Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1899-03-28

Mr.. Mccartney Tells Some Incidents OF
the Foundation of Point Marion.
Thoughts of his Boyhood Recalled by
Recent Mention in the New Domin-
ion-No Doubt They VIII be Read
With Pleasure by the Residents of
The Flourishing Town at the Point.
WESTON, ILL, March % II noticed in
a recent issue OF your paper an item
j from your Point Marion correspondent
saying that Point Marion was laid out
! by John Sadler in 1912, and which is
correct il my memory is not at fault.
! would have been pleased if your cor
respondent had given larger sketch of
/ the now fiourishing town or city, but
reading the item referred to, as a nat
ural consequence caused me to think of
/ my boyhood DAYS. | remember the day
/ Point Marion was laid out; also | well
remember seeing rye cut with the hook
or sickle {as in early days all small
grain was so harvested | well remem-
Der of a Mr.. Bowen and Uncle John
Sadler's oldest boys and the writer
gathering the sheaves into punches of
| six on side to be shocked up Quite
number OF apple trees also stood on
the ground at the time mentioned. The
reapers OF that grain at the time referred
to were George Neil, Christv Sadler,
i Moses Sadler u. G. father and my
| father, and possibly some others, but
these | recollect. We boys carried wa
ter to drink (of course they had some
old fashioned rye juice on tap to molly
the water and put the bundles together
as above mentioned. | was also on the
ground the time Point Marion was sur
veyed or laid out, the first part or
/ original Point Marion, and if my mem
/ Dry is not at fault the surveyors name
was Dawson Father allowed me to
come down in the afternoon provided |
/ did not get in the way of the surveyor
and chain carriers, and you can be as
sured that | kept out of the way, as my
time of being there depended very much
on my good behavior. OF course | was
som etimes close enough to see the COM
pas and hear what was said. The sur
veyor was quite a lively, jolly man, as |
we'll reeolleet, and among things that he
said. While they were oiling up some
as it was rather cool day, said he
Mr.. Saddler do not think it is Just fair
and right that few men own all the
land. | am in favor of an equal divis-
ion, so we all would have some land and
ed.n seWell" said Uncle Saddler "what
would you do when yours was gone ?'
| I'D go in for another divide" 1t caus-
up quite laugh and merryment. He
appeared to be the Lion of the day for
fun. | also we'll remember the first
| building that was erected. 1t was put
in by an old colored man by the name
of Patterson on the Point Lot, purchas-
ed by squire Seth Stafford of Virginia,
and was slab cabin, buckeye posts
set in the ground and slabs from the
saw mill on Camp Run bored and pinned
to the posts, and covered with the same
material. The posts put out spouts that
grew after being set in the ground. Mr..
! Robert Beatty also was among the first
to build he put up a frame but never
finished it as the boom appeared to be
vanishing. Mr.. ]. NJ. Weltner built the
first house of any consequence. | think
that was about 1S43 or 1874 on water
street, up Cheat River. Mr.. Abraham
Wright built in the early days Of the
! town and also started a fork factory on
a small scale. | had the contract Of
helping him get out fork handles, that
| is, pulled one end of the cross cut-saw
while the old man rode the other end"
| for | found it tough pulling. Mr.. James
Neal was among the first merchants he
alsoysold old Monongahela rye whiskey
and | well recolect of hearing an old
gentleman by the name OF Knots, say
| it was the genuine stuff, for he saw the
| old gentlemen go to the Monongahela
river and get bucket of water and fill
up his barrel when it got little low.
Mr.. Knots carried on brick yard In
| the early days of Point Marion and
was one off the bearers. Mr.. Robert Hite
of Morgantown was the moulder and we
had to move lively when Bob got
one of his funny spells. The late Alfred
Maple merchandised for time and 9TH
ers but did not appear to make it pay so
soon pulled mp for more congenial
cline.
| Yes Point Marion has quite a history.
| | wish some one would write it up as we
would be pleased to possess and pre-
serve it. Yes there was quite contro-
versy ON the day Point Marion was laid
out as to what the name OF the
new town should be. Quite number
| proposed the name of Saddler Town
among others Gas said by yonr cores
pondent from that place. Uncle Saddler
was great admirer of General Francis
Marion and finally agreed they could
put aPoint in front of Marion. One more
| incident and then / will close this brief
and somewhat short history OF my early
recollections.
About the year 1852 Point Marion was
almost all under water from the big
Knots and family among others were
driven out OF his house the water being
| up to the caves. The old man said he |
- L<o.. ss<ax~It fro,,, bsc obslIhrSr<y |