CARTER COUNTY, ONE MAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, 1879
Contributed by Glen Haney
The Athens Ohio newspaper EDITOR MESSENGER published on February 6, 1879 a
Letter to the Editor that was quite unflattering of Carter County Kentucky.
The letter was pinned under the name Mr. Rauffe. A month later, a reply was
printed stating the point of view of a Carter County resident. The letter
from the Carter County resident is important not only for is defense of
Carter but also for it's historical references. Presented here are the
two articles. The first letter from Mr. Rauffe has been abridged to cover
the highlights only. Sadly, the name of the writer from the Carter County
was not given.
2/6/1879
EDITOR MESSENGER
The inhabitants of Carter County are long hunters or descendents of long
hunters, are indolent, non-progressive and believe in doing "as dad does".
A large percent cannot read or write. The western portion of the county is
controlled by the notorious Underwoods.
Horse stealing, in fact all kinds of stealing and murder are heard of weekly.
Many of the school houses have not a board floor, chimney nor stove in them.
It is probable that there are more revolvers, pistols, shotguns and rifles
in Carter County than there are in all of southern Ohio.
Upper Tygart
Carter County, Ky.
March 7th, 1879
EDITOR MESSENGER In your valuable paper of Feb 6th 1879 appears a letter
purporting to be from Kentucky, in which numerous misrepresentations are
made concerning Carter County, its citizens, churches, railroads, mills,
mail, products, etc. This Athens County Mogul having commenced his
communication and arranged his misrepresentations in such a promiscuous
manner we fear our attempt at an answer that will prove of interest to your
many readers will be in vain. According to Mr. Collins's History of
Kentucky, Carter County, the eighty eighth erected in the state, was formed
in 1838 and named in honor of W.G. Carter who for years was a State
Senator. The county in 1870 comprised 283,093 acres of land, valued in 1870
at 4.25 per acre, on an average. The total valuation of the of taxable
property found in Carter county in 1846 amounted to 498,856 at 1.15 per
acre, valued in 1870 at 4.25 per acre on average, amounts to 1,585,083,
an increase in 24 years of 1,101,177.
Provided the census of Carter county was taken today, the taxable valuation
of our county would thribble that of 1870 as our county has 30 odd miles of
railroad completed through the center of the county and in a870 did not
have one mile. Besides, one or two iron furnaces have been built since
1870, adding more wealth of our county. Soil, products, etc., Carter county
has scarcely any lands not susceptible of cultivation. The western portion
of the county is generally limestone and yields spontaneously, while the
eastern portion presents fine bottoms averaging from one-fourth to one and
a half miles in width. The bottoms afford a black sandy loam upon which are
raised abundant crops of wheat, rye, oats, potatoes, and Indian corn. Also,
tobacco grows in Carter county equally as large as as in the famous blue
grass region.. The yield of Carter county in 1870 was as follows: 2,108
tons off hay, 325,041 bushels of corn, 24351, bushels of wheat, 96, 500
bushels of rye, 30,525 oats, and over 315, 125 of tobacco. Had also 1196
horses, 296 mules, 3725 head of cattle, 4330 head of hogs over 6 months old.
CITIZENS
The citizens of Carter county are all affable, kind and sociable, and
nearly every state in the Union is here represented, and some of the
foreign nations. Though the population as a general thing is made up of
emigrants from Ohio, West and East Virginia, and the native born Kentuckian.
REPRESENTATIVES,
LAWYERS, PHYSICIANS
Since Carter County was formed she has sent two Senators and twenty two
Representatives, has now about one dozen good lawyers, five or six
physicians with diplomas from the best medical schools of Ohio and New
York. A number of good mechanics are found in Carter county as well as
systematic farmers, and improvements are being made every year, and greater
success attended.
SCHOOLS
We have in Kentucky a system of fine schools supported by public tax which
affords every county and every district in the State, a five months school
in each year. Carter County has fifty-five common school districts in which
schools are taught five months during each year, and every white child
between the ages of six and twenty years has the right to attend these
schools free of charge. Our county and State expends annually seven
thousand dollars in support of the fifty five common schools in our county
and for a man to insert that two-thirds of our population cannot read or
write is an untruth. With the exception of your town, Athens, it having its
advantage of a college, we would risk all of the children and citizens of
Carter can compete with Athens county or any other county in Southern Ohio,
as regard the elements of plain English education. The school houses of
Carter County are by no means what they should be, yet not one in the
county is to be found minus door, floor, stove, and chimney.
All the different religious denominations are well represented in Carter
County except Atheists and Catholics. We have Presbyterians, Methodists,
Baptists, Newlights etc.
The misrepresenting ajax further says there are no mills with belts found
in Carter county probably had he remained longer he would have found one or
two, viz:
Iron Hills & Co.,Vincent Mills, Mt. Savage Mills, Ritchens Mills, M. Larens
Mills, Stampers Mills, and many others not necessary to mention.
MAILS, MURDERS, RAILROADS AND TELEGRAPHS etc
Rauffe asserts that at Lee Post Office Athens County, more mail is
received than in all Carter County. We cannot speak of what Lee receives,
or her mail facilities, yet for this Carter County we can speak of her post
offices and mails intelligently, having been connected with them for years.
Carter County has the following post offices and mails:
Grayson C. H. daily mail, Mt. Savage daily mail, Charlotte P.O. daily
mail, Willard P.O. daily mail, Geigerville daily mail, deer Creek P.O. six
mails per week, Forks of Tygart, Triweekly mail, Boone P.O. triweekly,
Smokey Valley triweekly, Estill Flats triweekly, Olive Hill six mails per
week, Upper Tygart six mails per week.
RAILROADS
There are two lines of railroads running in and through Carter county and
connecting and affording us immediate connection with the Ohio river. These
two lines are the Eastern Kentucky Rail Road and Lexington and Big sandy
Rail Road, Eastern Division. Immense quantities of iron ore, staves,
hoop-poles, tan bark, stone coal and lumber find an outlet to other ports
through these railroad lines. The L. & B.S R.R., western Division,
affording connection with the Chesapeake & Ohio at Huntington W. V., has
been surveyed through our county, a distance of 40 miles and all are
jubilant over the prospects of early completion, which will make our county
the great center of two thoroughfares, crossing each other at Grayson, the
county seat.
From Grayson to Willard we have a telegraph connecting with all of the
branches in the United States. So, one at a single glance, can see the
absurdity of the assertion made that we were so far or remote from
thoroughfares or civilization.
As regard intemperance every district in the county has, by a large
majority, voted it out of the county, and the local option now prevails,
yet our people sometimes manage to get a few bitters to help along
elections, yet I tell you one snort wont buy a vote in Carter county, by
any means, it takes a gallon or so, my boy.
We seldom see a shot gun, pistol or bowie knife in our county.
Carter County politically, gives about one hundred Republican majority and
has ever since the war. She sent about five hundred soldiers into the field
to battle for the union.
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