September 16, 2025
25 Years Ago - September 19, 2000
Pendleton County deputy jailers were given a two-week notice as county Fiscal Court is closing the jail.
The court voted to accept the recommendation of the prisoner transportation committee and have the sheriff’s department responsible for transporting prisoners from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Friday, and all of Saturday and Sunday.
The jailer will transport prisoners from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Magistrate Jeff Dickens made the motion, seconded by Magistrate David Dunaway. The motion passed 5-3-1. Magistrate Anthony Messmer said that he voted no because he didn’t like the county closing the jail and laying off employees. Magistrate Sandy Wells said she voted no for the same reason.
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As area farmers cut and hang their tobacco throughout the next few weeks, they are producing less and making smaller profits. While the quotas continue to drop, area farrmers are struggling. Many are either leaving the business as a full-time venture and seeking other professions or find themselves trying to find new ways to get by.
“It by no means has been good,” said Darrin Pugh of Peach Grove. “It’s like taking someone’s income and cutting it in half.”
Pugh said he explains cutting quotas to his co-workers in construction like this: Say a worker has been making $50,000 a year, then one day, the boss says, “We can’t afford to pay you $50,000, but we’ll pay you $25,000 a year instead. Is that OK?”
50 Years Ago - September 19, 1975
Notice of a new local option election for the City of Falmouth has been filed in Pendleton County Court.
Judge David H. Pribble has set the date for a new wet-dry election for Saturday, Dec. 13.
The court order points out that the former local option election, won by the drys, was declared null and void Aug. 7 by order of the county Circuit Court, citing discrepancies in the voter registration list.
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The Pendleton County Youth Softball team won the Owen County Invitational Tournament for ages 13 to 15 over Labor Day weekend.
Pendleton County defeated Owen County, the No. 2 team in the state, for the championship. Pendleton was undefeated in the tournament.
Team members were Steve Conrad, Randy Cox, Jimmy Moore, Allen Kelly, Rick Wolfe, Gordie Roberts, David Wyatt, Tommy Hinton, Roger Craig, Darrel Mullins, Greg Wolfe, Kent Monroe and Roger Calvert, along with base coach Bob Martin, manager Danny Hinton and sponsor Dick Wyatt.
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Butler Baptist church squashed the Blanket Creek-Gumlick 15-4 in the Church League Tournament Sept. 13 to close out the winner’s bracket.
They will face the top team in losers bracket on Sept. 20 on the baseball diamond for the championship.
In the losers bracket of the double-elimination tournament, Oakland topped Second 12 Mile Church 10-8, and will play the winner of the Fairlane vs. Falmouth Baptist Church game tonight. The winner of that game will go on to face Blanket Creek-Gumlick for the right to meet Butler Baptist in the final.
75 Years Ago - September 22, 1950
The farm of Mr. and Mrs. Calvin Sorrell, who reside just off Highway 22, was sold at public at public auction Saturday by John W. Fryer, real estate agent, to Mr. and Mrs. Caleb Goins of Boone County for $6,625.
Mr. Sorrell’s entire herd of dairy cows sold from $125 to $275 a head.
Mr. and Mrs. Goins will move to their new property soon. The Sorrells plan to relocate to Arizona.
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Lee Barton and Roy Bowen, executors of the W.H. Middleton estate, sold the 79-acre farm about two miles east Gardnersville Saturday. Bowen purchased the farm at this high bid of $5,000.
Other things bought good prices at the sale. Nathan Elliott was the auctioneer. Cows brought from $181 to $230 a head.
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One hundred dollars was pledged by the Falmouth Parent-Teachers Association toward the completion of a concrete play area on the school grounds at the first regular meeting of that organization on Sept. 14 in the school auditorium.
Ten dollars was awarded to Mrs. James Cummins’ fourth-grade room for having the best attendance at PTA meetings during the past year.
100 Years Ago - September 18, 1925
A distressing accident occurred on West Shelby Street, Falmouth, last Thursday morning when Katherine Fern, the 4-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A.C. Ballinger, was struck by an automobile as she was crossing the street on an errand for her mother.
The little girl was knocked down and the machine passed over her, but fortunately, none of the wheels ran over her. She escaped with cuts and bruises.
The machine bore an Akron, Ohio, license plate. The driver stopped and picked up the child and carried her to her home.
The driver of the car was exonerated as witnesses said the accident was unavoidable.
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The Mount Vernon schoolhouse, on the LLL Highway six miles south of Falmouth, was broken into last Wednesday night.
Books and papers belong to pupils and the teacher were torn and scattered over the floor. A number of books and other equipment were taken from the schoolhouse.
Obscene pictures and language were written on the blackboard and vulgar references to the teacher, which, it was obvious, the culprits supposed to be a woman, were also chalked on the board.
Discovery of the vandalism was made by the Rev. W.M. Lenox, teacher of the school, when he opened the building Thursday morning.