Down Memory Lane
From Back Issues of the Rapp News • Compiled by
Sept. 14, 1950 FIRE COMPANY CARNIVAL IN WASHINGTON
The Keystone Attractions carnival is now showing in Little Washington.
The carnival has a ferris wheel, merry-go-round and a kiddie train as well as the numerous midway attractions of a carnival. The “eats” booth will be run by the ladies of the Auxiliary, with the different communities furnishing the food on different nights.
A Mr. Barnhill, concession owner with the carnival, says that he recalls having been in Washington before, in 1929. He walked about the town “trying” to locate himself, he stated. When here before, he recalled that it was the first year of the terrific ’29, ’30, ’31 drought. He recalls that the carnival was held in a wooded spot, guessed to be Jack Miller’s woods. He thinks that the road has been changed, and he is certain that it has been improved! Barnhill says that he can see very little change in the town.
RECORDS OF FORMER DAYS IN RAPPAHANNOCK
A number of copies of old papers of the county have been brought to the News office. Mr. and Mrs. E. B. Cary lent a number of copies of issues of the Blue Ridge Guide, published when Cary’s father, George E. Cary, was publisher.
The issues of the Blue Ridge Guide are not in a series, and they are not complete volumes, but they furnish interesting items of the county folk, as far back as 1913 and up to 1936. Frank Armentrout brought in several issues of 1905, with county news of that day, and Mrs. J. Frank Jones has lent many old papers and clippings. Included in the clippings of Mrs. Jones were many histories of the old homes in the county.
There have been numerous requests that old records be reprinted in order to preserve some, and that the county readers now may learn of some of the history of the county which may be lost if it is not brought afresh to memory.
Jan. 25, 1979 TOWER TAKES A TUMBLE
Power line towers fall “very, very seldom,” construction superintendent Raymond Mims assured the Rappahannock Board of Zoning Appeals last October.
Mims appeared before the BZA to request a permit application for office and storage trailers to be located on Amissville Fire Company property during construction of concrete foundations for Vepco’s power line towers.
The “very, very seldom” happened last week as a tower built along Route 627 outside Flint Hill came tumbling down. The concrete foundation was still in place but the rivets holding the tower to the base appeared to have worked loose.
Linda Welk, a property owner who reported the accident to the Rappahannock News, said that her husband had noticed about a month ago that the tower “wasn’t anchored down.”
When speaking before the BZA at its October 12 meeting, Mims explained that the towers weren’t anchored in rock because that procedure requires on-the-job presence of an engineer at all times to check if the rock is solid. According to Mims, this makes rock anchoring both expensive and time consuming.
Asked to comment on Tuesday, Vepco personnel at the Warrenton office knew nothing about the topple of the tower . . .
WELFARE ADMINISTRATION ESTIMATES UP 20 PERCENT
After agonizing for two hours over a 20 percent increase in the administrative portion of the 1979-80 welfare budget, the Rappahannock Welfare Board authorized a new social worker position requested by social services director Elizabeth Buntin.
“There are a dozen reasons why we should hire another social worker,” said Mrs. Buntin in justifying her request for the additional position. “As you’re aware, I haven’t been able to get my work done. I’m behind on the board minutes. I’m behind on everything. The worst of it is adult services are going lacking. You might not see it because no one has complained but the lack is there.
“There are five referrals on my desk that haven’t been handled — all for adult protective services,” Mrs. Buntin continued, acknowledging that this was her area of responsibility. “A slipshod job done with any part of our services hurts our reputation with the community,” she added.