The Farmville herald and farmer-leader. (Farmville, Va.) 1934-1957, 1953-01-09
Railroad Ends Long Career
Of Station At Wnrnlinsfer

q - halfway Company APP
Piled to the State Corporation
Commission and got permission to
close its Warminster station.
Monday. Jan. S. Hereafter there
will be no agent operator on
duty. but trains will continue to
stop for dispatch and receipt of
U. S. mail and passengers.
The Railway Express Agency
and the Western Union Agency
will be handled by F. r. Moon G.
Company. where the post office
is located, also F. r. Moon, owner
Of the firm which has been in
operation since 1908, was also
postmaster and retired as post
master in 1947. He was succeeded
by his son. F. r. Moon, Jr
Warminster has seen better
times in many ways. and the
closing Of the station-agency will
not mar the memory of many
people who have been associated
With the place.
According to the book The
Cabelle and Their Kin" War
minister was established on the
land of Col Nicholas Cabell. Nov.
10. 1888. Soon after returning
from England. DR. Cabell removed
from his place on Licking Hole
Creek" to his lands UP the river
and settled at the mouth of Swan
Creek. in the present county of
Nelson. where he had erected
dwelling houses. a mill tthe first
in that quarter warehouse, also
the first, depot Of produce. a
store. calling the place War
minister. for his old English home,
from whence a regular line of
batteaux was run to Westham.
Commercial Center
For over so years, Warminster
vas one of the most important
points in internal commerce in
Virginia, Warminster was estab-
lished as a town by an act of
Assembly on the land of Nicholas
Cabell. Col. William Cabell was
one of the trustees who estab-
lished anAcademy in the town Of
Warminster from Oct. 1891. to
June 90. 1895.
The Cabell family and Horsley
family migrated from WarmlnS-
ter. England. and settled on land
granted from the king, the Ca
bells on the Nelson side OF the
James River and the Horsleys on
the Buckingham side of the river.
Almost all fthe land is in the
name Of the two same families
WarminSter was destroyed
when General Sheridan made his
raid up the James River Valley
during the War Between the
States. The story goes that when
Sheridan was told there was
Masonic Lodge in the town, he
gave orders for that building to
be left. George Lodge No. 81 A r
and A NJ has been established
lere in 1884. and was later moved
10 Norwood Gthen New Market
and later moved to Howardsvllle,
where it is now active under the
same name and number.
Canal Route
James River-KanaWah Canal
operated packet boats from Rich
mond to Lynchburg, with boats
drawn by mules which served
Warminster prior to the coming
of the trains. The railroad was
built in the toW-path OF the Old
canal. and Warminster has been
an important station. 1t was
water station for many years with
a wood tank and pump house
where water was pumped from
Swan Creek. and all trains stop
ped for water When the wood
tank became old and not large
enough TO accommodate the
larger engines, c & o built large
steel tank with a capacity Of 1907
900 gallons.
The depot was at one time
two story building, with the
agent-operator office in the
tower with steps leading from the
outside. There were three rooms
downstairs for freight and pas
senger waiting rooms.
For many years, there We're
three operators on duty working
eight hours each. During World
War /. this station was an M
portant shipping point OF IRON.
ore. which was mined nearby and
hauled to the town by horse and
wagon and loaded Oh cars. In
later years. the ore was not plen-
tiful enough for mining.
Warminster has also been
point for shipping lumber and
pulp wood.