Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1919-01-30
EARLY HOMES OF
BARBOUR COUNTY
E. D. Koontz-Notes by S. NJ. ID.
KOOntZ.
Historic

Historic
During the early ffties at least
dozen Lighthouses dotted the land
scape on the West prong of Sugar
Greek, where now but three families
dwell in modern frame structures.
Among these early structures was
one of unusual interest which was
begun by William Coontz in 1859 by
the side of another log house-the
turmoil of civil strife left this bldg.
| unfinished on the inside. The pecu-
! liar coincidence of this building was
| that the four "notchers" who car
ried the corners" of this building
were all killed-Three of them dying
during the Civil war. Jacob Schoon
over was killed in Missouri by
Quantrells guerillas. Jacob Hill in
company of two other men named
Sears and Callahan were killed from
ambush by company of Federal
| soldiers near the head of letters
Creek in 1864 while home from
"Dixie" on furlough. William
| Coontz was killed in 1863 by Hud-
son Ramsey a Federal soldier, near
his home on the West prong of Su-
gar Creek. Jonathan England, the
fourth man, was killed accidently,
near the head of Bills Creek in 49,
10 by log rolling over him.
AS long as this house stood the
circular marks made by the ends of
musket muzzles jammed against the
! yellow poplar timbers could be seen.
The marks of the ravages of soldiers
This building was eventually dis
mantled and the timbers used in the
constructing of other buildings. Of
the dozen log structures formerly
standing here, three or four still sur
vive the ravages of Time to remind
the present generation of the rude
structures of their fathers.
The First Church.
In community where now three
modern churches exist the year of
1860 saw one solitary edifice Of wor4
ship standing. Almost on the exact
I spot where the barn of F. j. Coontz
now stands, in 1856 Frederick Coontz
Sr. contracted to build church. The
church lot was donated by Adam
4 Coontz with the provision that it
| should be free for the worship of all
4 denominations, though it was built by
the United Brethren denomonation.
Fred'rck Coontz, the contractor, built
a sawmill on which to cut the lumber
for this building, and sub-let its
/ building to a carpenter by the name
/ of Camphor This was the first
! church in this section. It's history
as a place of worship was short
lived, rambling squads of soldiers
desecrated it by riddling its walls
jwith bullets The civil war with
divided sentiment in the community
soon retlegtated it to oblivion with
the shadows of the Blue and the
Grey falling about its affairs it went
to decay leaving no marks where it
stood or no echoes of the voices of
those who worshipped within it's
walls. About three hundred yards
from the site lie many of the wor-
shippers in a neglected and brush
grown cemetery-which too will soon
be forgotten
Early School Houses and Teachers.
All the early school houses of this
county were rudsly constructed of
logs, with huge fire. places, the large
boys of the school gathering and cut
ting the wood. The benches were
made by splitting logs and putting
pegs in the round side. The win
dows were made by leaving a space,
Stating it up and down anc cover
ing with creased paper. The light
was not the best, but there was no
! question about ventilation, one side
roasted while the other side froze.
The branches taught were the ''three
rs Reading, Rltlng and Rithme-
tic" The tuition was paid by all
who were financially able at about
the rate Of three cents daily, the
county paying where parents were
not able to pay. The term was
reckoned at two and three months.
Discipline was severe and the" rod
4 of correction was not sporn"-A-
mong the early teachers of the "old
/ field schools" were Jane Tireson
Cornelius Runnels, Daniel Skidmore,
William Hayes, Philip Ramsey and
Charley Streets, and most of them
i boarded among the scholars.
Later more substantial log and
frame buildings came into use-log
buildings at Wolf Run, Bills Greek,
/ Hunters Fork and other places. In