Hinton Through the Years

HINTON (Hinton News) – In the beginning, the area that was to become Hinton was owned by Henry Ballengee. He had built his home where the C&O Railroad would eventually lay their tracks and prepare for business that would last for years to come. His home was located near where the future roundhouse would be built.

In 1835, he sold John Hinton all the land that was later to become Avis. Now, this was lumber country and lumberjacks floated logs down the river and parked them in designated areas, mostly in Lower Avis.

Hinton was founded later in 1874, and as Hinton was growing, the need for business locations became a major concern. Most people back then figured that Avis would be the perfect place, mainly because of the easy access to the river. As businesses were popping up in Lower Avis, floods from the mighty New River changed the direction of the locations. At this point, Businessmen were moving to higher grounds in Hinton.

The Building Boom was known to have happened between 1895 and 1906. Where there is a dollar to be made, someone will be there to make it. Eleven saloons shot up in the Avis and Hinton area to take care of the lumberjacks that were in and out of town and to also relieve them of their paychecks.

With alcohol and money floating around, the need for a jail emerged. The first jail was erected near Avis Crossing, on the river side of the tracks. The jail managed to stay full most of the time. Because of little space and a growing population, a new and larger jail was erected in Hinton close to the border line that separated the two towns. The borderline ran up Union Street and on up the mountainside.

Hinton was growing by leaps and bounds, mostly due to the success of the C&O Railroad. Early into the 1900s, we had: three well-established banks; The first National, The Summers National, and The Citizens National; we had three modern hospitals, Coopers, Bigony’s, and Holly’s; we had 14 Lawyers, 12 surgeons, and physicians; three weekly newspapers, The Independent Herald, The Hinton Leader, and The Summers Republic, and two daily papers, The Hinton News, and The Hinton Herald. The railroad employed about 100 men. More than 6,000 railcars passed through Hinton on a daily basis handling more than 7,000,000 lbs of freight. Hinton had finally appeared on the map flexing its muscle.

In the 1920s, as Hinton prospered, alcohol and prostitution became a problem. Front Street was the center of attention for this corruption. Law enforcement and our religious sector managed to run most off but they only went a little way, up 3rd Avenue. More was going to have to happen if this town was going to survive.

Stricter laws were adopted and enforced by a larger police department, they and the religious sector made an all-out effort to rid the community of the evil. Most of the prostitution ring moved over to Madams Creek, and with them went most of the alcohol. This is how Madams Creek obtained its name.  

After years of fighting, Hinton had settled down and had continued to prosper, it became one of the finest little towns west of the Mississippi.