Barboursville

Eventually they began to build the railroad, which is now the Chesapeake 

and Ohio. Every man in the county could get work of some kind during that 

time. This railroad line was about half finished at the beginning of the 

Civil War, and the work had to be abandoned until the close of the war. 

When the West was settled, and trade began flowing East again, it went to 

Pittsburgh and through Pennsylvania. Virginia built three good turnpikes 

to divert travel through that state again. And so we were given the 

Kanawha and James River Turnpike, which ran from Covington, Virginia, to 

the Big Sandy, and to this day remains the great National Highway. There 

were toll gates every four miles, and mile stones at every mile along the 

way. It was well built, and well kept up. Immigration and general travel 

was at all times heavy, immigrants going West in covered wagons, with 

their dogs and tar bucket tied to the hind of the ox in harness. The old 

stage coach, drawn by four horses carrying twelve or more passengers would 

make good time. And when travel was especially heavy, we had two stages a 

day. There was heavy travel from the South, too, by carriages; these were 

most wealthy and prosperous planters on their way to the White Sulphur 

Springs. All livestock was driven to market over this road. Hogs were 

started from Kentucky half fattened, traveled about eight miles per day, 

and were fattened along the road; they were finally packed in Richmond. 

Barboursville men and boys have participated in every war since the war 

for Independence. During the Revolutionary War they were mostly engaged in 

fighting hostile Indians on the raw border, allies of the British. During 

the War of 1812 Captain William Brumfield raised a Cavalry Company in this 

county. We had to raise men and supplies, and besides we were assessed $1,

540.00. This Company had a hard time, as many of these brave volunteers 

died in a plague in Norfolk. Elisha McComas, then our of our town boys, 

raised a company to fight in the Mexican War. They camped on the site of 

what is now Mike Sanders' house. The state would not receive this Company, 

inasmuch as her quota was filled. Undaunted, they went to Norfolk, and 

enlisted in the United States Army, being known as Company C, Eleventh 

United States Infantry. I have no record of the losses among these 

soldiers, nor their history. From meager accounts I have been able to 

glean, their losses were heavy, and there is record that one Lieutenant 

Joe Samuels came back to Barboursville, his home town, and died shortly 

afterward of Mexican fever. Between battles and sickness of the climate,
they were practically wiped out.  

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