West Jefferson in Days Gone By - series 91

West Jefferson in Days Gone By - series 91 by Charlie Miller

____May 9, 1894 - James Peene, an old resident of West Jefferson, dies. (James Peene was born April 25, 1834, in Kent County, England. His parents immigrated to Canada in 1834 and came to Jefferson in 1857 where he married Mary Ann Zinn. He owned 88 acres where Arbors West is now located.) 

____November 9, 1894 – It was authorized for the removal of the old fire department building to the rear of the new town hall and to the center, 18 feet from the rear wall, and to tear down the old jail, and to repair the old fire department building for use as a coal bin and storage for corporation supplies. May 8, 1894 – An ordinance was passed to allow the Ohio Telephone and Telegraph Company to erect poles and wires within the corporation limits. 

____June 20, 1894 – The Post Office was moved to the east room of the new town hall. Patrick McElroy is Post Master. (His father, Terrance, was born in Ireland. Patrick was born in January of 1857 in New York and died in 1908. He served as Postmaster from December 1893 to February 1898.) 

____June 27, 1894 – A bill of $32.00 was paid for the setting and inscription of the town hall cornerstone, done by W. H. Dole and Sons. (The cornerstone can still be seen there today.) 

____October 29, 1894 – A resolution was made to purchase new chairs for the town hall from the Dayton School Furniture Co., 80 #30 chairs @ $1.75 and 180 #13 @$1.60, 220 #80 chairs @ $1.45, 8 seats 8 feet in length making a total of 64 feet of oak wood at the rate of 75c. Per foot. Total amount $795.00. Moved by McCarty, seconded by Smith that the resolution be adopted. The Mayor refused to consider the motion on the grounds that the adoption of the resolution was illegal, and would not consider it for that reason. 

McCarty insisted that the motion should be put. Mayor Hull then declared that he would not be a party to such illegal business and left the council chambers followed by Blazer and Miller. It was then moved by McCarty and seconded by Slaven that Councilman Smith act as chairman until the business was all transacted. The motion carried. Smith then took the chair. Moved by McCarty, seconded by Smith that the resolution be adopted by the opera chairs. The resolution was passed and the Council adjourned. 

____At the next meeting Mayor Hall moved that the minutes of the last meeting be re-written to constitute another meeting after he had left. The motion was defeated. The motion was again defeated at the meeting on November 13th.