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Archiver > WVTAYLOR > 2004-11 > 1100447457


From: John Morris <>
Subject: RE: [WVTAYLOR] Pruntytown Industrial home for Boys
Date: Sun, 14 Nov 2004 10:50:57 -0500


The Pruntytown Industrial School for Boys was still in operation in the
early 1960's. The building are still standing. I was up that way a few
months back visiting Smith's Cemetery which is about a half a mile from
there. It appears that a couple of the administrative buildings are still
being used, the rest are just abandoned and starting to show signs of
needing repair or demolition..

My grandfather donated land, Camp Towles, to the Taylor County Board of
education to be used as a camp for the youth of Taylor County and he was
allowed to live on the property till his death in 1972. From 1952 to 1964,
I would come up from Virginia and spend my summers with him at the camp.

Often, inmates from the school, trustees, would come down to do land and
brush clearing. Many nights they were allowed to walk about the camp and
often came down to the house to try to get cigarettes or just to talk.
There were several that he had kept in touch with over the years and if
possible he would let the school know of job openings at the Hazel Atlas
Glass factory in Grafton.

I guess that by today's standards it might be considered as a prison, but
many of those there were placed there because they had no other place to
live or relatives to live with.

It would be interesting to see what happened to many of the boys there. I
am sure that given to the fact that they were given an education/trade many
probably made very good use of the facilities and achieved quite a bit of
success of their lives.

John Towles Morris

On Sunday, November 14, 2004 00:23, [SMTP:]
wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I am new to the list, and was wondering if anyone could point me in the
right
> direction. I am looking about Pruntytown home for boys at about 1910. I
found
> names on the 1910 census, but I was wondering about the conditions and
that
> sort of thing. I will appreciate any advice given. Thanks
>
>
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