Fort Pearsall Press, Inc.

10/11/2026

The new power plant of 1949 at the W. Va. Schools for the Deaf & the Blind shed lots of cinders and grief into the community. There was a certain day of the week when the stack would "blow out" the excess cinders. Living close to the school, we would get the "fallout". My mother would never hang her white sheets on the clothesline on that day. Occasionally, they would change the day and it ruined my mother's sheets, which prompted an angry call to the school. Also next door, which was a hay field, where the football & baseball fields are, was a favorite play area. When I came home, mom use to "hose me down" to get the first layer of soot off of me.
The steam locomotive whistle originally used was later replaced by a proper steam whistle. The familiar sound woke up the campus as well as the townspeople for many years.
This and dozens of old pictures from the campus and stories of Romney & Hampshire County in my most recent book, My Town, My School, & My County. Also includes Civil War journals from three soldiers. Available at www.fortpearsallpress.com.

10/10/2026

Pictures from the old campus of the W. Va. Schools for the Deaf and the Blind.
The Vocational Annex, originally a wooden frame exterior was later covered with brick veneer. It was erected behind the north wing of the Administration building in 1872 to serve as a vocational shop. Also existed in the parking lot at the south end of Seaton Hall. This building was later enlarged, used as a deaf boy’s dormitory, and then ultimately changed back to a vocational building before it was razed in the 1970’s. This picture shows its most recent use as a vocational building. Some may remember the outdoor basketball court in this area.
This and dozens of old pictures from the campus and stories of Romney & Hampshire County in my most recent book, My Town, My School, & My County. Also includes Civil War journals from three soldiers. Available at www.fortpearsallpress.com.

09/22/2026

09/19/2026

From the Hampshire Review supplement, Hampshire History, August 2004

09/18/2026

From the Hampshire Review supplement, Hampshire History, Nov. 1999 & August 2000.

09/15/2026

A little bit of Romney's past for the car aficionados. Powell's Motor Co. was located on the SE corner of Main & High across from the Courthouse. Notice the gas pumps right on the sidewalk next to the road. This building is one of Romney's oldest. Built prior to the Civil War and was originally the Kuykendall Mercantile Store, Ebert's 5 & 10, among many other business over the years. I wrote a story about this building for my column, Out of Our Past, in Nov. 2022. The article is in my new book, My Town, My School, & My County, available at my website, www.fortpearsallpress.com.
From the Hampshire Review supplement, Yesterday's Review, Nov. 1998.

09/14/2026

With the recent article in the Hampshire Review about the Peterkin Conference Center, I felt this would be an appropriate post.

09/12/2026

Interesting story of the 3rd grade class at Romney Grade School. I can barely remember the old school, which was located in the Romney Elementary parking lot when I started school there in 1958-59. It was razed soon after. From the Hampshire Review supplement, Yesterday's Review, August 1998.

09/11/2026

I spent many hours with Miss Mary Pugh in the genealogy room at the Hampshire County Library during the 80's & 90's. She was a mentor to me in my search for the genealogy of my family and Hampshire County. I remember her story about the Albin Inn.