1912 – The School’s Blue & White Colors

References have been made that the famous “Blue Boy” painting that was a fixture at the high school was a factor in making the decision. The colors were chosen during an early 1912 high school meeting involving students and teachers. Senior Stewart Mahan proposed the blue/white colors and Mildred Wood seconded the motion. Peck Blakley, whose mother was in the 1912 class, recalled her telling him, “the colors were taken from the popular Yale University football team’s blue and white uniforms.”

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  1912, photo courtesy of- Follansbee Review

 

 

 

 

 

  • Gerald “Peck” Blakley, Oral interview, Follansbee, July 2011.

1912 – Steubenville-Follansbee Professional Baseball Team

The Steubenville-Follansbee Stubs minor league professional baseball club played in the Ohio-Pennsylvania league which existed from 1905-1912. In 1912, the Stubs represented both cities and their home games were played at Ferguson Filed just north of town. The team manager was Gene (Eugene) Holmes Curtis (1883-1919). Curtis also briefly managed the Follansbee Athletic Association baseball team of 1916.  His minor league baseball career began in 1903 playing for numerous teams including the Wheeling Stogies. He was primarily a leftfielder. His final season was with the Erie Sailors in 1910. Gene Curtis attended West Virginia University. He died in Steubenville and is buried in the Brooke Cemetery, Wellsburg, WV.  The Steubenville-Follansbee Stubs was an extension of a Steubenville professional club organized in 1905.

1911 & 1913- Welsh Lads Baseball and Football Teams

One of the earliest city athletic teams was the “Welsh Lads.”  Their name reflects the large number of Welsh families who build the Steel Mill.   In 1911 the Welsh Lads baseball team participated in the Follansbee City League. Their line-up included the following:  G. Heckman (MF), Lindell, (1st), Eschenbaugh (L), Radcliffe (3d), J. Jones (SS), Holland (2nd), Craigh (RF), Claypool (C), and  W. Blakley (P).

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Welsh Lads, circa 1910.  Photo courtesy of 1911 Mill Towns Review newspaper.

 

 

 

 

 

stephens_scorekeeper James Stephens, 1911 City League scorekeeper & manager of Welsh Lads Football team.
 
 

 

 

 

Sep. 26, 1913 – The Welsh Lads also had a football team and decided to reorganize their team after a year’s layoff.  James Stephens, who had successfully piloted the Lads team through three previous seasons during 1909-1911, continue as manager of the Welsh Lads football team.

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  • Mill Towns Review, “Follansbee City League – Wednesday’s Game Welch Lads Vs. Office,” July 21, 1911, p. 1
  • Mill Town Review, “Organize Foot Ball,” Sep. 26, 1913, p. 1.

1911 – Follansbee’s Newspaper

Initially called the Mill Towns Review, the city newspaper began publishing in 1911.   Its editor was Edward Hopkins, who was president of the Follansbee Publishing Company.     On May 1, 1913, C. B. Robertson took over the editorship of the paper.  The Mill Towns Review was issued every Friday. Its slogan was “Independent Politically –But Not Neutral.”   In 1914, the Mill Towns Review promoted itself with a “Missing Word Contest” for thirteen weeks with great success.  Folks had to find the omitted word in one of the paper’s ads.  The person finding the greatest number of missing words won a $40 prize.   The paper completed its fourth year on May 28, 1915.  On Friday, June 4, 1915 the name of the paper changed to The Follansbee Review, with C. B. Robertson continuing as editor and publisher.   By 1927 George S. Hahne had become Editor and Publisher of the paper.   A July 1941 issue identified George S. Hahne and John R. Ryan as publishers, with Ryan acting as Managing Editor.   The paper was hailed as the official Democratic newspaper of Brooke County.  In December 1951, Raymond and Mary Mester were listed as the publishers, Mary was Editor.

The West Virginia University and the State of West Virginia Archives have preserved old issues of the Mill Towns Review and Follansbee Review.  The Brooke County Library Genealogy Room (Wellsburg) also has some copies on microfilm.  In addition, special funding from Washburn University in Kansas, has made it possible for the general public to access past issues of the newspaper through the interlibrary loan system available at public Libraries, including the Steubenville Public Library.

  • Mill Towns Review, “Contest is Attracting Great …Attention,” December 12, 1913, front page.
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Missing Word Contest Ad published in Mill Towns Review, January 1914.

1910 – First High School Football Game

Many locals tell of the first Follansbee High football team that had only 11 players. One of their first opponents was Mingo Junction. George Hubbs, who would later coach the All American Walter “Red” Mahan at Follansbee in 1920, coached the first Follansbee squad. His duties included teaching and doubling as coach. In those days, the players bought their own uniforms and protective equipment such as noise guards and shin guards. Chauncey Jacobs, was the Mingo coach. He later came to Follansbee and became superintendent in the local school district.  The Follansbee boys paid their own way across the river on the Mingo Ferry. During the game, one of the Follansbee lads was injured. The team continued with ten players.  Fights broke out on the side lines and the teams joined in. The referees penalized the Follansbee boys and gave the game to Mingo. Unable to pay for the return ferry ride, the players walked across the Wabash railroad bridge in order to get home.

  • “History of Follansbee, West Virginia: diamond anniversary,” Eura Cox Ulrich McIntosh, ed.,  (Walsworth Publishing, 1984), p. 41

1909 – Church Of The Good Shepherd Organized

The contents of a two-page handwritten letter by the Rev. James D. Gibson, first rector of the Follansbee Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, recalled the beginnings of the church. The letter was given to the Rt. Rev. R. E. L. Strider, then Bishop Coadjutor of the Diocese of West Virginia by Rev. Gibson’s widow.

The actual date when the letter was written was not indicated, but assumed to be 1912. A 1938 issue of the Follansbee Review reported the contents and the circumstances of the letter to the public.  The founding of the Good Shepherd Church as told in Rev. Gibson’s letter, is summarized below.

Rev. James D. Gibson took charge of the Wellsburg church on Sept. 12, 1909. Up until this time a few of the communicants from Follansbee had been attending church in Wellsburg.  However, no organized work for a Follansbee church was being done.  Rev. H.H. Phelps, who preceded Mr. Gibson occasionally conducted cottage prayer meeting in Follansbee, and Bishop Gravatt had preached there in the Methodist Church, in July 1909.

The official beginning of the Follansbee Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd began with Rev. James D. Gibson as its first rector.  While visiting Follansbee in Sept. 12, 1909, he found a much larger number of communicants than had been realized.  In January 1910 he began the organization of a congregation.  A Sunday school was started on the last Sunday in January, with twenty persons present.  The following Sunday the attendance rose to 37 and much enthusiasm was shown.

“An application signed by 22 communicants was sent to the Bishop Peterkin, requesting the creation of a mission known as the Mission of the Good Shepherd in Follansbee. The Bishop promised at least $200 on a church building.  The Follansbee Brothers, well known for supporting local churches, donated a lot at 930 lower Neville street.

On February 22, 1910, at the home of Mrs. J.P. Dailey, 19 ladies met, and with help from Mrs. Baxter, of Wellsburg, and Mr. Gibson, the Good Shepard Guild was created. M. W. H.  Williams was elected president; Mrs. Dungan, vice-president; Mrs. Stump, secretary, and Mrs. Gough, treasurer. Twenty-eight ladies were enrolled as members.  The communicants at Follansbee numbered about 50 and the future was bright.”

The story of the Good Shepard Church in more recent years was printed in the Weirton Daily Times in 1967.   The link to the article is indicated. Click here  Good Shepard.

*Follansbee Review, “Interesting Letter In Parish Records,” Jan. 6, 1938.

*Weirton Daily Times, “Church of the Good Shepherd Founded in Brooke In 1910,” May 27, 1967, p.9.

*Dictionary definition of communicant refers to any person who is in good standing from the Constitution and Canons of The Episcopal Church.

The Church of the Good Shepherd sermons took place in this building on Neville Street.

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1909 – First Nickelodeon Movie House Begins Operations

Jess Thomas was granted a license to operate a Nickelodeon with the provision to pay a tax of $200 a year.  Nickelodeons were very popular from 1900 to1914.  They were usually located in converted storefronts. They featured short films of ten to fifteen minutes in length, popular songs, side shows and lectures.  It usually cost a nickel for a ticket, thus the name Nickelodeons.  It was the major venue where people went to see movies until more comfortable movie theaters showing feature length films began to appear.

1908 – Follansbee Football Team Is State Champs

Ms. Emma Cross Stoneking did research and found information about the Thistle Athletic Club football team of 1908.  A picture of the team appeared in the Pittsburg Dispatch newspaper. The Dispatch description reads as follows: “Follansbee football team, which claims the lightweight title of West Virginia for the season of 1908, won seven and tied one in eight played.”  The team was reorganized in September 1908. William Holland was elected manager and Thomas Hodge was appointed captain. Other players were H. Jones, the star left tackle, Foy, Hickman and Chiesman. According to information that appeared in the Herald Star, the team purchased new outfits at a cost of about $50.00 and was the most thoroughly equipped squad to ever represent Follansbee.  Some of the opponents were Holy Name of Steubenville, Empire, Martin’s Ferry, Toronto, and Lazearvile.  Some of these teams were played more than once. It is likely that other opponents existed but no schedule has been found.

  • Emma Cross Stoneking, “Thistle A.C. Football Team of Follansbee 1908,” (This Timeline received Stoneking’s notes from the Brooke County Library, July 2011)
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Follansbee football team, 1908 season. Photo courtesy of Brooke County Genealogy Society.

 

 

 

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The Thistle A.C. appears to have been sponsored by Carl Schweatfeger’s Barber Shop. 

 

 

 

*1908 Thistle A.C. Photo, Follansbee Brooke Co. Division Library. 

1908 Rare City Directory of Follansbee & Wellsburg

A 1908 Directory has been preserved that identifies where Follansbee residence lived by streets.  Home addresses did not yet exist. The Directory indicates where Individuals were employed, their profession, business, wife’s name or widow’s name, and if they were boarders.  No telephone listings were given since few residences had a phone.  The Directory identified 948 Follansbee residents. The occupation of sixteen persons was that of well drillers, which coincides with the 1907 discovery of the Follansbee oil field north of town where they may have been employed.  (See Follansbee Oil Field on Timeline)

The following were among the Follansbee business listed:

S. Keighley Metal Ceiling & Manufacturing Co., B. Barnett (Men’s & Boy’s Clothing), Albert G. Hartenstein (Drugs, Ice Cream), John M. Brady (Contractor),  Builders’ Supply Co.,  Brooke County Improvement Co. (Real Estate),  Cooper Insurance Agency,  Curtis & Reeves (Fire Insurance & Real Estate),  Hawkins’ Dry Goods (In Steubenville),  Citizens Bank of Follansbee, Dr. Charles Cochrane (Physician & Surgeon),  Alex S. Craig (Contractor),  East Ohio Limber Co.,  Follansbee Brothers Co. (Steel Mill),  D.M. Floyd (Follansbee Hotel),  B. Mervis (Staple & Fancy Groceries),  R. Humes’ Large Department Store,  Hatley & Co. (General Merchandise),  Dr. Leo Huth (Physician),  Henry Scott Kane (Railroad Agent),  Brown Latimer (Justice of the Peace),  Moore Brothers (Gen. Merchandise),  John Magee (Drayman),  Zed F. Simpson (Draying & Hauling),  Charles W. Miller (Billiard Parlor),  Robert L. Ramsay (Attorney of Law), Dr. A.C. Schwartz (Dentist), Pan-Handle Abstract Co. (Sole Agents),  Sheet Metal Specialty Co. (Roofing, Stove Pipe),  John V. Shipley (General Merchandise/Groceries), Dr. D.L. Talkington (Physician & Surgeon), and James Wamsley (News Stand).

“1908 City Directory of Wellsburg-Follansbee,” Brooke County Library (Genealogy Division), Wellsburg, WV.