All Aboard!

Superintendent Shaw has had a summer car constructed for use on the street railway line and it is now running between Eleventh Street and Elberon. This is only a temporary provision for use in getting the track in good shape for a few days until the line can be completed to the turn-table at Seventh Street.

The Parkersburg Daily State Journal

June 6, 1889

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The Last Spike

This morning at 11:30 Mayor Gibbens drove the last spike under the present contract in the street railroad line, at Seventh and Market streets, thus completing the line as far as contemplated at this time. Of course the line will eventually be extended all over the city, but the track under the present management is now completed.

The railway now runs from Seventh street, up Market to Thirteenth, up Thirteenth to Spring, out Spring to Bentley avenue in Elberon, thence to St. Mary’s avenue, and out that avenue to the new street that leads to the Fair Grounds. The line will soon be in thorough running order, and its projectors are to be congratulated on their good work. Capt. S.F. Shaw has had the matter in charge, and it is due to him to say that he has pushed the work along as rapidly as possible.

The stables will be located at the suburban end of the line, and arrangements are now being made for the accommodation of a number of horses.

Speed the day when the street railway will penetrate to the farthest suburb, and to every part of the city.

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She Stole a Dress

Yesterday afternoon a young woman arrived from Harris Ferry, armed with a letter of recommendation from J.W. Williams, of that place, stating she was on her way to Johnstown, Penn., to look for some relatives who were there previous to the flood. She gave her name as Emma Witherson. She had no money and chief of Police Dils took her to the Mayor, to whom she stated her case. Mayor Gibbens gave her a pass over the O.R.R.R. [Ohio River Rail Road], as far as Wheeling and told the chief to take the young woman to Mr. J.A. Muncey’s boarding house and have her taken care of until train time this morning. She was taken there, treated well, and this morning was escorted to the seven o’clock train by Officer Muncey. An hour or so after the train started it was discovered that he girl had stolen a dress from the room in which she had slept, belonging to one of Mr. Muncey’s daughters. The dress was a fine sateen valued at six or eight dollars. Word was sent to Wheeling to look out for the woman and have her arrested. She is a prepossessing looking girl, and no one would think to look at her, that she would commit the slightest offense, much less be guilty of theft.

The Parkersburg Daily State Journal

June 14, 1889

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Park City Street Railway

A few years from now, when the Park City Street Railway enterprise gets to be one of the most profitable and flourishing concerns in the city, the first car will be preserved as an interesting curiosity. It was constructed by that well known contractor and builder, Jack Horn, expressively to fill an order of Captain Shaw. It was paid for with a load of Nebraska hay which will last Mr. Horn’s horses for several years. The regular cars will be put on in a short time and the present car will be put in a museum. [Note: Putting the first car in a museum was a great thought, but unfortunately there is no evidence that it ever happened.]

The Parkersburg Daily State Journal

June 18, 1889

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Bob Enoch is president of the Wood County Historical and Preservation Society. If you have comments or questions about Look Back items, please contact him at: roberteenoch@gmail.com, or by mail at WCHPS, PO Box 565, Parkersburg, WV 26102.