West Jefferson in Days Gone By - series 117 by Charlie Miller

____January 4, 1923 - Civil War Veteran Elijah Spring dies at age 74. (Elijah Spring was born in Virginia on August 6, 1844. He enlisted in the army in 1861 and served until October 1864 in Co. C, 40^th O. V. I. In 1904, he withdrew the battle flag of the 40^th for their reunion here in West Jefferson. There is a picture of this reunion on the “West Jefferson Remembers” Hurt/Battelle Memorial Library’s website. He drew a pension as an invalid in 1889; his wife drew a widow’s pension on January 2, 1923, until she died on October 29, 1924. Both are buried in the Alton Cemetery.)

____February 18, 1923 – Martin Haynes, son of early settler A. H. Haynes, dies at the age of 80 years. He served 100 days with Co. C, 154^th O. V.  I. (Martin Haynes also received a pension as being an invalid, and his wife drew a widow’s pension. She died in 1900 at age 91. Both are buried at Pleasant Hill.)

____May 17, 1923 – The official opening of the M. E. Church will be this coming week.

____May 21, 1923 – The village streets are to be re-graveled and oiled with 4,000 gallons of oil from the Standard Oil Co.

____June 18, 1923 – Frank Moorehead, a local contractor, has bought the old M. E. Church on East Main Street for $2,000.00. (It was remodeled and later housed the Orient Theater.)

____July 23, 1923 - Members of the Baptist Church are in the midst of a money-raising campaign for the purpose of repairing and stuccoing the brick church building. The campaign is under the leadership of W. H. Pence. The goal is $3,000.00. (The goal was reached, and the church was stuccoed.)

____October 11, 1923 – The Fairview Addition is annexed. (This was Putnam and Ohio Avenues)

____The results of the 1923 election are: Mayor, H. G. Putnam-418; Frank Biggert-135; Clerk, E. E. Gregg-476; Treasurer, Chas. W. Peene-391.

_____December 13, 1923 – A semi-pro football team, the West Jefferson Indians, was formed in 1917. Albert Quinn has been the leader of the team for the past two years.

____December 20, 1923 – Asa C. Carter, 93, Jefferson’s oldest resident, dies at the home of Dr. H. F. Jackson on Fellows Ave. (Dr. Harry F. Jackson was a dentist whose office was upstairs over the Gillivan Hardware store. His home was on Fellows Ave., across from the old high school. Asa Carter was his nephew. The door to Dr. Jackson’s office is on display at the Hurt/Battelle Memorial Library.)