Lewisburg & Ronceverte Railway and Montwell Commons
Although the L&R Railway never extended to Montwell Commons, there are interesting intersections of the Railway's history with Montwell Commons' in both the 20th and 21st centuries. These intersections are illustrated in a number of newspaper and book articles, deeds, incorporation notices and first-hand accounts.
20th Century
The Lewisburg Milling & Electric Co. was instrumental in the establishment of the
Lewisburg & Ronceverte Electric Railway Co.
March 4, 1905
“May Build Electric Line We learn that the Lewisburg Milling & Electric Light Co. has for some time been investigating the cost of constructing an electric railway from here to Ronceverte and now has the cost figured up, which is exclusive of the power and right of way, $90,000. We also learn that if all arrangements can be consummated the company will commence the building of this line as soon as the ground can be worked, possibly by the first of April. The line when built, will haul both freight and passengers cars to run every hour between the two towns – in fact to both towns. The benefits accruing to our town - in fact to both towns – from such a line can hardly be estimated, and we venture the assertion that if this company puts its money in this enterprise it will reap large returns.” (reprint from the Greenbrier Independent in the Hinton Daily News
March 25, 1905
Report of Secretary of State The Lewisburg & Ronceverte Electric Railway was incorporated:
“The railroad . . . will commence at or near the main line of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway in the town of Ronceverte . . . and run thence by the most practicable route to a point in or near the town of Lewisburg”
note: One of the five incorporators, J.M. Preston, was also an incorporator of the Lewisburg Milling & Electric Co.
(He might have been related to James A. Preston, another LM&E incorporator.)
In 1918, the L&R Railway was sold at a bankruptcy auction and the company was reorganized. The Electric Railway Journal listed the new incorporators as J.J. Echols, J.W. Dwyer, J.B. Laing, H.B. Moore, E.L. Bell, H.F. Hunter, R.M. Bell, and S.P. Preston.
note: J.B Laing was also an LM&E incorporator.
Locomotives
According to the Facebook group L&R Railway History, the first engine used by the L&RR was a Lima Shay #1. It was sold to Cass, used in the lumber yard for a number of years, sold to a lumber company in northern WV, and later ended up back at Cass for parts as a junker.
The geared Shay engine was undoubtedly selected for the railway because the engine was designed for the steep grades and sharp curves of logging railroads and was well suited for the 6 mile line going up Ronceverte hill. More significantly, Shay engines did not require perfectly aligned rails on a well-built roadbed. Companies did not have to spend a lot of money constructing a sturdy roadbed for trains to safely operate.
The website shaylocomotives.com shows that the Lima locomotive shop number 1754 engine was built on 11/16/1906 for the L&RR. It was a Class B 47 ton engine with 2 trucks, a traction effort of 23,328 lbs and a maximum speed of 15 mph. In 1909 it was sold to the Central Pennsylvania Lumber Co. and was scrapped on 8/21/1926.
A heavier, faster engine was built on 5/25/1907 for the L&RR. Shop number 1907 was a Class C 70 ton engine with 3 trucks, a traction effort of 30,357 lbs, and a maximum speed of 19 mph. It was run for three years, sold to WV Pulp & Paper Co. in Cass, then sold to other lumber and coal companies until it was bought by the state for the Cass Scenic Railroad and used for parts and finally scrapped in April 1980.
There was a robust secondary market for Shay engines – the 2 engines bought new by L&RR had a total of 16 owners before they were scrapped. Many lumber (and coal) companies only operated for a short time before they were closed and sold off: a large timber tract would be acquired, a lumber company organized, a sawmill constructed, and a logging railroad built to haul logs from the woods to the mill. After all the timber had been cut, the mill and railroad would be shut down and the equipment transferred or sold.
The L&R switched from steam to electricity during the period 1913-1915. Since Shay #1907 had been sold in 1910, they must have leased or bought locomotives on the secondary market during that 5 year period. They might have had backup engines between 1907 and 1910 so the railroad could always offer reliable service to their customers. A definitive history of the LR&R would clarify the dates of construction, expansion, electrification, and the years when steam and electric locomotives were used.
During the first quarter of the 20th century, the Lewisburg Milling and Electric Co. and its successor Bluegrass Milling Co. were producing 6 tons of flour every day. It is likely that much of that flour was loaded on freight cars, first in Fairlea and later in Lewisburg, and the L&RR would take them to Ronceverte for interchange with the C&O railroad for delivery throughout the region.
21st Century
The railway station at 305 Echols Lane influenced the
development of Montwell Commons.
History forms the cornerstone of Montwell Commons. During the 19th century it was Lewisburg's industrial center with two excellent springs, two tanneries, flour mills, a glove factory, a creamery, and a cannery. As Montwell Commons was developed after the property was purchased in 2013, it was decided that future development should reflect its historical past. The log building housing the Old Red Mill restaurant was built in 1961 on the foundation of the Lewisburg Milling and Electric Co. mill using logs from several houses in the area. The mill itself was built in 1901 upon the 1825 foundation of James Withrow's tannery. In 2015, the Clingman Engagement Center was built around a timber frame apple barn that had been located near the Eastern Panhandle, dis-assembled, and brought to Lewisburg.
A search of the deeds for the Echols Lane property do not identify the L&R as being the owner of the property at any time. These deeds cover the period when the LR&R was extended to Echols Lane around 1918:
Book 90 page 268 9/30/1916 W.B. Hines, Trustee to R.M. Bell
Book 91 page 194 2/26/1917 R.M. Bell to W.M. Flournoy
Book 92 page 598 2/18/1918 W.M. Flournoy to R.M. Bell, Trustee
Book 99 page 532 2/21/1922 R.M. Bell, Trustee to O.B. Coffman
It is interesting to note that R.M. Bell was one of the incorporators of the LR&R when it was reorganized in 1918. Perhaps he was Trustee for the LR&R and the station was built in 1918 and sold in 1922. The station might not have been needed once the line was extended through the Graham addition to the Neely Hotel at the corner of Court and Washington streets.
In 1989, William and Deborah Johnson purchased the station that had been converted to a residence and they lived there until 2015. They realized that the hundred year old building needed more extensive repairs than they could justify so they requested permission from the Historic Landmark Commission to tear down the building. An article in the Beckley Register-Herald describes their attempt, but the permit was postponed because of the historical significance of the building. The Historical Society was given 2 months to find a buyer who would move the building to another location in Lewisburg or Greenbrier County.
When Montwell Commons was established in 2013, there was a goal of having a market building on the property at some point in the future. When the LR&R station became available in 2015, a plan was quickly developed to move the station to Montwell, repurposing it as a market building in order to preserve its historical significance. However it was soon realized that the cost of moving the building would be prohibitive because of the large number of overhead utility lines along the moving route. They would need to be raised or relocated to provide clearance for the roof as the building moved under them. Although the station was never purchased, it was decided that the new building would reflect the design of the LR&R station. The James Withrow Market Building was designed to incorporate some architectural features of the LR&R station, notably the gingerbread trusses at the gable end and the roof brackets under the eaves. These features are typical of C&O stations such as the North Caldwell station on the Greenbrier Division.
Ultimately the LR&R station was purchased and moved to Feamster Road as described in August 29, 2016 issue of the Charleston Gazette-Mail. The expense of relocating the overhead utility lines was avoided by removing the roof which had been in poor condition and needed to be rebuilt.
