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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Tunga>Bluefield Daily Telegraph<BR>August 13,
1910</FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV align=center><FONT size=4>BLUEFIELD IS LOSING ONE OF ITS
LANDMARKS</FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=center>------</DIV>
<DIV align=center><STRONG>Terminal Trainmaster Relates History of Old Division
Office Now Being Torn Down</STRONG></DIV>
<DIV align=left> 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.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> 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.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> 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.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> The official family at that time was John A.
Hardy, superintendent, Captain D. H. Barger, trainmaster, R. E. Winters, chief
dispatcher.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> 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.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> 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.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> 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.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> 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.</DIV>
<DIV align=left> 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.</DIV>
<DIV align=left>[<EM>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.</EM>]</DIV>
<DIV align=center>------</DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=6 face=Script>Gordon
Hamilton</FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>