Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1919-02-20
RARRouR COUNTY HISTORY

Z IL.
of the old water mills we used to at
tend in our boyhood days in Barker
/ District, carrying our grain often on
an old pack saddle made by the late
George Phillips, father of Cicero and
Monroe Phillips of your city. Pey-
ton C. Booth had built, and owned
a mill on the stream of water that
! empties into the Valley river near
the Handle Factory in your city
owned by Mr. l.. l.. Bennett. This mill
was run by an over-shot wheel, the
water conveyed to it by race and
| from dam some distance above.
If our memory serves us right it
| only ground corn into meal, and ran
carding machine. This machine
was afterward sold to j. G. johnson
of Glade district and for years was
operated by him on Johnson's
Mill run near his home and named
for his grandfather Robert Johnson.
| Aunt Harriet Booth, mother of John
who now lives at the old homestead,
nearly always run this mill and
| carding machine, and it was always
| a great. pleasure to the writer to go
to this home and mill The old mill
has long since gone but short dis
| lance below on the same race John
| Booth has built and operated a cir
cular saw mill, and at one time had
a planer. The frame of the pen
stock of this mill was built by his ia
Their in the year 1861, and the pres
ent mill was not built for many
years afterward.
David Rosenberger owned mill,
on the Valley river a mile or more
above Belington. The power was
furnishd by a tub wheel The wa
ter striking the buckets of the wheel
on the side which was enclosed by
a tub except where it entered and
was discharged on the opposite side.
This mill ground corn into meal and
other grains into -four This was
another place we were always pleased
to go, as the family became warm
friends to the writer. The patrons
of this mill, who resided on the West
side of the river always in the win
ter time, and high waters came to
the river shore, and called to some
members of the Rosenberger family
to convey them across tn river with
the grain in canoe, and when the
grain was ground, another trip was
to be made back to the West side.
This service was rendered usually by
the daughter of Mr.; Rosenberger.
When Henry Clay, the son was not
at home. Notwithstanding the great
Inconvenience, and peril of making
these trips there was never muir
muir or complaint but was performed
cheerfully We recall the feeling of
fear that we often felt as we in
company with some member of the
family crossed the river at that place
when the prov of the canoe was
| driven upstream by pole or paddle
through the rapids and then drift to
the landing on the opposite side of
the river. So perilous was this ford
that some persons in after years lost
their lives in attempting to cross
when the river was full Some
times the waters were so low in the
stream that the mills could not grind
Then the people had to use the prim-
tive hand mill or crater. This was
a piece of tin with holes punched in
it with pointed instrument and
then curved with the edges nailed to
a plank and the rough side of the
tin up. The new corn was then run
over the outer surface and the meal
was conveyed from the board to a
vessel below The hands were often
larcerated by coming in contact with
the rough crater. A few years
since we called at the home of the
late Fl. G. Rosenberger of your city
and he was engaged in grating new
corn Meal for festival to be held at
the Baptist church He informed us
that he had been employed as he was
familiar with the process, The Ro-
senberger mill has long since passed
away, and the family are now all
gone Mrs. Matte Wilson, Of EIkins
being the last Of the family.
Elias Coffman, a brother of Noah
Coffman built a mill on Beaver Greek
a short distance below the mining
town of Weaver. This mill was a
tub mill, grinding corn and small
grain. A bolt was run by hand fol
making -four. The unbolted floul
was carried from the chest below IN
a ladder and poured into a hopper
above and conveyed to the bolt be-
low which was revolved by turning
a crank on the outside, the owner OF
l. L