The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

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November 1, 2009

Pictorial history

Book brings Paint Creek back to life

By Steve Keenan

Ash Camp. Tomsburg. Glen Huddy. Milburn. Westerly. Mucklow.

Those long-ago communities have either been banished into the dustbin of history or are the basis for still-active communities of another name.

They are re-visited in a recently published book entitled “Pictorial History of Paint Creek, 1750s-1950s” by Fayetteville resident Dale Payne.

The 336-page tome includes a bevy of old photographs culled from a variety of sources. It also features sections detailing the histories of the towns, as well as special topics such as The Mine Wars and The Flood of 1932.

“I’ve been interested in history all my life,” said Payne, who has also compiled two books on Eskdale and one on Cabin Creek, as well as books centered around 18th- century frontier and Indian wars. “I’ve always had a love for it.”

Payne, a 27-year State Police retiree who also served as a Fayette County magistrate from 1998 to 2005, added, “I’ve been working on this book all year. (Whether researching or tracking down old photos) It was pretty much a regular job. It was very interesting to work on. I learned quite a bit myself.”

“It’s enjoyable,” he continued. “I can work on it 10 minutes a day or eight hours a day.

“And (documenting past history) is really the only way we can go back and re-live it.”

The book, compiled with help from Payne’s wife, Marilyn, is available at T&C; Midway at Mossy, The Corner in Pax, Shanklin’s Garage at Holly Grove, Trillium Books in Fayetteville, the Little Red Brick House on Harper Road, the Lower Paint Creek Watershed Association (where it serves as a fund-raiser for the group), and Frog Creek Books at the Capitol Market in Charleston. He also hopes to get it juried into Tamarack in the future.

It costs $30, plus $1.80 sales tax. Shipping and handling would be an additional $4.

It also can be ordered by writing: Dale Payne, Rt. 3, Box 75, Fayetteville, WV 25840, calling 304-574-3354 or e-mailing dalmarpayne@hotmail.com.

— E-mail: skeenan@register-herald.com

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