The Fayette Tribune, Oak Hill, W.Va.

Local News

February 6, 2013

A sesquicentennial moment

West Virginia (1863-2013)

— Feb. 8-14, 1863



A band of 34 guerillas brutally murdered a Putnam County man on Feb. 8, 1863, in front of his wife and daughter, who was thrown into a fire but survived.

The Gallipolis Journal reported that “a scamp named Emmerson Chapman” fractured Calvary Gibson’s skull before he was shot seven times, “blowing out every vestige of life, and mutilating the remains in a terrible and sickening manner.”

The number of crimes meant to intimidate citizens increased as the referendum over West Virginia’s statehood drew nearer. About the same time that Gibson was killed, a Putnam County deputy sheriff was kidnapped and “has not been heard of” since.

Such acts of terrorism prompted pleas for the Union to send mounted infantry to help protect the region.

“The truth is, unless there is something like this done for this part of West Virginia, and that speedily too, we will hear of more blood being shed and more robberies being committed” according to a letter to the Wheeling Intelligencer signed only by the initials W.W.H.

(This sesquicentennial moment is brought to you by the West Virginia Sesquicentennial Commission and the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, Archives and History Section.)

Text Only
Local News
  • Fayette Courthouse.jpg Wall of Honor will be unveiled Friday

    Who will be part of the Wall of Honor, a new feature to be unveiled June 21 at the Fayette County Courthouse?

    June 19, 2013 1 Photo

  • Chamber supports school improvement

    The Fayette County Chamber of Commerce has offered its support to the county Board of Education for improving schools, citing the negative economic impacts of an underperforming school system.

    June 19, 2013

  • 061813 1A coda promo.jpg CODA schedules number of concerts

    Upcoming summer evenings in Fayetteville will be sweetened by the strains of professional and student musical offerings in a series of free public concerts from Coda Mountain Academy.

    June 19, 2013 1 Photo

  • capitol.jpg Happy birthday, West Virginia!

    June 19, 2013 1 Photo

  • 1A1 2nd grade clas .jpg MHES continues well-received project

    Late in the school year, Mount Hope Elementary School continued a program that has made inroads into the overall health and well-being of the students and the community.

    June 12, 2013 3 Photos

  • Fayette County flag, seal, Wall of Honor slated to be unveiled

    Fayette County will celebrate West Virginia’s sesquicentennial year by unveiling its new county seal and county flag in a ceremony Saturday.

    June 12, 2013

  • DEP studies discharge at Lochgelly well site

    A new round of water tests near the Underground Injection Control (UIC) well at Lochgelly provide evidence that oil and gas drilling waste could be discharging into the headwaters of Wolf Creek.

    June 12, 2013

  • Mount Hope council votes to have second public hearing on plan

    Concerned that not enough townspeople had access to the city’s draft comprehensive plan before it went to council for vote, the Mount Hope Planning Commission has chosen to hold another public hearing about the document.

    June 12, 2013

  • National Park Service moving forward with trail development

    The National Park Service (NPS) is moving forward with development of several new trails in the New River Gorge National River after a recent environmental assessment failed to turn up any significant negative impact.

    June 12, 2013

  • NPS announces schedule of events

    Have you had a glimpse of the New River Gorge from Grandview yet this season? Now is a good time to see one of the most spectacular vistas in the region at New River Gorge National River as a ranger-guided programs bring the area's rich heritage into focus.

    June 12, 2013