N&W in 1910--Office building

[NW Mailing List]

"Consumption" was an old name for Tuburculosis, which seemed to  
"consume" its victims.

On another aspect of the story, It is kind of interesting to think of  
the sentimentality attached to a building that is all of 22 years  
old. Can any here imagine feeling nostalgia for a building built in  
1988?

Ken Miller

On Jan 26, 2010, at 7:23 AM, NW Mailing List wrote:


> Anyone know what a "home for consumptives" is?

>

> Thanks,

> Dave Willis

> (blt 1962, c/n 4)

>

> To: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org

> Subject: N&W in 1910--Office building

> Date: Mon, 25 Jan 2010 15:34:48 -0500

> From: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org

>

> Bluefield Daily Telegraph

> August 13, 1910

>

> BLUEFIELD IS LOSING ONE OF ITS LANDMARKS

> ------

> Terminal Trainmaster Relates History of Old Division Office Now  

> Being Torn Down

>     Bluefield is losing one of its oldest landmarks, the old  

> division office, which is being torn down.  A nice lawn will take  

> its place.  The building has been standing since July, 1888, and is  

> almost a part of the town.  Within its walls the preliminary plans  

> of the great Pocahontas Division were carried out and each room has  

> such a history connected with it that old railroad men stand and  

> watch it coming apart without even daring to walk inside of it, so  

> great is their respect for the old site of their former battles to  

> make the road a success.

>     J. M. MeIlhaney, terminal trainmaster, gave the Daily Telegraph  

> a short history of the building last night.  He easily remembers it  

> from the days when this most wealthy division of the Norfolk and  

> Western was only the Pocahontas branch.

>     Mr. McIlhaney says the first offices were maintained in the  

> present freight depot.  This was in July, 1888.  About this time  

> twenty-two years ago the offices were moved in the building that is  

> now being torn down.  The division at that time was called the  

> Radford and Pocahontas division and John A. Hardy was  

> superintendent.  The road at that time went to Powhatan, while  

> branches ran to Pocahontas, Goodwill and Simmons.  The Clinch  

> Valley division was not in operation at that time.

>     The official family at that time was John A. Hardy,  

> superintendent, Captain D. H. Barger, trainmaster, R. E. Winters,  

> chief dispatcher.

>     The yard office was located in the northwest room on the first  

> floor while the trainmaster's office was overhead on the second  

> floor.  The dispatcher's office was in the north bay station.  The  

> waiting room for trainmen was on the first floor in the northeast  

> room, while the timekeeper occupied the room above.

>     The supervisor, or roadmaster, as he is known occupied the  

> southwest room on the second floor while the reading room for  

> trainmen, out of which grew the Railroad Y. M. C. A., which now has  

> a large building of its own, recently erected on Pulaski street,  

> occupied the southeast room in the old building now being torn  

> down.  The yard master, who was either a man named Wright or Joe  

> Collins, occupied the other room on the south side.  The attic at  

> that time was used as a bed room by the trainmaster and other men,  

> the dispatchers many times turning in to sleep there at that time,  

> which was long before the present regulations as to hours of work  

> went into effect.

>     It was hard at that time to get a house in this city and the  

> first house completed by the railroad was the building on Princeton  

> avenue, recently owned by Weslie Wilkes, which was first occupied  

> by J. M. McIlhaney, who was at that time a train dispatcher.

>     Since July, 1888, many changes have taken place in the Norfolk  

> and Western but the old building was occupied as an office until  

> about a year ago when the offices were moved to the old Bluefield  

> Inn building, which was remodeled for office purposes.  This  

> building is one of the most imposing structures in the city and at  

> one time Thomas F. Ryan wanted to purchase it as a home for  

> consumptives.  The Norfolk and Western, however, would not consent  

> to the bringing to this city of a home for consumptives.

>     The destruction of the building removes another of this city's  

> landmarks and for years to come the few men who are left on the  

> road who were here in 1888 will look to where the building now is  

> and feel that something is lacking.

> [I wonder if the wooden building in the attached picture from Neg.  

> 21413 in the Virginia Tech image database isn't the division office  

> described in the article.  It has a bay on the north side as  

> described for the location of the dispatcher's office.  Also, the  

> article states that the building will be replaced by a "nice lawn,"  

> and vintage photos show a lawn east of the passenger depot where  

> the parking lot was in later years and about where the building in  

> question is in this picture.]

> ------

> Gordon Hamilton

>

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