West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1888-01-12
CELEBRATION !
[ Continued from second page.

was damp save the ardor of the towns
people. Dreary and gloomy as was
the weather it was gala day for
KingwOod, lon! 10 be thought of
For twenty q lies around tie peo-
pie came In aGOot, on horseback. in
carriages and wagons, besides those
who came by railroad, until 10y two
o'clock there were between 1000 and
1900 people added to the population
OF the town. If the day had been
anything like iair. three times as
many would have been small esti.
mate. The great wonder WAS that
so many came ON such miserable
day. A great crowd delighted to see
Kingwoop IS new and life giving en-
terprise. Old men with their wives
and children and everybody with
his wife and his sisters aud his
cousins and his aunts all lhropgcd TO
Preston's capital, and still it rained
and such "A wet rain-but not cold.
The air was warm almost Ss May.
Umbrellas and gossameIs held iull
sway, while heavy wraps and over
coats were Eelegsted to state of in.
nocuous desuetude until n colder
day.
Every man, woman and child be.
longing TO Kingwood were on the
streets to meet and welcome the Wis
itors. Public buildings, hotels print
ing houses, lawyers Offices, business
houses and private dwellings were
decorated eaily with the stars and
stripes. Extending across Main
street from the roof OF Mayor Jack
sons new building TO Noliz's tailor
ing establishment, hung the largest
Gag displayed, being twenty by thirty
feet
The train was oxr ected from Tun-
melton at IL a. m. BY that hour
fully three hundred people assembled
at the station, and for two sClid hours
they watched and waited.
In the meantime, free dinner.
contributed by the toSn peopl', and
consisting OF hot coffee, bread and
butter, roast beef AMI pickles WAS
being served in the court. house hall.
The stage IN the hall was converted
into culinary department, and tables
extending the fu ! length Of the hall
were arranged through the room,
From half past eleven in the morning
till three in the aft,rnuo tie crowd
was +, d. the large ball baiug tiled TO
Overlooking at times. Fully 1000
people accepted the hospitality tlms
offered. Not since the celebration
Of our country's centennial year in
1876 were so many persons seated at
ore table in Kicgwood.
AZ l.25 p. IN. the long looked for
train arrived at the depot. Tie az.
pcsrapce OF the train was the signal
for shouts and cheers that were sim
ply deafning. Talk about the roar
ing Of Niagara! The crowd chacred
and shouted themselves hoGTse. They
fairly went wild, Hats hsndkor
chiefs and umbrellas were waved
with an enthusiasm scarcely equalled
Of rational political convention and
every cheer and shout and demonstra
was responded 10 heartily by those on
the train.
Oh yes, we had nj seen 4 railroad
train before Preston county had for
over a quarter OF century, in fact
ever since the grst great railroad was
built in this country, been spanDed
from east TO west 10y tie mighty IS
e. o. But here was railroad to our
very door-to the very heart Of the
county Gut right through our hills,
across our valleys and ever our
streams came this wonderful horse
Of iron, b,Iching forth smoke and
steam and fire from his nostrils, and
carrying hundreds Of our friends to
our tbreshholds.
1t was a wonderful new life, and we
jumped ahead in the race Of life at least
twenty-five years.
The old Mozart band was brought
70 life by the locomotive shrill whistle
That grand old band that hadn't been
out for so long tbrt the boys hardly
knew each other, met the guests at the
depot to assist in the general welcome,
and escorted the visitors 10 the court
house, the while dispensing music with
their old time vigor and skill The
boys had not forgot how to 'toot the
silver horn and make her talk poetry
And still it. raincd but what did
We care for that
by half-past two o'clock the largo
courtroom was packed 20 lbs utmost