As part of the annual Jubilee to raise funds for the city, the Virginia Avenue speedway featured the best motorists in the local area.  The race began at the intersection of Alleghany Street and extended eight blocks down Virginia Avenue.   Records were established for brick pavement speeding. Virginia Avenue was roped off at noon, two hours practice was allowed as contestants and the starters prepared for the program beginning at 2 p.m. “Several thousand saw the races, which were in pairs and against time.” Fans crowded the sidewalks and yards of local home owners. George Irish was in charge of the race program.   The Herald Star reported the results.

• Side Car Race  —  5 cars entered.  3 in finals; Thompson of Wheeling the winner.
• Motorcycle Solo Race —   10 machines entered.   2 machines in each heat, best two out of three heats.   Cheshire of Wheeling first;  Oakes of Wellsburg second: Thompson of Wheeling third.  Cheshire and Oakes rode Harley-Davidsons and Thompson rode a Henderson.
• Heavy Cars — Kincade in a Nash was first in 28 seconds.   Jacobs of Wheeling took second place in an Oakland.  Sabol of Follansbee in a Hupmobile was third.    Metcalf of Steubenville in a Velie took fourth place.
• Race For Ford Cars — Harris of Wellsburg beat J. Schwertfeger of Follansbee by one quarter of a second over the half mile course. Harvey of Wellsburg was third.

• Steubenville Herald Star, “Prize Winners of Big Auto Race…,”  September 22, 1919.  p 4.

A list of teachers for the Follansbee Schools was reported in the Steubenville paper as follows:

Follansbee High School — Martha Cox and Helen Smith.

Mahan School — William C. Hood (Principal); Teachers — Elizabeth Bowers, Virginia Walker, Ruth Sharpe, Bertha Simpson, Rose Care, Lynette Ray, Marie Jackson, and Hilda Marshall.

Jefferson School — Edward Carter (Principal); Teachers — Alice Tarr, Margaret Fegan, Anna Lewis, Lenora Mahan, Nellie Lantz, Sarah Thompson, Winfield Evans, Louise Englehardt, Esther Care and Lilleth Jackson.

Colliers schools — Elzie Scott (Principal); Teachers — Bertha Beatty, Florence Wolfe Scott and Janet Williams.

• Steubenville Herald Star, “Follansbee – School Teachers Announced,” July 24, 1919, p.7

Boxing was popular in all Ohio Valley towns.   Employees of the local street car company held outdoor boxing contests every afternoon and evening. A number of new sets of gloves were purchased.  The Herald Star reported that the car men hoped to have a champion represent them in the Wheeling Boxing Clubs.  Boxing in Follansbee occurred in various places including the Street Car Barn just north of town near the current Follansbee Plaza. The goal of local boxers was to enter competition in Wheeling or at the Mingo Boxing Club.  During the early 1920s, notable Follansbee boxers and enthusiasts were Jack Dear, Jack Dessing, Andy and George Sabol, Lynden Sanders, Harry Briggs, “Sap” Ducey and Jimmie Lohr.

Photo believed to be picturing the Sabol brothers Andy and George, circa 1918

• Steubenville Herald Star, “Follansbee,” July 6, 1919, p. 5.
• Steubenville Herald Star, “Follansbee,” October 1, 1919, p. 6.
• Steubenville Herald Star, ” XMAS DAY BOXING CARD ANNOUNCED BY MINGO BOXING CLUB,” December 13, 1919, p. 3.

During 1919 the Follansbee Tanks football club represented the city in a number of bitter and hard fought games reported in the Herald Star. The Tanks were organized at a July meeting held in Dave Jones’ pool rooms on Main Street.  The meeting was attended by 30 candidates. Jones was chosen to manage the independent club.  Other officers elected were William Lohr (temporary captain), Windsor Davis (secretary), and George Irish (treasurer).   George Irish was also involved in planning the motorcycle and auto races that occurred during the city’s Jubilee celebrations.

Among the candidates for the team (some first names unidentified) were  known players: Dessine Lohr, Ken Millington, Ceil Shank, “Red” Jones, Jack Dear, Lloyd Findley, Harry Grimm, Cox, McCroney, Albert Millington, Davie Morgan, Kesarda, Warren Jones, Byron Phillions, West, and Beck.

The Tanks played their home games at the Duquesne Street field.  While records no longer exists for the Tanks season, the Herald Star reported the results of some of the hard fought and hard luck Tank contests as follows:

• Tanks 30 Steubenville Shamrocks 0     (home)
• Tanks 0  Wellsburg Imperials 6
• Tanks 0   Toronto Tigers 0                       (Played during Solider Homecoming Celebration)
• Tanks 0   Martins Ferry Capital Inns  7  (away)
• Tanks 6   Wellsville Anthers  20               (away)
• Tanks 0   Steubenville Acme 0                  (home)
• Tanks 0   Steubenville Acme 31                 (away)
• Tanks 6   Wellsburg Imperials 13

• Steubenville Herald Star, “Follansbee Organized for Football,” July 22, 1919, p. 6.
• Steubenville Herald Star, “Follansbee Tanks Lost Game to Wellsville Club,” October 27, 1919,  p. 8.
• Steubenville Herald Star, “Blakleys After The Hub,” October 5, 1921, p. 8.

A meeting was held at the High School building on Alleghany street in Follansbee to discuss the Federal/State plan to consolidate the nations rural schools. The final age had come for one-room schools in the Cross Creek District. The small schools had long served as a center for the rural communities, a place where social groups met and local civic events occurred. Folks identified the schools as the location where they lived, like Rockdale, Tent Church and Louise. The teachers were often former students of the school themselves. They would arrive early during winter and get a fire started in the old potbelly stove. A single teacher taught academic studies to all grades. Twenty segregated rural schools were active in the Cross Creek District, three served colored residence.

An informal survey of the various communities suggested that a majority of folks favored consolidation. The one big concern was the bad roads, making it difficult to transport the pupils by wagon or autobus. Others who opposed the plan did so principally because they were not familiar with graded schools, being themselves educated by one teacher for all grades. The new plan called for a teacher for every grade in bigger schools.

Next to Follansbee, Colliers was the second largest community in the Cross Creek District. Elza Scott, principal of the Collier’s school, was one of the key speakers. He noted that Collier’s citizens were in favor of consolidating schools provided Colliers was given one of the schools. Mr. Scott instructed the 7^th and 8^th grades and the first year of high school. At Colliers, “The advanced high school pupils were sent to the Steubenville high school, traveling back and forth by train.” The new State plan called for transporting all high school pupils to a new school building to be constructed in Follansbee.

In regard to the new high school, L. L. Friend, State Supervisor of High Schools, impressed on the people that the new consolidated high school would be called “Cross Creek District High School.” He added that folks should “get away from the idea of Follansbee High School.” Friend also stressed that there should be no stopping place short of the fourth year in the high school. In other words, students should attend school continuous from 8^th grade into the high school grades without interruption. Attendance was compulsory for children between 7 and 14 in accordance with the child labor law. Children between 14 and 16 were also required to attend school if not working at a regular occupation at least 6 hours a day. If working, they were required to attend night school at least 20 weeks in a school year. Special provisions were made for children who must help on the farms. See 1916 – The Child Labor Law.

The State consolidation plan called for abandoning about ten of the district’s rural schools, and transporting the lower grades to schools in Colliers and Follansbee. The pupils of Morton school and schools in the coal mining areas near Colliers would be taken to a new school building in Colliers.

The Good Will and Tent Church schools, except those living conveniently near Colliers, would be brought to Follansbee’s Jefferson School. The rural schools of the Cross Creek valley – Louise, Rockdale, Cliftonville, Scott’s Run, Ebenezer and Fairy Glen – would be bussed to Mahan School in lower Follansbee.

Among those preset at the district meeting were state and district educators. The rural schools were represented by George Pfister – Rockdale, Mr. Patterson – Good Will, C.G. Reeves – Hope Farm, Mr. Amspoker – Scotts Run, T. B. Downey – Ebenezer, Mrs. Williamson – Morton, and Mr. Campbell – Fairy Glen.

While the consolidation plan began with the construction of Cross Creek District High School at Follansbee 1922, some one room schools continued to operate into the 1930s.

• Follansbee Review, “Consolidation of District Schools,” March 14, 1919, p 1.
• Follansbee Review, “Consolidate School by Federal & State Aid…” March 28, 1919, p 1.
• See Also online, “Biennial Report of the State Superintendent of Free Schools of W.Va. for the Year Ending June 30, 1920, p. 157.

The game of football in the late teens and 1920s was nothing like it is today, especially  small town athletic club and high school football. All players played both offensive and defensive positions. The ball was snapped at the spot of the tackle. There were no inbounds hash marks.   This created interesting sideline formations and difficult acute angled field goal attempts.  The ball was more round in shape making passing difficult.   However, the round shape of the ball encouraged the use of drop kicking, an element of the game no longer present today.  Fields were frequently rough, often without grass, muddy, and badly marked.  Games were played during daylight since field lighting was not available for evening events. Conditioning was limited to learning the formations for offense and defense, tackling, running interference, and scrimmaging.  For home games, high schools picked their own referees, which resulted in fights and games being protested. The independent athletic clubs and high school teams scrimmaged each other and against mill teams. Players bought their own equipment.  Most local boys worked in the steel mills or coal mines. High school schedules were usually better organized and predictable.  The independent Athletic Clubs that represented Follansbee varied from year to year. They frequently organized their games based on the availability of local fields and opponents. Their success depended upon being sponsored by businesses such as pool halls.

In Follansbee, football and baseball games were played at Pastime Park and Duquesne Street fields.  During the city’s early era, Duquesne Street field was also known as Glass House Field or Bush Field.   It was located just south of present Duquesne Street.

The Herald Star reported that Follansbee people celebrated the peace news on Monday night, with a whopping big parade, in which everybody turned out, bands, Red Cross, etc.  So many were in the parade that there was no audience.

“Follansbee celebrated the end of the war with as patriotic a celebration as any town in the US last Monday.” About 4:30 a.m. the whittles up and down the valley began blowing and continued intermittently all day long.   Work in the mills was suspended when workers heard that a armistice had been signed.  All city businesses closed.  The rejoicing took possession of everyone.  A parade was announced for 1:00 p.m. being led by the Citizens Band.  Hundreds, yea, thousands marched the streets or rode in autos.  The Stars and Stripes and British, French and Italian flags were displayed from autos, houses and carried in hand; horns tooted and guns fired.  Following the parade, public out door speaking was held at the Penn-Main street pavilion.  During the evening crowds went to Steubenville to join the celebration there.  “Follansbee turned out 100 percent, some claimed, there were so many in the parade that there was no audience.”  In every town in the Ohio Valley, huge crowds came out, Church bells and Mill whistles rang out.  City bands led parades in celebration of the great victory of the world war.

• Steubenville Herald Star, “Follansbee,” Nov. 12, 1918, p. 2
•   Follansbee Review, “Victory Day Observed.,” Nov. 15, 1918, p. 1.

As the final massive German offensive on the Western front began in the Spring 1918, demands for medical and surgical supplies in Follansbee became critical as hospital provisions were going to Europe. Regulations for food distribution were also in effect in Follansbee.

The Follansbee Review published letters from soldiers at the front.  Here are some excerpts from their letters:

Private John P. Dear wrote from camp Sheridan and said, “So while the ruthless subjector is whining for peace, let’s give no rest but drive him and his thoughtless cohort on until he cries mercy.  Let us not falter but keep the wheels of war in progress.  Let’s hope for Peace but pray for Victory.”

“I’ve only been back from my tricks in the trenches a few days. Some Place — those trenches.  Plenty of mud and water, knee deep in some places.  Rats by the thousands and to make it more interesting – a Rocho bullet or shrapnel or gas is liable to come over any time and knock you off.  Don’t let anyone kid you into thinking that the front line trenches is a safe place.  They don’t know what they are talking about.  I’ve experienced all this but imagine it is only a taste of what is to come.  The Spring drive is on and no one knows what will happen.”  Cecil Lusk, May 3, 1918.

“I want to tell you that we hold the honor of being the first Americans to go over the top – that was on the 28^th day of May when we captured a small town by the name of Cantigny…. I have been over the top three times, the 1^st two times I came through fine.  Fritz had my number the last time, but I sure got my share of them before they got me.”     Corp. James R. Stewart.  Aug. 5, 1918.

 “On the fourth of July, I saw two planes brought down….The machine guns and antiaircraft guns were banging away and all of a sudden the plane started for the ground, careening all the way down.  The pilot was hit in the head and his body was half buried in the ground when he was found…. One of our boys has the pilot’s helmet, all blood stained, full of brains, and pierced by shrapnel.” 

“It was during the changing of troops in the first line that the Germans started throwing over mustard gas.  The three kinds of gas used are mustard, that burns like fire and greatly affects the eyes; then phosgene (gas) that turns the lungs into water; and chlorine…. They sure hit them hard, and they were just being relieved.  I never worked harder than on that day.  We worked for about 12 hours without a rest, only 25 minutes for two meals.  In that time I lifted by myself over two hundred men from a table to a litter, weighing any place from 100 to 250 pounds.”   Dick Cattell, Sep. 13, 1918. 

During the week of October 15, deaths included:  Joseph Cassidy, near Tent church of pneumonia, Mrs. Murgaret Soffolette, aged 30, of pneumonia, Sofia Settinio, aged 10 months, of pneumonia, Nick Paula, aged 41, of pneumonia, Louis Rosarte, age 38, Tony Petica, aged 24, of pneumonia, Ross Debies, aged 35, of pneumonia, Mrs. David Rees, aged 44, of heart trouble.

Earlier, in the fall of 1911, an epidemic of diphtheria swept through town. Twenty cases were reported alone in the month of October.

• Steubenville Herald Star, “Follansbee,” October 15, 1918, p. 6
• Steubenville Herald Star, “Follansbee,” December 17, 1915, p. 11

While World War I raged on, the first funeral for a city boy was honored.   The remains of William Heidenreich, who died at a naval hospital, were brought home.  Services were held at St. Anthony Church.  The pastor Henry Parascandolas conducted the service. Many friends followed the body to church from his home to view the remains dressed in a marine uniform. The funeral procession was led by a citizen band that played the funeral march. The cortege passed through town.  The floral pieces were carried in the city fire truck. Following the funeral car were members of the Royal Neighbors lodge and the Amalgamated lodge of Follansbee. Interment occurred at Brooke cemetery in Wellsburg. There were no public cemeteries in Follansbee in 1916.

• Follansbee Review, “Funeral of William Heidenreich,” June 28, 1918.