Tag: Braxton County

October 13, 1863: Civil War Battle Fought at Bulltown in Braxton County

On October 13, 1863, a Civil War battle was fought at Bulltown in Braxton County. The Confederate forces were led by William Lowther Jackson—a cousin of “Stonewall” Jackson with the less-inspiring nickname of “Mudwall.”

Mudwall’s 800 men had the Union garrison at Bulltown outnumbered two to one. But, despite his superior numbers, Jackson couldn’t capture the Union fort. During the 12-hour skirmish, he twice sent flags of surrender, which Union commander William Mattingly rejected. At one point, Mattingly reportedly replied, “I will fight until Hell freezes over and then fight on the ice.” Jackson retreated, ending the last significant Confederate offensive in West Virginia.

The battle was the second violent event to hit Bulltown in less than a century. Bulltown was named for Captain Bull, a Delaware Indian chief who settled there with five families in 1765. The Bulltown Indians made and traded salt to white settlers. The Indians and local whites were on friendly terms until 1772, when Adam Stroud ‘s family was killed.

While Shawnee from Ohio probably killed the Strouds, local whites accused the Bulltown Indians and, in retaliation, massacred them.

May 2, 1925: Flying Saucer Investigator Gray Barker Born

Flying saucer investigator Gray Barker was born at Riffle in Braxton County on May 2, 1925. He spent most of his life in central West Virginia, earning a degree from Glenville State College, teaching school, and booking acts for local theaters.

Barker’s interest in unidentified flying objects was sparked by mysterious sightings of the Flatwoods Monster in 1952. Based on Albert Bender’s “Men in Black” theory, Barker published his best-known book, They Knew Too Much About Flying Saucers.

Following the 1967 collapse of the Silver Bridge in Point Pleasant, Barker published his next book, The Silver Bridge, which popularized the Mothman legend. In 1983, he wrote MIB, The Terror Among Us, about the Men in Black

Gray Barker’s fame spread after his death in 1984 at age 59. A 1995 video by Ralph Coon recognized Barker as one of the 20th century’s leading UFO theorists. Barker’s personal collection is now part of the Clarksburg-Harrison Public Library. When asked once if he believed in flying saucers, Barker replied, “I am not sure, but anything that generates that volume of interest is worth collecting.”

December 29, 1861: Sutton Burns

The Braxton County seat of Sutton was nearly burned to the ground on December 29, 1861. During the first year of the Civil War, western Virginia was besieged by Union and Confederate troops vying for control of the region. Most fighting centered on important transportation routes.

Suttonville, as it was known then, was strategically located on the Elk River, which ran south all the way to Charleston. It was also located on the Weston and Gauley Bridge Turnpike, which connected the town with other key roads.

Realizing the strategic importance of Sutton, the Union army built a small fort to guard the town. Around 10 a.m. on December 29, some 80 Confederate soldiers attacked the fort, which was being garrisoned by about 100 Union cavalry forces. The Union soldiers fought back for six hours before retreating in defeat.

Soon after the battle, the entire town was ablaze. Nobody is certain who lit the first spark, but the inferno destroyed the courthouse and left only six buildings standing. 

Sutton began rebuilding, but it would not fully recover until the timber industry arrived in the late 1800s.

Rebel Spy Nancy Hart Leads Raid at Summersville: July 25, 1862

According to tradition, Rebel spy Nancy Hart led a Confederate raid on the Union position at Summersville in Nicholas County on July 25, 1862. Hart was only in her late teens at the time.

Early in the Civil War, she’d worked closely with the Confederate Moccasin Rangers as a scout and spy. Captured in Braxton County in the fall of 1861, she convinced Northern troops of her innocence. After being released, she returned to the Confederate lines with inside information on Union troop movements.

In the summer of 1862, she was again captured by Northern forces and held as a prisoner in Summersville. However, she persuaded a young guard into letting her examine his pistol. She then shot him to death and escaped. She returned a week later with 200 Confederate troops to capture Summersville.

After the war ended, her husband, Joshua Douglas, returned from Confederate service. The couple settled first in Greenbrier County and later in Webster County. Nancy Hart Douglas died in 1902 at about age 60 and was buried at Mannings Knob, in Greenbrier County near the Webster County line.

State Files Complaint Against Closed W.Va. Funeral Home

West Virginia’s attorney general claims in a lawsuit that a now-closed Braxton County funeral home and its owner misappropriated money from prepaid funeral contracts.

The complaint in Kanawha County Circuit Court alleges that the former Stockert-Sizemore Funeral Home Inc. and its owner, Timothy Sizemore of Nitro, violated the state’s Consumer Credit and Protection Act and the West Virginia Preneed Act.

The funeral home is accused of accepting more than $30,000 from at least seven people as advance payment for funeral services and failing to place the money in a trust account or insurance policy as required by law. The business also allegedly mishandled records.

The funeral home was sold in November 2013 and now operates by a different name under new owners.

Five Counties Approve Sunday Hunting on Private Land

  Voters in five West Virginia counties have restored the right to hunt on private land on Sundays.

Unofficial returns show the measure was approved Tuesday in Braxton, Calhoun, Nicholas, Webster and Wirt counties. Voters in Gilmer and Lewis counties rejected the proposal.

In 2001, lawmakers allowed counties to hold elections on whether to allow Sunday hunting on private lands. The following year, all 41 counties that put the question on their ballots voted to ban it.

Cory Boothe of Summersville started a petition drive last year. He says he wanted to give his children the opportunity that hunters in most other states have.

He worked feverishly on the grassroots campaign, distributing petitions at convenience stores, bars, diners and larger employers.

Boothe says he’s satisfied with how the vote turned out.

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