Introduced Version
Senate Resolution 39 History
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SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 39
(By Senators Unger, Snyder, Hall, Kessler, McCabe and Plymale)
"Commemorating the City of Ranson's Centennial".
Whereas, The City of Ranson, West Virginia, was formed on
October 18, 1910, and is celebrating its centennial in 2010; and
Whereas, In May 1890, the Charles Town Mining, Manufacturing
& Improvement Company was founded by Roger Preston Chew, a
Lieutenant Colonel in the confederate artillery under General
J.E.B. Stuart during the Civil War and former member of the West
Virginia Legislature from 1884 to 1890, with the intention of
making Charles Town the hub of industrial activity in Jefferson
County, West Virginia; and
Whereas, The Charles Town Mining, Manufacturing & Improvement
Company purchased 850 acres adjoining the western and northern
corporate limits of Charles Town. The largest tract of this land
was purchased from the Ranson family. The principle property
owner, James Matthew Ranson Jr. was born in Jefferson County in
1858 and was a farmer in the Charles Town district in the late
nineteenth century. After the family's namesake, the new community
was called Ranson and grew around the Belt Railroad, which bisected
the area from east to west. The Belt Railroad was a spur between
the Norfolk and West Railroad and the Valley of Virginia Branch of
the Ohio Railroad; and
Whereas, A Virginia Free Press news release dated February 18,
1891, reported that the Charles Town Mining, Manufacturing &
Improvement Company had named and laid out planned streets and
avenues for its planned community and started to sell parcels of
land for development of commercial and residential properties;
Whereas, The new Ranson industrial community grew around the
bustling railroads of the late 1890's and early 1900's. Several
industrial factories were located in the area, including the A.D.
Goetz Company, which produced harnesses, collars, and saddler;
Shenandoah Brass and Iron Works; the Elmer E. Beachly Saw and
Planing Mill; the Vulcan Road Machine Company; the Shenandoah Brass
and Iron Works (later named Powhatan Brass and Iron Works); and
Hotel Powhatan; and
Whereas, In 1910, the residents in the Ranson community
decided to form their own town which encompassed the original 850
acres of land purchased by Charles Town Mining, Manufacturing &
Improvement Company. On October 15, 1910, by a vote of 69 to 2,
Ranson incorporated and three days later, on October 18, 1910,
Ranson officially became a separate town;
Whereas, The City of Ranson has steadily grown over the last
100 years in terms of population, land mass and commercial and
residential development. With the construction and opening of
Jefferson Memorial Hospital on October 3, 1948, Ranson began to
develop a medical community with many doctors opening offices in and around the hospital. The facility continues to serve the
residents of Ranson and Jefferson County. Comparable to the boom
in the late 1890's, the City of Ranson experienced a growth spurt
in the 2000's with the addition of approximately 5,000 acres to the
City limits, residential subdivisions and housing opportunities,
and large-scale commercial development serving the needs of Ranson
and surrounding areas; and
Whereas, As in its beginning, Ranson continues to host and
welcome individuals, business and industry to the community.
Today, Ranson is transitioning from a small industrial town, which
boomed in the late 19th Century, to a modern full-service City and
economic engine within the region that blends major corporations
with quiet residential neighborhoods and a developing commercial
district; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate:
That the Senate hereby commemorates the City of Ranson's
Centennial; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Senate extends its congratulations
to the City of Ranson on its centennial, which is officially
October 18, 2010, and for its 100 years of progress and service to
the citizens of Ranson, Jefferson County, and to the state of West
Virginia; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Clerk is hereby directed to forward
a copy of this resolution to A. David Hamill, Mayor of the city of
Ranson.
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