CROSS, WEST VIRGINIA

Cross, West Virginia, is a small community located on the mountain between Piedmont and Shaw. it ws named after a man named Cross who lived in the area.
The town has three churches and three cemeteries located within sight of each other. One the Methodist and called "New Church" was built in 1892. The Pentecostal Church was built in 1943 and enlarged in 1977. The "Old Church" was probably built in the early 1800's and was used by the United Brethren or "Dunkards" and the Methodist. Today this building is used as a community building and "polling place" at election time.
The School House was built on part of the Arthur Bennett farm. It was originally a one room school, however, after two additions, became a three room school. All grades were taught here, later in the mid 1930's the children were bussed to Elk Garden.
Some of the teachers who taught at the school were Louise Ward, Madalyn Bazzle, Mrs. Mae Burdock, Rodney Baker of Piedmont, Georgiana Tutwiler, Marie Lipscomb, Nellie Tripplet and Estella Barrett.
At one time Cross was a thriving community. It had a store, post office, school, cannery (operated by the Baxter Armentrouts.
Burk Randalls, and later Newt Lyons lived on the same farm. One of the largest homes was built by Alex Kalbaugh, father of William Kalbaugh.
Other residents were Kights, Ashbys, Beans, Bakers and Braithwaites, Chester and Frances Bishoff, Henry DeShong, Ethel DeShong, Nora Sutton, Oscar and Estella Kalbaugh, John Durham and son Gerald, Howard Broadwater who married Mabel Ashby, Haven Doman who married Jessie Ashby. Andy Kantor and wife Sophia came here from Hungary and farmed. Arthur Bennett came from England and married Elizabeth Biggs. He ran a grist mill for a whileand was a taxidermist, carpenter, blacksmith and coal miner.
John Barrick, father of the missionary and Edgar Barrick lived in the Cross area.
George Tasker owned a large farm and has passed it down to his sons and their children.
Joshua Kight and wife Eliza Adams Kight gave the ground for the Kight school, located between Piedmont and Cross. Some of the teachers who taught here were: Elizabeth Helfersty (rode a horse from Piedmont to teach here in 1918, Deborah Ord, Delos Ours, Dessie Fox, Jeff Baker, Estella Barrett, Buce Bosley, Nora Sutton, Miss Sally Kight, Nellie Wiley and her sister Wilda Kight and D C Harper, who was a County School Superintendent. Romaine Rohrbaugh and Elizabeth Smith were also teachers.

By Dorothy Saville. Permission to use this information granted by Mr. Robert Rummer, editor of Mineral County WV Traits, Tracks and Trails.