COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE

FOR

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 63

(By Delegates Westfall, Ihle, Ashley, Folk, Householder,

Espinosa, Cooper, Perry, Butler and Cadle)

(Originating in the House Committee on Roads and Transportation)

[March 9, 2015]

Requesting the Division of Highways to name bridge number 18-25-1.03 (18A-108), locally known as Harpold Bridge, carrying County Route 25 over Mill Creek in Jackson County, the "Harry Ripley Memorial Bridge".

            Whereas, Harry Ripley was born on Dec. 29, 1799, in western Massachusetts, the oldest son of Abraham and Phoebe Bliss Ripley, according to the book Stories Carved in Stone, by Rusty Clark (2005); and

            Whereas, Harry Ripley moved to the frontier of western Virginia in the late 1820s, serving as an itinerant preacher; and

            Whereas, It is believed the preacher rode the Little Kanawha Circuit, an area of more than 50 miles between the Kanawha River and Little Kanawha River, traveling on horseback with a Bible and a hymn book in his saddlebags, spreading the gospel, and presiding over weddings and funerals; and

            Whereas, According to local history books, Harry resided with the family of Jacob Starcher when traveling through the area. Starcher operated a mill and donated the land where the Jackson County Courthouse is located; and

            Whereas, Legend says that Harry Ripley fell in love with a local girl, believed to have been a daughter of Capt. William Parsons, an early settler. Harry was going to marry Miss Parsons, but drowned days before the wedding while crossing Mill Creek approximately two miles south of where Ripley now stands (believed to be in the area of the iron bridge situated between Ripley and Cedar Lakes). Their wedding certificate was found in his coat pocket. He was 31 years old; and

            Whereas, This occurred about the same time Jackson County was being organized from sections of Mason, Wood and Kanawha counties; and

            Whereas, The town's post office would be known as Jackson Court House for another fifty years; and

            Whereas, Upon learning the details of the life and death of Harry Ripley, members of the community were so touched that they decided to name the town in his honor when the charter was approved by the Virginia General Assembly on Dec. 19, 1832; and

            Whereas, Ripley's story was documented in a December 1899 issue of The Mountaineer, a local newspaper; and

            Whereas, It is fitting that a memorial mark the area in which the circuit rider drowned while serving the community; therefore, be it

            Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:

            That the Division of Highways is hereby requested to name bridge number 18-25-1.03 (18A-108), locally known as Harpold Bridge, carrying County Route 25 over Mill Creek in Jackson County, the "Harry Ripley Memorial Bridge" and, be it

            Further Resolved, That the Commissioner of the Division of Highways is hereby requested to erect signs at both ends of the bridge containing bold and prominent letters proclaiming the bridge the "Harry Ripley Memorial Bridge"; and, be it

            Further Resolved, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates forward a certified copy of this resolution to the Commissioner of the Division of Highways and the mayor of Ripley, West Virginia.