A Handshake Across Time: Mr. Morris’s Urgent Letter from Springdale

“Will you Please Come up at once and Sign your wright of Way and receve your money for same”

Now, pull up a chair and let me show you something special I found tucked away in the archives. It’s just a small scrap of lined paper, yellowed like an old leaf in autumn, but it carries the voice of a man named Lewis Morris all the way from February 16, 1892. Writing from Springdale over in Fayette County, West Virginia, Lewis was in a bit of a hurry. He sent a note to a Mr. G. Minter, asking him to come up at once to sign off on a right-of-way agreement and collect his payment. You can almost hear the urgency in his pen as he asks Mr. Minter to either show up or at least send word back right away.

When you hold this piece of history, you can see the wear and tear of time. The edges are a bit ragged and torn, and there are deep creases where the paper was folded tight, maybe tucked into a pocket or a ledger long ago. The black ink has held its own against the years, though, standing out clearly against the beige, weathered background. It’s a humble fragment, but it feels heavy with the weight of a deal being struck and the busy life of a community moving forward.

In those days, West Virginia was growing fast, and a right of way usually meant a new road, a pipeline, or perhaps the arrival of the railroad that would change the landscape forever. This wasn’t just dry legal work; it was a neighbor-to-neighbor conversation. Lewis Morris wasn’t just filling out forms; he was reaching out to settle a matter of progress and fair pay. It reminds us that behind every big map or highway, there were individual people making decisions and looking for a way to better their lives and their towns.

Looking at this letter today, it’s a gentle reminder that our history is built on these small, personal moments. A quick note, a promised payment, and a sense of community are what paved the way for the world we live in now. It connects us to the folks of Springdale over a hundred years ago, showing us that while the paper might get a little frayed at the edges, the human story of working together and getting things done stays just as clear as Lewis’s ink.

Original Transcription

Febery The 16 1892
Springdale Fayette Co W Va
Mr G Minter dear Sir Will you Please
Come up at once and Sign your wright of
Way and receve your money for same
and ablg Lewis Morris
Please Come up at once or let me hear from
you at once