The Ghosttown of Spruce, presentation

Ghosttown of Spruce today

Leo Weese’s Trout

Snow in Spruce, by Leo Weese

Photo spruce school: Front row Okareta Powers, Millie Calain, Mildred Teter, Glenda Ketterman. Second row Anita Fay Fansler, Hershal Broughton, Booch Cussins, Elmer Semones, Arveda Powers, Jack Ketterman, Bob Semones. Back row Christine P, Ruth Semones, Alice Sharp, Juanita Waugh, Jo Ann Semones, Darlene Calain, Joe Ketterman, Betty Broughton, Eddie Broughton and Odbert Calain. Taken 1945. Courtesy Dorie Powers

Photo by: Mark William Branciaroli. Photo courtesy of: Jim Vaitkunas

photo by Dan Schultz

The DNR has been busy building breeding pools to help restore the native brook trout population to the Shavers Fork of the Cheat River at Spruce.

Spruce mill

Town of Spruce 1920

Richard Sparks, a Spruce expert explains, “I believe this picture must be from 1926 because my interpretation is the rossing machinery is being removed from the mill. This is the southwest corner of the building; a section of the front wall has been cut away. The log car you can see is on the pond track and they are probably using a cable hooked to a locomotive or a log loader to move the machines. The large concrete tubs that you can see at Spruce today were the foundations of this machinery. Note there is only one smokestack where there had been three.” Courtesy Richard Sparks

The old dog house in Spruce, which is the location of the death of Boyd Gainer.
Pictured is Charlie Fansler and Bud Teter in the door and Okie Powers is in the back. Photo courtesy Dorie Powers.

Two children and their dog in Spruce, note the board walk behind them.
There were no roads in Spruce, as there weren’t any roads leading to and from the town. Photo courtesy Leo Weese

2013 wreck