The traffic on the Steubenville, Follansbee, Wellsburg and Weirton streetcars was suspended for five minutes in honor of Dohrman Sinclair, who died suddenly.  Sinclair was the key figure in persuading the Follansbee brothers to locate their mill locally.

Thousands came to pay their respects to the prominent manufacturer, who was described  “as a friend of the people.” The Follansbee Jefferson Glass Factory ceased operations and all of the employees attended the funeral.  Among the many beautiful floral wreaths around the casket were those from Follansbee’s Volunteer Fire Department and the S. Keighley Metal Ceiling & Manufacturing Co.

• Follansbee Review, “In Respect to the Late D.J. Sinclair,” August 13, 1915, front page.

The formal opening of the Follansbee Playgrounds took place last Saturday. The parade headed by the Citizens Band and Drum Corps opened the ceremonies involving several hundred people of all ages. All events were the efforts of the Follansbee Playgrounds Association and the Women’s Civic Club. The children’s parade was formed at 2 o’clock at the Mahan school on the corner of Main and State streets. Headed by the Follansbee band, the parade moved up Main street to Allegheny and on Allegheny to Jefferson and the playgrounds adjoining the Jefferson school. The band gave a concert and at 2:30 a large American flag was raised to the top of the flagpole while the crowd sang the national hymn “America.”   L. A. Diller, president of the Playgrounds Association, addressed the people telling why the playgrounds were installed by citizens interested in healthy, happy children and good citizenship. Before playgrounds were available, children  played in the streets, in garbage dumps, and vacant lots.

• Mill Town Review, “Parade to Inaugurate Opening of Playgrounds,” June 11, 1915, front page.

T.J. Mahan, first mayor of Follansbee, attended commencement exercises of Mt. Union College in Alliance, Ohio, this week. He was a student at that college fifty years ago. (Page 7)  The Mill Town Review reported that in June 1913, T.J. Mahan made an earlier trip to a commencement at Mt. Union with Mrs. Mahan and daughter, Miss Neil, and son, Stewart stopping over at Wooster and Alliance. The 1913 journey was made by auto.

• Mill Town Review, June 20, 1913, Page 5

In an interview with eyewitness Anna Riska (age 101), she recalled a popular bathing beach along the river in East Steubenville, just north of Follansbee.  A June 1915 issue of the city newspaper reported a beach being built by a local swimming club in the La Belle oil field north of town, verifying Ms. Riska’s recollection.

• Anna Riska, telephone interview, June 2008.
• Follansbee Review, “Bathing Beach,” June 11, 1915, front page.
• Follansbee Review, (See “Personal & Local” section, June 18, 1915, p. 8.

The local newspaper advertised the event as a chance “for Boys and Girls to make some money.” On Saturday morning, May 22, 1915, from 9 until 12, the Ladies Civic Club paid any boy or girl five cents for every 50 tin cans gathered from the alleys and back lots of the city.   The kids had to bring the cans to the City Building where a wagon was available to carry them away.  The boy or girl bringing the most cans received a special prize.  The officers of the Civic Club, Mrs. J. K. Reed and Mrs. H. B. Mahan were in attendance to pay the kids. “Tin Can Day” was organized with the aim of cleaning up the town.  The message behind the occasion was simply that “Clean towns make better boys and girls” and better kids make better citizens.  Thousands of tin cans were gathered.   Bert Sabol received the prize for getting the most cans, having a total of 2,300.  Many other boys had 1,000 cans or more.  “Vacant lots, back yards and even the dumping grounds were thoroughly ransacked for cans.”   Tin Can Day presents a picture of what the city was like in 1915 before stricter trash regulations.   In fact the city paper reported that the cans collected by the Civic Club were hauled away and dumped over the riverbank.   In June, the Board of Health recommended that the City secure a sanitary wagon for George Black, the city garbage collector, and that citizens not be permitted to throw garbage into the alleys.

• Mill Towns Review, Saturday, Tin Can Day, May 21, front page.
• Mill Towns Review, “Thousands of Tin Cans Taken Away,” May 28, 1915, p. 4.
• Follansbee Review, “Garbage Wagon,” June 18, 1915, p. 10.

The Follansbee Post Office reported that a number of foreign money orders issued in the city went down with the Lusitania. The Lusitania was sunk by a German U boat off the coast of Ireland. The Mill Towns Review reported that the money orders would be reissued.  A common practice among immigrant families living in town was to send money back home.

On May 7, 1915 a German U Boat sank the Lusitania in 20 minutes killing 1,959 passengers including 128 Americans.  Public opinion in the US began to turn against Germany gradually resulting in the US declaring war against Germany on April 6, 1917.  See events regarding Follansbee boys going to war during 1917-1918 including letters they mailed home on this timeline.

• Mill Towns Review, “Review of the Week,” May 21, 1915, p. 5.

The four graduates from High School were Ethel May Cash, Elva Mae Petticord, Greta Darris Cale, and George W. Boyd.  The fourth annual Commencement exercise was held at the Presbyterian Church.   The following day a High School picnic took place at Waugh’s Dam, Buffalo Creek.

• Mill Towns Review, “Four Graduates,” May 21, 1915, front page.
• Mill Towns Review, “The Commencement,” May 28, 1915, p. 8.

A traffic ordinance was passed last Saturday at the regular session of city council.   The ordinance was voluminous and covered every phase of street traffic. City Solicitor Ramsay drafted the document.   The ordinance fixed speed limit, for motor vehicles at not greater than 10 miles per hour along Main street and 15 miles per hour on other streets but only 7 miles per hour at all crossings. The rules of the road included passing, turning, stopping, standing and starting of vehicles in the streets: signals and horns, right of way, speed, control of horses and vehicles, respective rights and duties of drivers and pedestrians, and lights on vehicles.

• Mill Town Review, “Traffic Ordinance in Effect,” May 28, 1915, front page.

The tenth anniversary of the First Presbyterian Church in Follansbee was celebrated on June 6, 1915.  Thos. C. Pears, Jr., was the residing pastor in 1915.

A list of the founding membership of the First Presbyterian Church in Follansbee was printed in the Follansbee Review the following June of 1915.  The list begins with William Able and continues with the names of some of the most distinguished families in the history of Follansbee.

Founding members of Presbyterian Church

Please click here for a link to see names of founding members of the Presbyterian Church.

• Mill Town Review, ”Church Anniversary,” April 9, 1915, front page.
• Mill Town Review, “Church Anniversary,” June 11, 1915, p 4.

The present charter governing the city was ten years old and outgrown by the booming town.   The new charter nullified the certificate of incorporation granted by the circuit court of Brooke County ten years earlier.   Among others matters, the new charter noted that the municipal authorities shall consist of a mayor and six councilmen, two from each ward, who with the city attorney, chief of police, city clerk, and treasurer, shall be elected for a term of two years.

• Mill Towns Review, “Provided for in House Bill No. 101..,” February 12, 1915, p. front page.