Orlando Steward Mahan, son of Thomas Mahan, died of heart problems.  He was born in 1895 at the Mahan homestead, around which the town of Follansbee was later formed. He attended public schools at Follansbee and was in the first graduating class from Follansbee High School in 1912.  Later he took a graduate course in Steubenville High School.  His interest in automobiles led to his becoming part owner of the Allegheny street garage.  He was a member of the First Presbyterian church of Follansbee.

• Steubenville Herald Star, “Death Roll,” September 7, 1922, p. p.6.

The corner stone of the new Cross Creek District High School was laid by the Masonic Fraternity. The ceremony was conducted by the Wellsburg Lodge No. 1 with a big turnout of members from Follansbee and Wellsburg.  Led by the Knights of Pythias band, a parade marched up Main Street to the high school building just north of Mark Avenue in the La Belle addition.   An impressive ritualistic service of the Masons occurred while Grand Master Samuel J. Spears, of Elkins, and local lodge officers laid the stone.  The contents of the box placed in the stone included a copy of the bond issue that provided for the construction of the school.  Also included were copies of the Follansbee Review and Wheeling newspapers, names of the Board of Education members, names of the high school students, copies of the 1919 welcome reception program for returning soldiers from World War I, and a history of the Cross Creek district. The stone was put into place as the band played “A Perfect Day.”  Speeches were delivered by A. F. Young, district superintendent of schools, C. A. Schwertfeger, president of the District Board of Education, and Dr. D. J. Steiner member of the board. The inscription on the corner stone reads: “Laid by the Masonic Fraternity 1922.”

Follansbee High School, photo courtesy of Mayor’s office Follansbee.

Elza Scott, Principal of the Colliers schools, completed arrangements for the transportation of pupils form Colliers to the new Cross Creek District High School (Follansbee High School) each morning and evening. Pupils from the Tent and Goodwill schools were also being transported. Mr. Blosser of Follansbee agreed to furnish the bus transportation. This was the first project of its kind launched in Brooke County.

Homer S. Bodley; Follansbee High Principal and Football Trainer

• Follansbee Review, “Modern High School Building at Follansbee,” September 1, 1922, front page.
• Follansbee Review, “Plans to Transport Rural Pupils to H.S.,” September 1, 1922, p.1..

Of the 149 enrolled, 44 were born in town, 13 born in Wellsburg, 67 were born in other states, and 5 were born in other countries.   The figures suggest the large influx of families moving to Follansbee for employment.   It also indicates that the foreign born residents did not attend school, but worked in the mills and coal mines struggling to help their families.

The ethnic population included numerous foreign groups. Italians made up a large percentage.  Others came from Central Europe including the Hungarian families of Andy Banfi, Frank Chorba, George Chunokie, Joe Huszar, and John Balga.

On July 17, a deadly gun battle broke out between miners and mine guards at the Richland Coal Company’s Mine at Cliftonville up Cross Creek.  Official reports put the dead at nine, however, later research indicates that the death toll might have been higher.   Brooke County Sheriff, Harding H. Duval, was among those killed.   All other deaths were union miners.

Events began on July 16 when striking miners met at the union hall in Avella, Pa.  Determined to rid non-union workers, the men marched four miles to the Cliftonville mine. Responding to word of the assault, Duvall and 20 deputies joined the company guards at the mine.  The strikers burned the tipple.  “In the aftermath, 216 men were indicted, 78 of them for murder.” The charges were reduced or dropped as the trials progressed.  Thirty men were sentenced to various short terms in prison.

During the trials, a number of Follansbee residents served as jury members or tentative jurors including: Benjamin Coombs, electrician, Fred Lantz, mill worker, and George Park, hardware merchant.   Area Italian organizations asked the Italian consular agent for West Virginia, Attorney B. Merendino, to arrange bonds for the Italian miners.

Hand cuffed minors taken to jail in Wellsburg

• See “Cliftonville Mine Battle,”  http://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/1312
• Steubenville Herald Star, “Jury Views Spot Where Many Died,” October 25, 1922, front page.
• Follansbee Review, “Miners Fire The Tipple,” July 21, 1922, front page.
• Follansbee Review, “Charges of First Degree Murder Against 78 Men,” Aug. 18, 1922, front page.

Over 1,200 fans saw a tragedy during a baseball game between Pastime A.C. and Weirton Gladiators.  Louis Oliverio, age 48, fatally wounded John Kallapka, age 27, a Weirton craneman, while Kallapka was sitting in the grass. Oliverio looked into the face of the victim and shouted that he shot the wrong man. The wounded man was examined by a physician who was attending the game.  It was determined that Kallapka could not live but a few minutes.  He was taken to the James Funeral Home where he gained consciousness for just a moment asking why the man shot him.  Oliverio, who operated a pool room and soft drink establishment on Main Street, was overpowered by Police Chief Lee Chambers and Deputy Sheriff Ben Phillips of Colliers. After questioning Oliverio, it was learned that he planned to shoot his brother-in-law who was sitting near Kallapka. Louis Oliverio was taken to Weston for psychological testing and discharged.  He was placed in the Brooke County jail where he attempted to escape.   He was later tried for murder.     Chief of Police Lee Chambers. Photo taken in 1937.

• Follansbee Review,  “Fatal Shooting at Base Ball Park,” August 4, 1922, front page.
• Follansbee Review, “Will be Tried for Murder,” December15, 1922, p. 12.

Large placards were up around town announcing the opening of the Ohio Valley Inter City League at Follansbee.   A parade of all boosters was scheduled followed by brief exercises at Pastime Park.  An Italian band of 35 pieces furnished the music.  To accommodate the crowds that flocked the ballpark, boating, and bathing beach, the Pastime Club built a strong bridge over the Allegheny street run.   Old city fire hose was taken to the field and placed along the first and third base foul lines. A jubilee was being planned by the Pastime Club for Saturday, August 19, for the benefit of the bathing beach and baseball team.   Fifty-nine booster members were working to organize events.   The beach and ball club were both being operated at a loss.   The beach was turned over to the entire community immediately upon its completion in 1919.  Everything was given to the citizens free of charge.  Thousands of visitors from nearby communities enjoyed the park each year.

• Follansbee Review, “Pastimes-LaGrange,” May 5, 1922.
• Follansbee Review, “Jubilee by Pastime Club August 19…,”  August 4, 1922.

Few citizens today are aware of the once remarkable bathing beach on the Ohio River shore at Follansbee. Locals from surrounding communities took the trolleys to enjoy the park.   Many ethnic groups used the park for celebrations.   A number of prominent citizens had cabins there.   The Follansbee High School football games were held at the park until 1927.  The Follansbee Pastime baseball team played games in the Ohio Valley Inter-City league there.  The Follansbee Blakley Athletic Club scheduled football and baseball games there as well.  Hundreds of Sunday School picnics, family reunions, and lodge outings were held, with thousands of visitors attending each year.  There were bath houses for men and women, picnic tables and benches and a small concession stand. The park had a bandstand for concerts.   There were boat docks and a diving raft in the swimming area. The park even employed life guards.   Duke, the city mascot and fire dog, was buried there in 1920.  (See Timeline Oct. 1920 – “Duke”)

Pastime Park was located behind the current City Firehouse and James Funeral Home.  During the 1930s, many of Follansbee’s citizens had small gardens in the park area. The park land was loaned to the community by the Follansbee Brothers and originally maintained by the Pastime Athletic club.  Organized in 1919, the club held jubilees and benefits to operate the park including attracting and scheduling events. For years, Al Carey and family acted as the guardians for the Pastime Park and beach during each summer until driven from their tent by chilly weather.

During July 4, 1921, the Herald Star reported that the Pastime bathing beach entertained more people than any resort of its size along the Ohio River.  According to the Pastime Athletics Club, it was estimated that at least 5,000 people visited the beach. Hundreds brought baskets and picnicked in the grove. Several small yachts were busy all day carrying picnickers here from Steubenville, Mingo and Wellsburg. Pastime Park faded away in the late 1930s as a result of river pollution, the expansion of the mills and the creation of a new public park and pool.

 
Rare insight into daily life at 1920’s Pastime Park-WV Archives

• Steubenville Herald Star, June 22, 1921, p. 5
• Gerald “Peck” Blakley, Oral Interview, July, 2008
• Follansbee Review,  “Jubilee by Pastime Club August 19,” May 4, 1922
• Steubenville Herald Star, “Follansbee,” July 5, 1921, p. 9.

Plans to built a new railroad station on State Street near the river were underway.   The Follansbee Review reported that the city needed a new “freight depot and passenger station.”  With several passenger trains stopping each day, and extensive freight business passing through, the two old dining cars used as a depot were inadequate.

• Follansbee Review, “Will New Station be Built …,”  January 27, 1922, front page.

Before radio, city residents went to Steubenville to watch the world’s series games played on two boards in front of the Herald Star newspaper office.  The street was blocked off to accommodate thousands of fans as the games were telegraphed to the newspaper and the base runners were displayed mechanically on large boards.  It was customary for the Herald Star to lease the Associated Press wire service that connected directly to the ball parks. In October 1919, inning by inning action was also posted at Ratcliffe’s confectionary in Follansbee.   The Herald Star published an extra issue with all the stories and summaries of the games and had it on the streets a few minutes after each game.

• Steubenville Herald Star, “Watching Series,” October 8, 1921, p. 11.
• Follansbee Review, October 7, 1919, p. 10
• Steubenville Herald Star, October 2, 1919, p. 9

Several foreign citizens received what they termed “black hand extortion letters.”  One man by the name of Angelo, employed at the open hearth, displayed a letter demanding that $5,000 be placed at a certain spot or his life would be taken.   The intended victims did not report their cases to the authorities, but merely among their friends.   Consequently, the officers had nothing definite upon which to work.

• Steubenville Herald Star,  “Follansbee News,” October 7, 1921, p. 14.