By William “Skip” Deegans
Had it not been for concerned residents of Hinton, Caldwell might look similar to this postcard photo of Piedmont, WV. Rumors began to spread in Greenbrier County in early spring of 1899 that the Luke family, owners of the Piedmont Pulp and Paper Company, were interested in moving the Piedmont mill to Caldwell where the C & O Railroad would build an extension up the Greenbrier River. Large tracts of timberland were being purchased in Greenbrier and Pocahontas counties, and speculators were buying land where it was thought the railroad would be laid.
The Piedmont mill produced post cards for the government and paper for Harper Brothers publishing. Most of its paper, however, was exported. The Lukes were concerned about a “howl” that came from the City of Cumberland, Maryland, claiming the mill was polluting the Potomac River. In early 1898, the Maryland Circuit Court found the Piedmont Pulp and Paper Co. guilty of polluting.
While plans were underway to build 100 homes in Caldwell for employees, and $1.5 million were allocated for the plant, word got out that the people of Hinton who were concerned about river pollution “have already manifested a disposition to give the company trouble.” Advocates of the plant argued that that any pollutants would be so diluted by the time they reached Hinton they would cause no harm. One Lewisburg lady said, “Hinton not fear, for you can pour a barrel of poison in the river at Caldwell and the water would be adulterated before it got to Ronceverte.”
By May, the Lukes had given up on Caldwell and selected Covington, Virginia, for their plant because they said the Jackson River was already polluted. Despite the loss of the paper mill in Caldwell, the C & O built the Greenbrier extension and the first train celebration was held on October 26, 1900.
Sources: Greenbrier Independent, The Durbin Line by William Price McNeel, Martinsburg Herald, Wheeling Daily Intelligencer.
