Someone post on the preps site. I thought it was super interesting being it showed the roots for a lot of teams in SWVA.

[BoBob]

 

[tornado99]

Thanks for sharing.

[Liam McPoyle]

A bittersweet video

[EH31]

This guy is snitching on underage drinking at Pocahontas 16 years later 🤦‍♂️

[redtiger]

Some Middle School and JV games are still played at Riggs, although not regularly.

[Liam McPoyle]

What those Pocahontas teens were doing was nothing compared to their forefathers. The following is an excerpt from a paper written by a Pocy native and VT student  Microsoft Word - Brewster.doc (vt.edu)

 

The Wild Frontier

Haller described life in the early days of the town as resembling the “wild frontier”. It was not uncommon for local residents to hear the sound of gunfire in the streets or the loud voices of drinkers and carousers at night. Pocahontas became known for its saloons, or “blind tigers.”  Lathrop described in her letters the fear that often plagued early residents at night:

Paydays were always rather hectic, or rather the nights were, for by that time, the men had visited the saloons on the outskirts of the town, and were using their firearms in the most reckless way. I have frequently gone into a closet fearing a stray bullet would come through the window when some man was going past “shooting wild” as they called it.

Men came from all over to “stock up” on whiskey, filling their jugs to transport back home. Those who did not arrive in town on a horse or mule did so by passenger train.  These trains were usually overcrowded with men who would “stampede” and “deluge” the saloons upon arrival.

Opposition to the indiscriminate sale of whiskey came from citizens throughout the town who wished for a peaceful and stable environment. The local newspaper, the Pocahontas Headlight denounced the custom of frivolously selling alcohol. Week after week, various papers condemning the practice published editorials and news articles. Finally, the Virginia General Assembly passed a special law allowing the Town of Pocahontas, Virginia, to grant licenses to regular saloon dealers. With the additional revenue, the town was able to finance a police force. With the presence of a police force and the regulation of saloons, Pocahontas settled down to become a law-abiding town.

During the 1890s, over 75 stores, restaurants, and saloons developed, and were concentrated along Center Street. The population was 2,953, and Pocahontas was the largest town within a 50-mile radius. By 1890, Pocahontas had become a service town specializing in entertainment. There were at least 65 saloons and houses of prostitution operating in the town, with many located along Center Street.

Saloons characterized the earlier days of coal mining when drinking and gambling was common among the young single males who dominated the first-generation miners. The ratio of single to married men had a major impact on the character of town life. Thus, the higher concentration of unmarried males and the prevalence of drinking and gambling provided a greater chance that common disagreements would lead to outbreaks of violence.

Hibbard described early miners as heavy drinkers. Saloons in the coalfields ran a profitable business thanks to these miners. Shifflett indicated that the consumption of alcohol was a common practice in many mining towns during the pioneer phase of development because of the high concentration of unmarried males and the difficult working conditions in the mines. Saloons in the coalfields offered a temporary escape from the harsh environment of the mines. Consequently, coal operators were early supporters of prohibition. Coal operators perceived that liquor not only lowered moral standards in the camps, but also increased accidents and decreased production in the mines.

By World War I, the growth of families throughout the coal field region would greatly diminish the “wild frontier” image promoted by the frequency of gambling and excessive drinking. In 1914, the State of Virginia voted for prohibition by an overwhelming majority. On April 29, 1916, the saloons in Pocahontas closed their doors. Although there were fears that the loss of revenue caused by the closing of the saloons would reduce the nine-month school term, the town managed to attract new businesses and the school term was never affected

[Union_Fan]

5 hours ago, EH31 said:

This guy is snitching on underage drinking at Pocahontas 16 years later 🤦‍♂️

I'm sure you're in the clear. The statute of limitations should have run out on "most" of your offenses. Lol