State archivist spe0000ks at courthouse event ,.s, Joe Geiger, director of archives and aw History at the Cultural Center in Charleston, delivered this speech at s the I00  birthday celebration for the dr; Wirt County Courthouse Saturday, Is! May28. n', Good morning. I am truly honored no to join you today in celebrating.this momentous occasion, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the magnificent Wirt o County Courthouse, and would like y: to thank Richard Lowe for the invitation to participate. . I have long been a fan of Win n; County and have been here on a  number of occasions. 8£ In fact, during my first week on the ,,.; job at Archives and History in 1998, z my former boss and I paid a visit to • ! "DI .+,++ ,+:, 112. £ ,=. • e:° W'nmie Murray and toured her home, which once served as the Little Kanawha Hotel. In recent years I have spoken at a genealogical fair here in Elizabeth thanks to Angela Braunon, and have worked with some of your county officials to assist them in the management and preservation of the essential records stored here in this building. I have also come to Wirt County for personal enjoyment, to walk around the oil and gas equipment at Burning Springs and to drive through the hometown of our courageous American hero Jessica Lynch. Wirt County was formed on January 19, 1848, from Jackson and Wood counties. It was named for William Wirt, a renowned author, orator and lawyer from Maryland. Wirt was appointed by Thomas Jefferson as prosecutor in the Mal ot  Harman Blennerhassett, and later ,> became attorney general of the United States, a position he held for 12 years. According to the act establishing the county, the permanent place for holding the county courts was to be at Elizabethtown. The act read: "And the county court of Wirt county shall provide a lot or lots of land at said place, not exceeding two acres...upon which to erect a courthouse, and such necessary public buildings and fixtures as the convenience of the county requires under-existing laws, for holding courts and conducting business..." Justices of the peace for the county were to meet at the residence of Alfred Beauchamp to appoint a county clerk, commissioner of the revenue and a surveyor, and to nominate to the governor suitable persons to be commissioned as sheriffand coroner. Alfred Beanchamp was the son of Elizabeth Beauchamp, for whom the town is named. His home, of course, is now the Beauchamp-Newman Museum, supervised by the Elizabeth Beauchamp Chapter Daughters of American Pioneers. Some newspaper accounts record that the courthouse, a brick structure two and a half stories in height, built by Lysander Dudley, was completed the same year Wirt County was formed. The plans for the building were drawn up by Peter Van Winkle, one of West Virginia's first U. S. Senators, and among those who practiced law here was Arthur I. Boreman, the first governor of our state. Over the next 60 years this courthouse was the center of Win County life. Births, marriages, deaths, all. e,¢, ,p . .i i  • y.c P e g,, % b'. r L" .+(, L' i9+ b! :1 b REWARD FOR LOST DOG Black/Tan neutered male German Shepherd. "Trapper" has been missing since 3-15-11 from Fairview Rdg./Buck Run area of Wirt County. Call 304.275.3873 or 304.483.4082 with information. USDA MINIMUM BID AMOUNT: $54,000.00 ADDRESS: 1090 Conservation Drive, Hedgesville, WV 25427 DESCRIPTION: THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX! PERFECT FOR ANYONE LOKING FOR THE UNIQUE AND CONTEMtK)RARY ! COME AND VIEW THIS 3 BR, 2 Baths, 1.5 Story home with 1,296 sa ft. of Living Areal Electric baseboard heat with covered fgont porch atilt.rear deck, well water and septic sewer on LEVEL 1.0 +CRE lot! CONVENIENTLY LOCATED near schools and shopping, only 2 miles from Route 9 with EASY ACCESS to Maryland and Virginia. CALL TO VIEW. SALE DATE: JUNE 13, 2011 SALE TIME: 9:O0 A.M. LOCATION: At Front of Berkeley County Courthouse. Mainsburg, WV TERMS: Cash Sale, with 10 percent of Bid Price in Certified Funds due at sale. Total purchase price payable by Certified or cashier's check within (30) thirty days of sale date. Property sold "AS IS". • For more information on this auction, please contact the Rural Development office listed below. All sales are subject to postponement or cancellation at any time. It is recommended tlmt you contact the Rural Development office the day before the sale to ensure tttat it is still scheduled• FOR APPOINTMENT TO VIEW PROPERTY PLEASE CONTACT: USDA Rural Development at (304) 263-7_547, Ext. iii or 112. PROPERTIES FOR SALE WEBSITE: www.resales@ usda. gov Rural Development is an Equal Oppertanity Lender eld wills and deeds were recorded here, terms of court were held here, and the building hosted numerous political and church gatherings during tumultuous times in our nation's history. One of the nation's first oil booms occurred at nearby Burning Springs in 1860 and a small community with a few dozen people suddenly grew to host more than six thousand. I feel certain county clerk Suellen Calebaugh is pleased that she was not responsible for recording all the land transactions at this time. During the Civil War the county was badly divided, and the records were moved out of the courthouse at one point to prevent their destruction. On July 5, 1862, Union militia colonel Martin V. Enoch wrote that the "records of the courts have now been carried out of the county for safe keeping." Federal troops also used the building as a barracks. In April ! 865, Captain William F. Pell who commanded a company of state scouts in the county, wrote from Wirt Courthouse that "Since making my last report, the rebellion has been nearly buried no more to rise and peace seems once more to be dawning upon our land." After the war, activity at the courthouse resumed. In the first half of May 1910, several political debates and speeches were held here, and people from throughout Wilt County packed the building. Then came tragedy. At four am on Sunday morning, May 15, 1910, residents of Elizabeth were awakened by a flare of light, and before they could get out of bed the Win County Courthouse was engulfed in flames. Attention was given to getting two prisoners out of the burning building and to saving the county's records. The Parkersburg Sentinel recorded, "As soon as the fire became known there was a general outpouring of the people of the town and as there is no fire fighting apparatus there, every man constituted a fireman and many worked hard to save the records in the building. According to reports received here Sunday the entire effort of the populace was directed in the work of saving the records as nothing could be done to save the building." As the flames died out, all that remained of the structure were the walls. A headline from the Parkersburg Dispatch-News fittingly read, "Torch for the Wirt Court House; Temple of Justice is in Ashes." At first, the origin of the fire was believed to be human. Early reports noted the conflagration started in the coum'oom near the bench. A telegraph was sent calling for bloodhounds, but by the time they arrived so many people had been around the building, the dogs were unsuccessful in their search. One publication records that the prisoners started the fire during an effort to escape, but a week after the blaze, Judge Hunter Moss reported that he and a number of officials had done a thorough investigation and found no evidence of arson. According to the Parkersburg Daily State Journal, the building was 62 years old, and "its years of service had made it what might be called a shack, notwithstanding the fact that several thousand dollars was expended on it for repairs a year or tsyo ago." Almost immediately plans were made to erect a new courthouse in Elizabeth. Bids were accepted on Jan. 1, 1911, and the B. F. Smith Co. was awarded the contract. The cornerstone was laid by local masons on May 30, 1911, in what would be the largest gathering in the history of the community. According to a Parkersburg paper, "More people than have ever been in Elizabeth since the beginning of her Licensed and Insured WV045762 Call for Free Estimate! R structio history were present at the joint celebration of Memorial day and the laying of the comer stone of the new county court house yesterday. Visitors from the rural districts began to arrive at daybreak and by 12 o'clock the little village bore the air of a metropolis. From every house in town flags were streaming and in many places signs of welcome were posted. It was a gala day." Brief addresses were made by the president of the county court and a congressman, and then. the gathering adjourned for an hour and a half lunch. A procession then formed on court square and a parade one mile in length and composed of more than 500 people then commenced. Judge L. N. Tavenner, grand master of the ancient pre-exempted order of Masons in West Virginia, then delivered a lengthy address summarizing some of the county's history. The audience then adjourned to the northeast corner of the courthouse foundation where the cornerstone was laid. A copper casket containing a number of articles was placed in position in the cavity and enclosed by concrete. This building, which sits on a rectangular lot bounded by Court, Mulberry, Market and Washington streets, is a Neo-Classical Revival- style building. That description doesn't mean a whole lot to me, but I do know this is one of the most beautiful courthouses in the state of West Virginia. Judge Tavenner in his address delivered 100 years ago, stated, "The world owes Wirt County much; not only for the great material wealth with which it has benefited them, sending material light to the farthest portions of the globe, but for the characters she has sent forth, teachers, preachers, lawyers, farmers, merchants, business men of nerve." Wirt is the smallest county in West Virginia in terms of population. Along with Ohio and Clay, it also has the fewest letters of any county in the state. It is essential to note, however, that Wirt County has a distinguished past, a history of service to God, fellow man and country, and some of the kindest, most generous people found on the face of the earth. When I think of the four letters that make up the county's name, I think of the common characteristics I have found in its people: warm, industrious, resourceful and true. June 8, 2011" Wirt County Journal. Page 5 ! 2011 28, i,+; Elizabeth, WV 26143 . , ,'i, ,r.   , (00entennial Celebration Anyone Wishing a commemorative postmark of the Wirt County Courthouse's 100th birthday celebration may have items postmarked at the Elizabeth Post Office up to 60 days from the original date, which was May 28. Questions may be directed to the Elizabeth Post Office. E1 [za[ 4-HClub meets Elizabeth Earnest Workers 4.H Club held its monthly meeting May 17. Cookbooks and upcoming events were discussed. Members expressed their thanks to all business that bought advertisements for the 4-H cookbook. Many members have already sold pre-order certificates to raise funds for printing: Members expect the cookbooks to be available in July. Pre-order certificates are still available. Contact a member to buy a pre-order certificate. Heifer and lamb tagging will be June 11 from 8-10 a.m. Please bring your heifers and lambs to this tagging. You may have them weighed at the same time. Call 304.275.3101 or 304.273.2268 if you have any questions. 4-H Camp applications for June 26- 30 have been mailed. Members are asked to fill those out as soona s possible and send them in. Registration begins June 26 at 2 p.m. Upcoming events for Elizabeth Earnest Workers are as follows: trash pick-up will be June 7 at Wells Locks around 3:15 p.m. A cookout will be held June 14. Anyone interested in being a part of the Elizabeth Earnest Workers can contact the Wirt County Extension Office at 304.275.3101, Kathy Watkins at 304.275.8613 or Heather Hall at 304.354.0289. Reporter Troya F. Browning HEALTHY IDEAS (NAPS)--The National Chil- dren's Cancer Society revised its website and that of Beyond the Cure to make information about coping with a child's cancer more accessible. Learn more at www. theNCCS.org and www.beyond thecure.org or by calling 314-241- 1600. "Unsweetened truth" is a new commercial from truth, illustrat- ing the impact of smoking on health. The spot features six real people suffering from tobacco- related disabilities. For more information, visit www:thetruth. . " i i, " advancing technologies and the commitment of researchers to fol- lowing new clues are providing hope for those fighting cancer. That's the word from PhRMA-- com and www.legacyforhealth.org. This is a memorable day, as we commemorate a milestone in the Experts believe that rapidly more at www.PhRMA.org. history of this county, the centennial ............................. celebration of this unique and beautiful courthouse. And yet we also celebrate the people who live in this county, both today and in years gone by. As Judge Tavenner noted a century ago, Wirt County has produced a number of persons who made their mark on the world. But today we also acknowledge all the people who have worked through the years in so many different ways to make this county a better place. It is my hope that their labors will bear fruit and that Wirt County will continue to prosper and grow in the future. Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter. --Oscar Wilde Painting is easy when you don't know how but very dif- ficult when you do. --Edgar Degas the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. Learn Your Choice of Discounts 1. Buy One Pair From Regular Selection Get On Pair Free From Value Line Clear plastic lenses, SV or FT Bifocal Patient may upgrade to Trifocal or No Line Lenses 2.30% Off Frame and Lens Purchase Priced at regular frame & lens pricing 3. 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