Ceredo-Kenova West Virginia

Ceredo-Kenova West Virginia. Home of the Wonders. , Ceredo Early History , Founded in 1857 by Massachusetts congressman Eli Thayer, Ceredo was the Nation's only attempt to form an abolitionist community in the old South. As a pre-War industrial town Ceredo was beginning to thrive, but with the outbreak of hostilities the only Civil War fort in Wayne County, Fort Pierpont, was established in Ceredo and many settlers returned to the Northeast. Following the war, Thayer sold his interests in Ceredo to New York congressman C.B. Hoard who, along with the early settlers such as Z.D. Ramsdell and Robert Wright, rebuilt Ceredo as the mercantile, lumber, coal, and education center of the mid-Ohio Valley. The first independent school district in in Wayne County was located in Ceredo, and during the mid-Twentieth Century the town was home to the largest inland port in the United States. Ceredo established the first municipal Beautification Committee in the state, and is recognized as "West Virginia's Most Livable Small Town"., Kenova Early History , Native people known as the Mound Builders constructed burial mounds between 500 and 1200 A.D. on the future site of Kenova but, unfortunately, they were leveled when the town was built. Shawnee Indians from southern Ohio set up temporary hunting camps in the area and were still present in the mid to late 1700's. After the French and Indian War ended in 1763, John Savage's company was given a land grant for service to the English Colony of Virginia, but members of the Morgan family were the only settlers who stayed and farmed the area that is now Kenova. In the late 1800's L.T. Peck, a land agent, chose the Morgan lands for the site of a new town, because the N&W Railroad was to bridge the Ohio River there. Incorporated in 1894, Kenova's name combined portions of the three states Kentucky, Ohio, and West Virginia, which meet at the confluence of the Big Sandy and Ohio Rivers., Why Wonders? , Originally called the Ceredo-Kenova Hornets, Coach Tom Dandelet's football team played the toughest schedule of the 1928 West Virginia high school season. Outscoring their opponents 218-31, they tied the Huntington High Pony Express 7-7 in a 9-0-1 season in which both undefeated teams were declared State Co-Champions. Herald Dispatch sportswriter Duke Ridgely dubbed C-K the "Wayne Wonders," and his story changed the school's name forever., The C-K Logo , For seven decades C-K was represented only by the interlocking C and K. In 1964 the Ceredo-Kenova Boosters held a contest to design a logo befitting of "Wonders" and offered a $25 prize. The winning logo, inspired by the "wonders of nature" was conceived by Dick Griffith and drawn by his wife Rudy. The CK with the cloud and lightning bolt was later added by their son Ric., The C-K Alma Mater , The Ohio State University Alma Mater, Carmen Ohio, (Latin for "Song of Ohio"), was chosen by band director Charles M. Oshel to be the Ceredo-Kenova High School song. Art teacher Martha Rollins wrote the lyrics and student Dorothy Jane Griffith was the first to perform it., Our Alma Mater, we thine own, do give thee honor; praise thy name. , Oh may through us thy strength be known, and in our reverence, be thy fame. , May thy spirit grow and soar, in our memories evermore. , Honor, truth, and loyalty; Ceredo-Kenova praise to thee., CKHS School Colors and Fight Song , In the early years of the football program, new uniforms were needed and C-K coach Tom Dandelet convinced Marshall College to donate its old uniforms to the team. Ceredo-Kenova's school colors became and stayed green and white. , The C-K band was born in 1937 under the leadership of director Harvey Gregory, who chose the West Virginia University fight song Hail West Virginia for the Wonders., CKHS Fight Song , Hail West Virginia , It's C-K High School, It's C-K High School, We're proud of every student here. Come on you old grads, come join our young lads. It's C-K High School now we cheer, Rah, Rah! Now is the time Boys, to make a big noise, No matter what the people say. For there is none to fear the gang's all here, So hail to C-K High School. Hail!, (Photo Captions):, Ceredo Congregational Church 1880's , The first Congregational Church of Ceredo, 600 C Street, was built in 1886, but had been organized by a group of Massachusetts pioneers in 1874. Their first meeting was on the second floor of the old Crescent Hall on B Street., The Z.D. Ramsdell House at 1108 B Street was built atop an Indian burial mount in 1858 by abolitionist Zophar Ramsdell and his wife Almeda. On the National Register of Historic Places, it was a last stop on The Underground Railroad, and survived the great floods of 1913 and 1937., The Ceredo Ramsdell house was built in 1858 on higher ground than most of Ceredo and suffered less damage during the 1937 flood., Ceredo-Kenova High School Building , This 1918 picture was taken during the period both Ceredo Graded School and CKHS shared the building., In 1867 the Ceredo Independent School District purchased land in the Brownstown section of Ceredo and the following year opened a one-room school along what is now Walker's Branch Road. The Brownstown School operated until 1872, when it was consolidated with the new Ceredo Grade School on Main Street., Jack Hardin , Jack Hardin was for decades the voice from the press box whose "Here come the Wonders!" brought C-K onto the football field at Ward-Craycraft Stadium. A longtime employee of the Herald Dispatch newspaper, Jack was the first reporter on the scene of the Marshall University plane crash in 1970, and was the author of the popular About Town column., The C-K basketball program was initiated by Principal and coach Harry C. Wilson in 1916. Seated at right on the back row is Howard Kessinger, (1902-1982), who attended West Point after his 1919 graduation from CKHS. Howard's successful military career included the rank of Major General and service helping plan the Allies' European Theater action in World War II., Football began at C-K in 1895, but players and resources were scarce. The program was discontinued until 1921, After the first C-K football program was discontinued, the sport was revived in 1921 with a team coached by O.E. Roberts, pictured at far right. The team included future coach Frank Porter and future community leaders Jim Hamer, Paul Shingleton, Chester Rife, and O.M. Parsley., Coach O.E. Roberts , 1st C-K Football Coach of the 1921 revived program, November 4, 1923 , C-K 83, Maysville 0, Coach C.A. Webb , 2nd C-K Football Coach, Coach Tom Dandelet , 3rd C-K Football Coach , Football began at C-K in 1921 and two coaches, O.E. Roberts and C.A. Webb, led the team to a 17-8-1 record over the first three seasons. Thomas Edward Dandelet (1897-1950), the third coach, steered Ceredo-Kenova to its first state championship in 1928, and from 1924-1929 compiled an impressive 47-11-3 record for the young program. From 1931 to 1934 Tom coached Marshall to an 18-16-2 record before being replaced by Cam Handerson. He remained a professor and Dean of Men at Marshall until his death of a heart attack at his Huntington home in 1950., Coach Frank W. Porter , 4th C-K Football Coach, Coach Guy Smith , 5th C-K Football Coach, The Wright Brothers Store, which operated from 1896 until 1931, was one of the most successful dry goods and grocery stores in the region. Pictured here is the store's delivery wagon driven by one of brothers, by Ceredo Bank at the corner of B and Main Streets. The Ceredo Methodist Church steeple is in the background., The Ceredo Drive In Theatre operated from 1948-1975 and was a Tri-State favorite that stood on the site of the current Ceredo Plaza., The Segar Hill School, located off James River Turnpike in South Ceredo, was established around 1890 and operated until 1934 when it was consolidated with Ceredo Graded School. After the consolidation, the Segar Hill School became the Ceredo Colored School, and operated until 1941 serving the African-American children of Ceredo., Ceredo Graded School, Wayne County's first public school, opened in 1872 and was destroyed by fire February 14, 1957., Built on the site of the original Ceredo Grade School, Ceredo Elementary School continued to educate the town's children until it closed in 2017 to consolidate with Kenova Elementary., Garry Lanham scores the winning touchdown in C-K's 19-13 win over Hinton in the 1963 WV AA State Football Championship game, the first of 10 state titles for Coaches Carl Ward and Dale Craycraft, From left, Paul White and Eric Sparks block for Dale Billam during C-K's undefeated Class A championship 14-0 season. Coach Don Money led the Wonders to their 12th and final football title., Football 1930-1959 , The Wonders were led by five coaches during the decades of the 30's, 40's, and 50's. Frank Porter guided the team from 1930-1942, when he entered the Navy during World War II. Guy Smith served as the interim coach for the 1943-1945 seasons, until Porter returned to coach from 1945-1947. Albert "Babe" Mazza held the job from 1948-1956, when Richard "Dick" Tredway completed the era from 1957-1959., Coach Albert "Babe" Mazza , 6th C-K Football Coach, Coach Richard "Dick" Tredway , 7th C-K Football Coach, Coach Carl Kenneth Ward , 8th C-K Football Coach , Born June 13, 1929 in Happy Holler, Carl Ward led the Wonders to 10 West Virginia High School AA Football State Championships, while compiling a 244-61-3 record. After a 1-9 first season in 1960, Ward's teams began a streak of 18 out of 22 years with 9 or more wins and 3 undefeated seasons. His teams reached the Class AA playoffs 16 times and went 23-6 with a 10-3 mark in title games. He was elected to the West Virginia Sports Writers Hall of Fame in 1994, his first year on the ballot. Carl Ward's fame as a coach was not to be outdone by the positive influence he bestowed upon hundreds of students and athletes, nor by the discreet charitable act he generously directed to individuals and organizations in the community. He died on December 9. 2020, one of the great heroes of Ceredo-Kenova., The C-K class ring displayed the school motto, "RESPI FINEM", a latin phrase meaning consider the end, or live so your life will be approved after your death., This picture, taken by Charles M Oshel, shows four buildings of the CKHS campus. From left are the corner of the Home Economics/Cafeteria Building (1953), Old Main (1921), a peek at the Gymnasium (1965), and at the right the Senior High Building (1959)., Coach Kenneth Dale Craycraft , C-K Basketball and Track Coach , Dale Craycraft (March 28, 1927-August 20, 2002) was the other half of the best high school coaching duo in West Virginia for over 20 years. His unmatched, analytical mind and scouting ability helped Carl Ward win 10 AA Football State Championships. As a head coach, he won 2 AA Track State Championships (1967 and 1975), despite the school not having its own track. Back-to-back AA Basketball State Championships (1968 and 1969) followed two near miss years, but soon led to his stepping down from the pressures of being a head coach. He continued to help Ward with C-K's highly successful football program, while his strong Christian faith and systematic instructional skills led him to be an inspiring lay preacher and Sunday School teacher who touched thousands of lives., Coach Barry Scragg , 9th C-K Football Coach , From 1970 through the 1984 football seasons, Barry Scragg was the key assistant coach for the Ward-Craycraft program. He also held the position of assistant principal from 1973 to 1974. A great athlete himself, Barry also coached future coach Don Money, who played on the 1971 champion team., Coach Larry Heck , 10th C-K Football Coach, The Glenwood Inn was built at 14th and Chestnut Streets in 1891 as the N&W Railway expanded into the area. Designed by Ceredo architect S. Floyd Hoard in an H shape so that every room had a window, it opened New Year's Day 1892. It also held R. Ney Williams Drug (now Griffith and Feil) and was positioned close to Kenova's Union Terminal train station. One-Third of the building remains on Pine Street., Union Station was built in 1894 and demolished in 1976. As many as 30 trains stopped, terminated, or originated here in the 1920's. A two story building with stained glass windows, the terminal had an adjacent baggage elevator and served North-South N&W trains and East West B&O and C&G trains., May 1, 1971, last passenger service ended., The first Kenova Graded School was built in 1890 east of the 12th and Poplar Street and had four rooms and two teachers. First grade classes were taught in the Y.M.C.A. building, where the First Presbyterian Church of Kenova now stands. The original wooden School was destroyed by by fire in 1906., In 1907 a new Kenova graded School opened on 14th Street between Poplar and Oak. It burned February 13, 1942, leaving a badly damaged structure., In 1926 crowding was helped by the construction of a building on the same lot at 14th and Poplar. It provided ten additional classrooms and a combined gymnasium and auditorium., Sink holes necessitated closing the 1400 Poplar Street location of Kenova Elementary in May of 2011. A quick agreement between the Wayne County School Board and the City of Kenova kept the school in town by using the former CKHS football field as a campus for modular units from 2011-2017., The 1940 CKHS band pictured here was led by Harvey L. Gregory, seen at far right. Mr. Gregory initiated the marching band in 1937 and adopted Hail West Virginia, the WVU fight song, for C-K's song. While waiting for a bus home he was fatally struck by a car that went over the curb at 9th and Poplar Streets in April of 1942. The band played for his graveside service at Spring Hill Cemetery in Huntington., The fall of 2017 began a new era in our community when C-K Elementary opened with the consolidation of Ceredo and Kenova Elementary Schools in a new building on the former site of C-K High School., Coach Don Money , 11th C-K Football Coach , Don Money's life was "Wonder-full" from birth. The son of a C-K family, at twelve he played for the 1966 C-K Little League State Champions, in 1971 he was a star running back for the 1971 C-K "AA" Football State Champs, and he coached the Wonders' 1994 "A" Football State Championship team. Don led the Ceredo-Kenova football program from 1991 until its final season in 1997., 1924 View of the north side of Chestnut Street showing trolley car tracks and the N&W bridge., After fire gutted Kenova Graded School in 1942 during World War II, money was not available to rebuild, so the structure was repaired with a flat roof, bricked up windows, and removal classical features., On 14th Street in South Kenova Ferndale School was built in 1920 to take care of pupils from the first through fifth grades. At 23rd Street in 1926 a one room building called the Galloway Town School was erected, but it was discontinued after the 1937 flood., Charles M. Oshel , Director of the Ceredo-Kenova High School Band from 1952-1953 and 1955-1977 , Served in the United States Army from 1952-1955 , Director of the Ceredo-Kenova Alumni Band , Member of the Town of Ceredo Hall of Fame and City of Kenova Hall of Fame , Member of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History Band Directors Hall of Fame , WSAZ TV Hometown Hero, Coach Ric Morrone , C-K Babe Ruth Baseball Coach, Coach Mike Lemons , C-K Basball Coach , Despite State Championships in Little League and Babe Ruth Baseball, C-K had never won a high school baseball championship until Coach Mike Lemons' 1995 WV Class A State Champions. Many players from the powerful 1994 State Football Championship team enjoyed the second title of their graduating class., Kenova's first city hall opened in 1902 and was destroyed by fire 1978., Dreamland swimming pool opened in 1926 as one of the nations largest and featured dances with big band greats like Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey and Louis Armstrong., The C-K Marching Band is shown here leading Popeye in the 1964 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City, where they were seen on national television. The band also performed in the Philadelphia Gimbel's Thanksgiving Parade and Detroit's Hudson Thanksgiving Day Parade., In 1952 Fred and Gloria Long opened Long's Parkette on Oak Street across from C-K High School. There on Saturday mornings C-K Athletic Boosters would gather for breakfast to discuss the previous night's game, and it was always a popular drive-in spot for C-K students until it was destroyed by fire December 3, 1981., 1964 grad Dale Capehart directed the C-K choir from 1968-1972, then assumed from Charles Oshel leadership of the Wonders' marching band from 1976-1982., Coach Patty Bash , C-K Cheerleading Coach , Mathematics teacher Patty Bash coached the Wonders' Cheerleaders to their first Class A State Championship. The victory would be the 17th and final state title for Ceredo-Kenova High School., Coach Josh Maynard , C-K Babe Ruth Baseball Coach, (Timeline):, 1928 . WV High School Football Co-Champs , 1959 . WV Little League State Champions , 1960 . WV Little League State Champions , 1961 . WV Little League State Champions , 1963 . WV "AA" Football State Champions , 1965 . WV "AA" Football State Champions , 1966 . WV Little League State Champions , 1967 . WV "AA" Track State Champions , 1967 . WV "AA" Football State Champions , 1968 . WV "AA" Basketball State Champions , 1969 . WV "AA" Basketball State Champions , 1971 . WV "AA" Football State Champions , 1974 . WV "AA" Football State Champions , 1975 . WV "AA" Track State Champions , 1975 . WV "AA" Football State Champions , 1978 . WV "AA" Football State Champions , 1980 . WV "AA" Football State Champions , 1981 . WV "AA" Football State Champions , 1983 . WV "AA" Football State Champions , 1985 . WV 13 Years Old Babe Ruth Champs , 1994 . WV "A" Football State Champions , 1995 . WV "A" Baseball State Champions , 1997 . WV "A" Cheerleadering State Champions , 2005 . WV 14 Years Old Babe Ruth Champs ,