF
any other county south OF the Little kans,
aha river. The soil IS especially adapted
70 the growth of blue gsass, aud when an
suual acreage shall have 6eea sO~n 1t will
,aual the pasture lands OF Greea9elsr,
Monroe, Lewis and o.her counties row
ranking high 50 grazing sections. Th=re
is vet vast quantities of as good timber as
can be found IN the Stste lts consnmp-
ZION has been limited because Of the dill
Guilty in getting il TO market The only
mode being that of floating on the tribu-
.sry streams 10 the Little ksnawhs, thence
lown that river to the Ohio ~ Parkers.
ourg. The Glenyille, Spencer aud Ravens
wood Railroad when built viii AS cen
,rally through the country and 1t not con
.tructed il will not Of because Of 3 lack OF
hberality on the part Of the citizens OF
R0sne 10 vote the enterprise assistance
This line when completed will sweep round
N a crescent from Weston through Lewis,
Gilmer, Calhoun, ROsne and Jackson
counties and connect with the Ohio River
road at Rsvenswood. IL will bring into
me market all the vast resources OF the up
uer waters Of the Little hanswhe, and st.
ford cheap transportation to market for the
lumber from the Vsstest timber region IN
rbs State Indeed lsrg6 portion OF The
line will extend through an almost pfimeVsl
forest. in parts Of which the sound OF the
soodman's axe hss hardly as yet been
heard
Roaue county was formed in 1856 from
portions of KansWbs, Jackson aud G:imer,
and its own name and that i;s seat OF
ius,;ca Spencer, commemorate that OF him
whose life and public services added lu'tre
{, the annals Of Virginia Jurisprudence
He IA appointed Judge Of the ouP'en /,
80 q, nsesls Of Virginia, April IL.
ITS5, to fn the vacc~~pcy oeoa9'onsd oy the
resignation Of Henry Tszs~'> sue a 'sI ss
,opuuually until his death in lSl-, UeD
be was succeeded by John W. Greene.
Up. TomHusou carried the petition ask
ing for the formation zoe county to Rich
moud ana laid it before tbs Assembly de
was q native Of one Of the counties OF lower
Virginia and when boz was engaged IN
canning. On certain occasion his
gs9ou stuck fast in the mud; while work
ing 10 get it out a gentleman rode up, ard
ahghtioz, assisted the BOY IN getting oat
IT bis difficulty That man was Judge
Spencer Roaue, then on mis- way to attend
court in one of the ti6awsyer counties
rouliuson never forgot the kindness. $nd
when the county was formed he asked that
Il be named Rosne. Thus the dssro.
,nished iurist, By his kindly act. secured
he pergetuation OF bis name IN that OF one
N the counties Of West Virginia.
The first Circuit Court. convened at the
sousa Of NJ. B. ArUstroCL, III Spencer,
October 20. 1856, with Hon. George Sum
ners Judge of the Eigh'een'h Circuit
and Ninth Judicial Dis'r5.t PRECEDING.
Spencer, the coudty sea-. IL pleasantly
:. uated on a plateau in t'e S2'irg Greek
Valley, within a survey Of 6 600 acres, pat
eu,ed by Albert Gsls;iu IN 1871. Inc
ard sfterward became the properly Of ).
K Bssurea, once n prominent business
nan of Gallipolis, Ohio, aud ct The French
colonists who settled az that place IN i9I
The town is distant ti'ty miles irom
Cbsrleston. fifty from ParkerSbu'g. sixty
from Point Pleasant, ano sixiy-seVen ana
A half from Weston
The first settlers upon tie spot came 10
1872. They were Samuel Tanner, hrs
,sifs one child and mau named jena
than Wolf who lived in NJ. lancer lam
ily. Their first residence WAS beneath a
shelving rock. within t"w ysrcs o. the
nreseut splendid resideuce Of Hon. j. U
SchiIipg. The writer while az Spencer
visited i: and found il, Whist no doubt 10.
Tanner family thought II, S comtoFts Ole
lo5sipg in a trsckless wilderness. The
hirrb Of the first white child born here oc
cured in this cave; it gres to al sdult age
and vet survives. =.
In 1918 Mr.. Tanner erected his cso'r
nssr the spot on which he present res
Jsnce of NJ W. Kidd, ex Clerk OF the CIR
emit Court, row stands 10 1874 o'he'
n;oneers came and settled OF Spring Cfeeh
Two miles below Spencer. In 1917 tn
spot was visited BY Bsplis; minister, Wit
nTsaehed the first sermon in the cabin ct
Mr. GreatAouse, aud the same year
Methodist minister came sad esisohsne
an "sppointment' at the house OF MI
Tanner The first grist nil was bniit Il
ISIS, Il was water mill, with capseit
for cracking about eight bushels OF cor
nsr dsy. The patience o. the pioneer va
snnDossd to have stood tie crucial test
10 Rad waited for his gvist at Runion
Mill" r.,.
William Armstrong, 5 Sp'ingsso
and John Shedd we're Nwong the nc
teachers who szsyed the seeP,re over
risipp generation, eooF ! Gp IN the P,
! nssr semiuaries" which adorned II
scene, ..r--y. o.
Roads" was bestowed upon the place, su
gssted BY the fact that tSo paths here