Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1919-04-10
Mr.. Lang's Letter
Editor Progressive:

ography and history of letters Creek.
1t is not known definitely for whom
this stream took its name. Jacob
Teter settled at Belington in the year
1900 Fourteen years previous to
| that George Teter located 240 acres
of land on the Valley river, then Har-
| rison County and now Barbour
County and it probably took its name
form him. This stream heads on the
western slope of Laurel hill 1900 feet
above sea level and empties it's wa
tiers into the Valley river at Meats
vile after being supplied by many
other tributaries. Its course is N.
/ W. and some IL or 10 miles in
length The altitude at its mouth
is about 1857 feet.
4 The first little valley at its head
was formerly owned by Garrett John
son, who sold it to John Harris Sr.
who divided it among three of his
sons. Joe f. Harris, Isaac Harris,
and Jackson Harris. Job Harris
often told the writer that when he
first came to the place to make a
tom lands were covered with small
white oak timber and in removing
this, many tomahawk marks were
seen in the oaks that had been cover
ed for years. There still is pointed
out large rock, and will remain for
long time known as the Painted
Camp Rock" The earlier settlers re-
late that the rude pictures of deer,
bear and other wild animals had been
painted on the sides of this rock and
piles of ashes remained under its
ledge, where the Indians had camp
ed as they travelled this part of the
country into the territory TO Ran
dolph and Tucker counties, following
J the we'll marked path that still is
I seen up the High Point ridge. The S
is tradition that they used to melt
: lead at this camp into bullets, found
in lead mine on Long Run, which
empties into letters Creek, short
distance from this rock. While there
has been many unsuccessful attempts
to locate this lead mine, no one has
e ever been able to find it. 1t was of
: ten told that Delbert Kelley had
. found it on the head of Leading
4 Creek, and used the lead. If that
\ was true, the secret never was re-
e vealed by him. Job E. Harris built
r water saw mill in the latter part
Y or at the close of the Civil war, on
t letters Creek, which cut considerable
t lumber for the people of the commu-
nifty.
t After his death in 1872 John G
8 Johson bought the mill and moved
some distance down on his own lands
r where it was operated by A. Y. Hud
+ kins and others, Mr.. Hudkins while
n he owned it bought turbine vince
! from Benz r. Viquesney who ther
r had used it at Weaver on Beave
n Creek The mill was afterward bro
i by Percy Gamer and moved to tn,
Eli Moore farm, but Mr. Gamer was
~ ilSNGt dDlt W tOil1itiG bIt WdLtl Ia
e dam any length of time and it is nov
/ one of the gone bys."
Probably one of the first mills
= built on the tributaries of Teter!
n Greek was built by Robert johnson
who settled on this stream or neal
d it in the year 1888, and from this in
= cident the stream was called John
n sons mill run 1t was near THU
1t place that his grandson the late Johi
he G. johnson built his carding machine
/ Mr.. Johnson and his father, Lev
johnson built on the bank of Teter'
& Greek but the water that ran tn
n oyershot wheel came from John
st sons mill run This mill was bull
about the year 1852, if our memor.
serves US right, not that we remem
y, Der from personal knowledge Blu
id from other information, as we wer
J. born that year Mr. John Shepler
lie who lived on lands now belonging
Re to G. Washington Corley on the hea,
or Of Beaver Creek, did the millwrigh
work The elder MIR. Johnson die
before the mill was completed. job
G. johnson and his son Worth, RAJ
the mill for several years. The lat
ter using steam power to run tn
B. min when the water was low, for
IF number Of years, manufacturing 'rh
1t very best Of buhr made flour. Tn
N mill is still run BY Robt. 7. johnson
81 who makes excellent corn meal an
buckwheat -four John Holsberr
e who settled near Kalamazoo in Til
S, year 1900 built an oyershot mill q
Teter's Greek at the end Of the vale,
E