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Tales of Wirt and Wood11THE BURNING SPRINGS AND OTHER TALES OF THE LITTLE KANAWHAby Howard B. Lea, SO.50.“1 was 21 years old when grandfather passed away in age 95 years.'- says Lee in (he bonk. -Father died inage llt;9 vears. i heardanswtanlin or; ehoi( does satis ten : shou doin;in mHoward 15. Lee was attorney general of West Virginia from liKS to lfLJ.i Today he is an W . year - old resident of Stuart, Flo.In this M3 - page volume, the former state official adds dimension to a small but important phase of West Virginia history in the lower Lillie Kanawha River Valley, in Wirt and Wood counties. He is a member of a pioneer family in the area.His best contribution maybe a reconstruction of his grandfather Joshua Lee's first -hand account of the Rebel invasion of Burning Springs, Wirt County, on May 9, 18G3.At about II a.m. on that date the Rebels applied torches to oil storage basins, tanks, derricks, etc., and left a spectacular fire that consumed an estimated If,0,000 to 300,000 barrels of oil.The grandfather, who tied his horse in the woods to hide it from the invading Rebels,observed the fire from a high hill. He is quoted as saying: “The fires were an awesome sight. The surface of the run storage basins was a sheet of flame that, rose a hundred feet into the air, and hundreds of smaller fires from burning tanks, derricks, engine houses and homes dotted the valley from the mouth of the run to its source — a distance of two miles. Billows of jet black smoke rose a mile high, creating myriads of fantastic silhouettes against the sky.”The purpose of the book isthreefold:►To arouse the interest of appropriate federal and state authorities in the recreational potential of the valley.►To rescue from historical oblivion the state’s first oil field and once oil-rich city of Burning Springs, which had a population of 6,000 in full boom.►To encourage erection of an on-site memorial at public expense to the great cil discovery at Burning Springs.Lee, who was born Oct. 27, 1879, less than three miles from Burning Springs, believes he may be the only person Living who can tell the actual story of the town.11II (!:lt;• exciting tales of ;h«- nil field and its oil -rich ciiy .-lt;• often that many of (heir slot u s Ivraine indelibly damped upnn my memory. 1 haw included a few of their more highly interesting narratives in (his volume, just as they were related to mo, wilhoui enlargement or embellishment. I Miove them to be true.”More first - hand accounts of the fire and I he town were heard by Lee when he attended a summer school for teachers at Burning Springs in 1900. Some of these are capsuled in the hook.Several interesting old photographs are included in the volume. Liberal praise is given those who have assisted in providing information for the book, including lawyer lxiuis Reed who is one of the best known authorities on the Little Kanawha region.Other highlights include accounts of the first permanent settlement in the valley by Kiciwirri Ix-e m l77a. the coming of the wealthy Rath-bono family from New York and New Jersey to the area, the floating; of timber down river to Parkersburg, and Wirt County's two most sensational murder cases, featuring performances by one who is described as the valleys greatest criminal lawyer, “Old Charley Caldwell.The book may be ordered directly from the author at P.O. Box 1323. Stuart. Ha.. 33494; or from Charleston book stores.jolm CL MorganMtvciInstAbyPaTreafileinliettheno' St £ha:settoSOIjotpeheiswiinscSIinn;cinst a i i4*srCPaperbacks1ilt;sc* I■A MARRIAGE MANUAL FOR CATHOLICS,” by Dr. William A. Lynch, $.95.“MURDER IN THE CALAIS COACH,” by Agatha Christie, $.60.“MACAULAY,” edited by H. R. Trevor-Roper, $1.45.♦ * *-SCANDAL S C1I1LD, Edmund Schiddel, $.95.* *“THE MERCHANT BANKERS, by Joseph Weebsberg,$.95.
Newspaper Details
Gazette Mail
Charleston, West Virginia, US
Sun, Jan 05, 1969
Page 88
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
VA, USA 19 Jun 2019
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