The 7th Annual St. Albans Founder’s Day will be held on Main St., Saturday, May 12 this year from 10-4 pm. The Founders Day Committee (a committee of the St. Albans Historical Society) meets monthly on the 2nd Monday at the Village Sampler at 6 pm and everyone is welcome to participate. Much help will be needed that day to make it a sucdessful event. This year’s theme is “Civil War in St. Albans”.

Wm. P. Burdette Building Summer Open House We will have the Historical Society Building open this summer for visitors on the first Saturday of June thru August from 11-2 pm. This will give people a chance to not only see our wonderful displays and photos, but to do some family history research through our records and books. We have acquired a new scanner and computer and we hope to copy resident’s vintage photos on these days. We will sign up volunteers at our April Meeting.

St. Albans Historical Society - 2012 Meeting Dates

April 15, 2012 - Regular Meeting (3rd Sunday) Joe Wyatt – “Boys Scouts in St. Albans” May 12, 2012 - Founder’s Day June 10, 2012 - Sunday Picnic, 2 p.m. at Morgan’s Kitchen (rain or shine) June – August - Morgan’s Kitchen Open House, Sunday, 2-4 pm June – July – Historical Society Building Open House, 1st Saturday, 11-2 pm September 9, 2012 - Regular Meeting October 13, 2012 - Morgan’s Kitchen Fall Festival October 20-21, 27-28, 2012 - Fall Train Open House at Bldg. (8-9 am) November 11, 2012 - Regular Meeting

(election) December 1, 2012 - Christmas Homes Tour, Saturday, 6 - 9 p.m.

Congratulations to: Richard Milam for being the 2011 History Hero from our group and being recognized at the Culture Center on February 23 ! Christmas Homes Tour Report Over 80 people took the 17th Annual homes tour on Saturday in December. Books for Sale:

We have received a grant from the WV DOH as mediation for the eventual removal of the St. Albans Bridge, as it was deemed “historic”. We used a portion of these funds to re-print the “St. Albans History” book as well as 10 other books we have previously published. (All of our books we have for sale are available at the Curosity Shop and McGees.).

- “Early History of St.Albans” $5.00 - “Coalsmouth Journal, 1982” $5.00 - “A Historical Sketch of St. Albans WV – 1938” $5.00 - “St. Albans Historic and Architectural Survey” $5.00 - “Coalsmouth Journal Selected Articles – 1972-74” $5.00 - “The Growing, Booming Years of St. Albans, WV, 1885 - 1910” $5.00 - “Bicentennial of the Burning of Fort Tackett, 1790 – 1990” $5.00 - “The Last Dollar” $5.00 - “Tribute to Jennie Hughes” $5.00 - “Tornado Remembered” $5.00 - “Cemeteries of St. Albans” $25 - “Upper Kanawha Valley Cemeteries” $30 - “History of St. Albans” (Video) $20 - “St. Albans History” $60

Dues: Your 2012 dues are due at this time. Make a check out and give to Jane Milam. $7 individual and $10 family. Our new year began with the February meeting.

St. Albans Historical Society Newsletter - Spring 2012

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B. E. Liggett to End Career in Spring: St. Albans High principal B. E. Liggett will retire from active service at the end of the semester. Mr. Liggett became principal of SAHS in 1932 when the school was located in the structure presently housing the St. Albans Junior High. Mr. Fred Radabaugh has been chosen to fill the capacity of principal at St. Albans High, beginning July 1, 1965

Principal Sees Happenings During 33 Years' Service

During his 33 years at St. Albans High, Mr. B. E. Liggett has seen a march of various major events and has achieved much. In 1933 Mr. Liggett saw the early development of SAHS in the formation of "The Playmakers," a drama club, and the Latin Club. In addition to administering the school's business, the young principal taught physics and science. The senior class of 1933 chose the first class rings, just like those of' today, and saw 62 seniors graduate. Snyder Teaches First Year That year was also Mr. Walter Snyder's (County superintendent of schools) first year as a teacher at SA. 1934 saw Mrs. Ruth Pride, English teacher, join the faculty; Mr. Snyder taught journalism; The National Honor Society was organized with Maxine May (Swango) as president. Mr. Deane Morrison was assistant editor of Simmerings, and the Student Council chose the first group of cheerleaders in 1936. St. Albans won the Kanawha Valley Conference football championship that year. Seniors Choose Red, Black In 1937 Mrs. Helen Treanor joined the faculty, and the following year saw auditorium construction and the first election of “Miss Red Dragon." The seniors of 1939 chose red and black as school colors. In 1940, 1941, and 1942 the Dragons won second place in football in the KVC, and, in 1941, first place in basketball. Mrs. Vera Krebs, history instructor, traveled to England as an exchange teacher in 1949, and Miss Bernadine Bess, math teacher, went to Wales in 1950. This was the first year that Dragonians came out in stiff covers.

Cont. SA Wins Championship The state AA football championship was won in 1955, and "Tags" Meredith won the Kennedy award. (1954 new school opens). An "Evening of Glamour" highlighted the year as students campaigned to raise money for an intercom system. St. Albans High’s first radio program was broadcast in 1956 and Mr. Alan Farley, music director, started the annual “Opus” musicale. The Junior-Senior Prom in 1965 was “Night of Romance” with a Roman Theme. Attending SAHS was the first foreign exchange student, Wulf Menzel, from Germany. This year marked SA’s 50th anniversary. Miss Jenny Doty, a Dragon majorette, was chosen “Miss Kanawha Majorette” in 1962, and Dragons were runner-ups in the state basketball tournament. Yoshikazu Sakagawa, from Japan, came here in 1964 to study and Jan Messner from Sweden was the third generation in 1965.

Other information located by Neil Richardson for a request by Jim West (class of ’57): The 1932 "Simmerings" (newspaper) called the Football Team the "Saints". During Mr. Liggett’s first year (1933) "Simmerings" called the ball teams the Red Dragons and the colors were Black and Red. The girl’s basketball team were the "Dragonettes". There was no mention of why the Dragons name was adopted. The 1934 "Simmerings" also called the boys teams the Red Dragons and the girls basketball team the Red Dragonettes.

Historical Society Receives Grant We received a $20,000 grant from the WV DOH as mediation for the eventual removal of the St. Albans Bridge. Some funds are being used to re-print several of our historical books and purchasing a computer. We still have some other projects to accomplish over the next year, one being a Bridge Dedication Booklet, video of early travelers of the bridge and ferries and a marker with the old bridge plate. The DOH is also giving a $5,000 scholarship to a St. Albans High Senior for a report on early transportation in St. Albans. The winner will be in the Founders Day Parade.

From: Simmerings, April 22, 1965

Rosie the Riveter Community - St. Albans may soon be a “Rosie the Riveter Community”. An effort is being made to establish a possible museum and displays here in St. Albans to educate people about the important work done by women during World War II. With the very strong tie to history to the South Charleston Ordnance Plant and other defense factories in the area, this is a prime site. The St. Albans Historical Society recently presented a $800 grant to the “Thanks, Plain & Simple” (Rosies) group to add to their other funding for the erection of a Rosie monument at the Roadside Park. The Today Show has interviewed some of our local Rosies, one of which is Q. D. Wood.

Painting of High Lawn and Ordinance Park Area

This landscape painting of the Highlawn area of St. Albans was done in the early 1920’s by Chicago based Gibson Catlett Studio. These bird’s-eye view maps boasted that these Real Estate Landscape Paintings would draw buyers to the available properties shown. This map was originally located at (and probably commissioned by) the Bank of St. Albans When the bank re-located in 1960, the building became the City Hall and the city acquired this painting as well as a 16’ map of the entire Kanawha Valley. Shown on this map is Highlawn Elementary and the Virginian Rubber Company, which was built in late 1920 and burnt in January 1924 (thus dating this painting). A few homes are shown in the Ordinance Park area. This bird’s eye view painting was first sketched and photographed probably from a biplane or their nationally know Gibson Catlett Studio Packard. Neil Richardson recently noticed this painting was not where it had been for years in the City Hall and inquiring, found that it had gone to storage in the City Hall basement. The city agreed to let the St. Albans Historical Society display it at their facility. Being damaged with a hole and flaking paint, Neil inquired with various artists in the valley to repair it. It has now been repaired by local artist Brenda Beatty of Eighth Ave., and is now displayed once again at St. Albans City Hall, where it will be more readily available for viewing. The longer painting is also going to be repaired. Ben Calwell of the Metro recently did a story about the paintings repair and history.

The Simmerings, November 22, 1961 SAHS newspaper)

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NAME SERVICE WAR County / (city) Boury, Richard US Army Civil War Wirt Buckley, John C. US Army Civil War (Mt. Pleasant) Cox. Robert Edward US Navy Interim 1899-1910 Frazer, Hugh Carroll US Navy Mexican Campaign Jones, Claud Ashton US Navy Interim 1915-1916 Nickerson, Henry US Navy Mexican Campaign Shane. John US Army Civil War (Warren) Thomas, Herbert J. US Marines World War II Kanawha Weir, Henry Cary US Army Civil War Jefferson Kyle, Darwin K. US Army Korean War Boone Burns, James Madison US Army Civil War Brooke Belcher, Ted US Army Vietnam War Cabell Horsfall, William H. US Army Civil War Charleston Co. (Ft. Cox) Pomeroy, Ralph US Army Korean War Greenbrier Apple, Andrew O. US Army Civil War Hancock Durham, James R. US Army Civil War Harrison McWhorter, Walter F. US Army Civil War Harrison Reeder, Charles US Army Civil War Harrison Shahan, Emisire US Army Civil War Harrison Shoemaker, Levi US Army Civil War Harrison Rogers, Charles Calvin US Army Vietnam War Kanawha Eckes, John N. US Army Civil War Lewis Bennett, Thomas Wm. US Army Vietnam War Marion Hartsock, Robert Willard US Army Vietnam War Marion Williams, Hershel (Woody) US Marine World War II Marion Barringer, William H. US Army Civil War Mason Baumgarner, William US Army Civil War Mason McElhinny, Samuel O. US Army Civil War Mason Parsons, Joel US Army Civil War Mason Schorn, Charles US Army Civil War Mason Summers, James C. US Army Civil War Mason Kelly, Jonah US Army World War II Mineral White, Adam US Army Civil War Mingo Gaujot, Antoine August US Army Philippine Insurrection Mingo Gaujot, Julien Edmund US Army Mexican Campaign Ohio Anderson, Thomas US Army Civil War Ohio Bishop, Daniel US Army Indian Campaigns Ohio Corcoran, Michael US Army Indian Campaigns Ohio Curtis, Josiah M. US Army Civil War Ohio McCauslin, Joseph US Army Civil War Ohio Woods, Daniel A. (Wood) US Army Civil War Pendleton Hedrick, Clinton M. US Army World War II Raleigh McDonald, Phill Gene US Army Vietnam War Wayne Adams, James F. US Army Civil War Wood Moore, George G. US Army Civil War Wood

West Virginia Medal of Honor Recipients From the Medal of Honor Museum on the Yorktown

Aircraft Carrier, Charleston SC

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Officers for 2011-2012: Bill Dean - President 727-9372 Richard Milam - Vice President 539-5280 Neil Richardson - Vice President Fund Raising & Special Events 727-5972 Ellen Mills Pauley - Secretary 757-7189 Jane Milam - Treasurer 549-1902

Website: (13 pages with numerous photos and history) www.stalbanshistory.com

St. Albans Historical Society 404 4th Ave. St. Albans, WV 25177

Past WV History Heros –

1997 William “Bill” Wintz 2000 Carol Graley 2001 William “Bill” Williams 2003 Pauline Morgan 2004 Neil Richardson 2005 None

2006 Margaret Williams 2007 Margaret Bassitt 2008 Bettie Burdette 2009 Bill Dean 2010 Ellen Mills Pauley 2011 None 2012 Richard Milam