Flemington High School - Memories Yearbook (Flemington, WV)

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The Flemington history Every small town has its own legend and Flem- ington is no exception. Flemington was founded by a man everyone knew as Major” Johnson Fleming. He could be compared to the Wright Brothers. They got credit for the first airplane, but Major” gets credit for the first glider in the area. He demonstrated it by flying off the “old college hill, which is where the high school stands today. He used whale bones for the frame and imported Japanese silk for the wings. Imagine Flemington as a booming coal mining town, with a cattle industry, a hotel, three restau- rants and a movie theater. The hotel, run by Pete Davison, had the true leg- end of almost every hotel in the country, posted — Jesse James slept here! The movie theater, the Nickelodian, located on Pennsylvania Avenue, charged only a nickel admission at the time. It was heated by small wood and coal burning fireplaces built around the room. These fireplaces were eventually the down- fall of the theater. Other buildings in the downtown area included a millinery shop, a drugstore, the jailhouse, court house and mayor’s office. Across the tracks from the courthouse was the train depot. This was the most prosperous indus- try in Flemington. Trains carried people, food, cattle, and many other products in and out of Flemington. There was a water pump between the railroad and Simp- son Creek that was used to fill the old steam engines. The creek did not have much sulphur in it at the time. On down the street from the hotel was the Bank of Flemington. Across the bank was the Monroe and Broard Store. It was where the Church of God is located now. Here you could buy anything imaginable, from food to dress goods, to nuts and bolts. On the opposite side of Mills Street from the bank, where the Flemington Methodist Church now stands, was the tannery. Everyone in Flem- ington brought hides here to be tanned and cured for leather. On up Mill Street, the old garage, across from Benda’s Grocery was the Ice House, where ice was stored for use in summer months. There was a gristmill on up along the creek where everyone took corn and wheat to be ground. The old one room school house was where the Flemington Baptist Church sits today. The old schoolhouse bell is still on its pole outside the church. There were two colleges in Flemington. One, where the grade school playground is now, the other, where the present high school is located. Almost every building that made Flemington a booming town is gone, either burned or torn down. What remains, however, are the people of the community and the town of Flemington. 4 Opening

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Changing times can be seen in the advancement of women’s rights. Fans cheer on the Greyhoundettes as Penny Williams goes in for a shot. S’ 5 C 3 00 er B- ISJ EL X £ CD A C 3 a. —r 3 05 sr cn c : C 3 CD 3 CL CD C 3 3

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A child of the future? Styles sure have changed as well as heroes for the younger set. Here a nhild attends the Halloween dance as a Star Wars figure. Two men pose for a picture at the old train depot. Though several trains still run through Flemington, the depot is now just part of the history of the town. Opening 5