The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1896-07-25
HER GROWTH
And HER PROSPECTS.
What Morgantown Has Accom-
plished

pllSlea
In Few Years--And What She May
Hope for in the Near Future-She Is
Unique In Her Natural Wealth and
Beauty-There is No Place that Offers
Better Returns to Investors.
No town in West Virginia, or in
the Monongahela Valley stretching
from Pittsburg. Pa, to Fairmont
West Virginia, and dotted with towns
and cities famed for their indus
trial establishments, has brighter
outlook than Morgantown, which |
has improved more in the past ten
years than in the preceding centu
~ of its existence as a town. From
an inland sleepy University town of
ten years ago, Morgantown has by
the building of through railroad
line and the completion of slaekwa
ter to Pittsburg, Pa, sprung into a
live and busting city that bids fair
to not only rival but outstrip its sis
ter cities of the Valley in the indus
trial world. For century she was
content to be known as the educa-
tional center of West Virginia and
her people prided themselves upon
their culture and were content with
the fame derived from being pointed
to as royal entertainers and the
pleasure found in entertaining guests
drawn here by the well known social
qualities of the citizens. The open
ing of the railroad and river for
traffic also opened the eyes of her
citizens to the vast possibilities that
were hers for the expenditure of a
little labor in bringing knowledge
of her resources before the CONNER
cial world.
To this end the Building a. Invest
ment Company, composed of leading
citizens, was organized three years
ago. One Of the first things that
the Company did was to secure a
large tract of land adjoining the
town and facing on the Monongahe
la river and through which the Fair
mont and Pittsburg railroad runs.
They next laid OFF this land into lots,
established and graded streets, and
set apart certain amount of land
lying between the railroad and river
which they offered as free sites to-
any and all persons who desired to
erect and operate manufactures.
| A sale of lots was then held and a
large number of people purchased
lots and erected houses ON them. A
carriage mandatory, planning mill
and gun factory were given free
sites and the companies erected their
buildings and have since been in
successful operation. A few months
ago the Monongahela Textile Com
pany, composed of Pittsburg capital
lists, seeing the advantages offered
by the town and surrounding coun-
try asked for and received site on
which to erect factory. Workswas
commenced at once on a splendid
three story brick building and to-day
| the immense amount of machinery
required has almost all been set up
and in three weeks the works will be
in operation, They will manufac-
ture wooden goods, blankets &c, and
employ at first about so hands. As
soon as the factory is fully under
way they will manufacture under
wear and hosiery which will increase
the number of employees to 200.
The Seneca Glass Company, of
Fostoria, Ohio, which is, and has
been in successful operation for IA
number of years desired to remove
its plant from that city owing to the
scarcity of fuel, agents were sent out
by the company to select "A suitable
location and after visiting dozens of
cities and towns and travelling hun
dreds of miles the agents came to
Morgantown and at once reported to
| their firm that it was by far the most
desirable location and offered every
advantage that could be wished. for
the successful carrying on OF their
business. Members of the firm came
on here at once and within few
DAYS the contract was closed for the
removal of the plant to Morgantown.
Within a week from the closing of
the contract with the Building d In
vestment Company, the contract was
let for the building of IA pot fur
mace and bids asked for the erection
of building which with the furnace
will cost $4,000, and within two
weeks work on the building will be
commenced. Work on the furnace
was commenced ten days ago and is
being pushed as rapidly as possible.
The works will manufacture turn
blers, plain, etched and cut, from 250
to 800 hands will be employed. The
glass works is not a ''boom town
venture but the Company is on solid
financial basis and has an establish
ed trade of years standing, number
ing among its customers many of the
largest dealers in the United States.
With a railroad through its yards
and the river within so yards of its
doors the works could not be in
better location to secure quick and
cheap transportation.
Having the largest producing nat
ural gas field in the world to draw
upon for fuel for the next % to 30
years, at least, and set down right
in the center of the worlds most IA
nous coal field there is not only no
probability but no possibility OF the
works ever being stopped for min
ute on account of the want of fuel.
What more could be needed to in
sure success.
Within a few hundred yards of
the site of the glass works is one OF
the richest deposits Of pottery clay
to be found. The clay crops out
along the public roads and is Just
below the soil, the field comprises
acres of white clay suitable for max
ing almost any kind Of earthen-ware
known to man and the common
stoneware crooks, jars, jugs DC, that
for years were manufactured in Nor
gantown were superior in quality
and durability to.any that were made
in the valley between here and Pitts
burg where hundreds of thousands
of pieces ofware were made annually
AS location for stoneware, or IN
fact any kind of an earthenware
factory. no better site could be found