Print |
E-mail to a friend
FEATURED
Cabell County celebrates bicentennial
Several people gather to the lawn of the Cabell County Courthouse Thursday, July 16, 2009, for the 200th birthday celebration of Cabell County.
Purchase this photoRelated:
HUNTINGTON -- Many of the people who gathered to celebrate Cabell County's bicentennial on Thursday focused on the transformation that has taken place over the decades.
Local architect Wally Wilks, 59, who was among those attending a special ceremony at the county courthouse on Thurday, moved to Huntington via Marshall University. He eventually moved to Ona and has lived within the county ever since.
He believes the county's architecture best illustrates its evolution, as older buildings stand to yield perspective in today's expansion at the university and area hospitals. He said he will lay in front of a bulldozer to protect heritage gleaned from the historic Cabell County Courthouse and the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center.
"The way (Huntington) is laid out, is one of the first towns that was laid out with growth in mind, and the county itself is a reflection of the city," he said.
The crowd that stopped by to participate in the bicentennial celebration quickly outnumbered the supply of hot dogs provided for the event. The milestone attracted passersby and everyday residents, along with local and state dignitaries.
County Commission President Nancy Cartmill welcomed the crowd. She spoke of keeping the county's heritage alive in comments before the event. A recent example of preservation is a commission-led effort to restore the courthouse exterior.
"All of the history lies within the walls of that building," she said. "I think moving forward is always important to us, but I think we need to stop every now and then and look at our history and figure out what has happened before us."
Edsel Rollyson is a longtime businessman who once aspired to become a county politician. He never won a commissioner's seat, but he has watched the county grow during his 74-year lifespan. The Barboursville-area resident remembered when small farms and residences were scattered across land now occupied by the Huntington Mall and miles of surrounding growth. He credited Interstate 64 with opening the area to development.
"We moved out there because it wasn't very congested, and now it just filling in around us," he said. "When we were a kid hitchhiking, you would maybe wait an hour and a half before you seen a car. Now they are just busy, busy, busy. It's been a big transformation."
Circuit Judge Dan O'Hanlon briefed the crowd about Cabell County's history and its namesake, William H. Cabell. A judge met with a group near Barboursville to organize the county in 1809. It broke away from Kanawha County, and its original boundaries included all or portions of present-day Cabell, Wayne, Mingo, Logan, Boone, Lincoln and Putnam counties.
Local artist Carter Seaton unveiled a bust she sculpted of Cabell's likeness. The bust will reside in the courthouse rotunda.
Work in the nation's capitol kept U.S. Rep. Nick Rahall, D-W.Va., from attending the celebration, but he sent remarks via letter read by a staff member. He acknowledged the county's achievements, such as developing the state's first radio and television stations. He said the milestone marked years of community involvement and positive change.
State Treasurer John Perdue brought greetings and a certificate from Charleston. He complimented the county's contributions to the state at large, such as Marshall University and Blenko Glass.
"All of those great things and many, many more is because of great community leaders that stood up, and great leaders of the county that made a difference," he said.
Wilks and Rollyson said the tough, middle-class work ethic of the county's people linger. Rollyson longs for the days when the county was booming with industry, but outward growth and development toward its eastern boundaries proves its resilience.
"They survive in good times, and they survive in bad times," he said of the county's residents. "Back in the early days you either had to scratch out a living or starve. There were no social programs."
The Huntington Outdoor Theater provided entertainment, along with music from Joe Eddins and Jason Smith.
Curtis Johnson is a reporter for The Herald-Dispatch. You can reach him at cujohnson@herald-dispatch.com.
More about William H. Cabell
William H. Cabell served as governor of Virginia from 1805 to 1808. Cabell County was named for him when it was formed on Jan. 2, 1809. Here are some facts about the former Virginia governor:
LIVED: 1772-1853
PARENTS: He was the firstborn child of Col. and Mrs. Nicholas Cabell
MARRIED: Married his first cousin Elizabeth Cabell in 1795. She died in 1801. In 1805, married Agnes S. B. Gamble.
EDUCATION: His education included private tutors, four years at Hampden Sydney College (1785-1789), three years at the College of William and Mary (1790-1793), and a year of legal training in Richmond (1793-1794).
PUBLIC SERVICE: Amherst County, Va., elected him to the House of Delegates in 1798, when he was 23. He was re-elected to that position each year from 1802 to 1805. He began his term as governor the same year he married his second wife.
AFTER GUBERNATORIAL TERM: Cabell served as a judge in the General Court after his term as governor ended in 1808. He was appointed to the Court of Appeals in 1811, serving as president from 1842 to 1851.
SOURCE: University of Virginia Library, The Herald-Dispatch archives
WVSO presents "Sousa at the Symphony" 
WVSO presents "Forward! March! With Sousa" 
Huntington Symphony Orchestra: "Russian Rhapsody" 
Indoor Demolition Derby VII 
Woody Hawley Concert Series: Don Henry 
Spikefest Volleyball Tournament 
Kenny Wayne Shepherd 
Capital City Gospel Sing 
Randy Travis 
"A Magical Evening: A Benefit for Prestera" 
