When I was a teenager my father built his first permanent home for our family in South Charleston, W.Va., overlooking the James and Kanawha River Turnpike. We were on a bluff high above the town and you could see for miles east and west along the valley. The turnpike below provided us with an interesting view as visitors passed and I have often wondered if George Washington even had an inkling of what he started when he surveyed the route prior to the Revolutionary War.
The turnpike was alongside the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad which was completed in 1871 by Collis P. Huntington. Across town to our right the Carbide and Carbon Chemicals Corp. belched smoke and acid fumes along the Kanawha River. To the west an adjacent plant manufactured chlorine which kept the townfolks uneasy because of the lethal implications. We were always afraid the plant would blow up some day and kill everyone for miles around.
The superintendent of the plant was Bob Jarrell (no relation) who also had served as mayor of the town for a few years. Looking east, we could see the remnants of the old glass blowing factory which had been vacated. I was fascinated by the buildings and several times prowled around the old furnaces and tried to imagine what it must have been like when in full production. Former workers remained in the town, most of them from Belgium, who settled into other occupations along with their strange accents. I remember one old lady who operated a lunch counter across from the high school where we could eat for about 15 cents.
The turnpike was alongside the Chesapeake and Ohio railroad which was completed in 1871 by Collis P. Huntington. Across town to our right the Carbide and Carbon Chemicals Corp. belched smoke and acid fumes along the Kanawha River. To the west an adjacent plant manufactured chlorine which kept the townfolks uneasy because of the lethal implications. We were always afraid the plant would blow up some day and kill everyone for miles around.
The superintendent of the plant was Bob Jarrell (no relation) who also had served as mayor of the town for a few years. Looking east, we could see the remnants of the old glass blowing factory which had been vacated. I was fascinated by the buildings and several times prowled around the old furnaces and tried to imagine what it must have been like when in full production. Former workers remained in the town, most of them from Belgium, who settled into other occupations along with their strange accents. I remember one old lady who operated a lunch counter across from the high school where we could eat for about 15 cents.
Most of the industry along the valley was served by the C&O railroad, which served as a link from the head of navigation on the James River to the Ohio River. My uncle, Forest Jarrell, was an engineer for the railroad and hauled coal from the mines in Boone County to Clifton Forge, Va., driving the heavy malleys over the mountains and through the tunnels along the route envisioned by George Washington . I don't think the father of our country could have ever imagined the events that followed his early explorations.
The old turnpike carries many fond memories for me. As a boy I walked barefooted along the road with my fishing pole headed for Davis Creek for a mess of sunfish and an occasional catfish. About halfway between the creek and my home was a public spring beside the turnpike where one could get a drink of cold water on a thirsty day. It was probably used by early travelers who were on stagecoach and was later a popular stopping place for hobos during the Great Depression. During those times many jobless men were riding the rails looking for work. They had no money to pay for transportation so they used the coal cars for a free ride. Those were hard times.
I remember a few years later when the bonus marchers came through on their way to Washington and I watched them being fed baloney sandwiches and hot coffee by the Salvation Army under the bridge that spanned Kanawha River. These were veterans of World War 1 who believed they were entitled to some compensation for their sacrifices. these men and their families had no medical care, no money and no hope. It was a sad commentary of our times.
I remember a few years later when the bonus marchers came through on their way to Washington and I watched them being fed baloney sandwiches and hot coffee by the Salvation Army under the bridge that spanned Kanawha River. These were veterans of World War 1 who believed they were entitled to some compensation for their sacrifices. these men and their families had no medical care, no money and no hope. It was a sad commentary of our times.
The old home place is just a memory now. It was demolished to make way for the new Interstate 64 which now follows the old James and Kanawha River Turnpike.
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