March 6, 1961 — Two fires of undetermined origins destroyed two dwellings in the Stanley area of Page County early Sunday morning. No one was at home at either place and all contents of the homes were lost. Both fires were discovered about 3 p.m. and the Stanley Fire Department siren sounded twice in about 10 minutes.
The first fire destroyed an historic landmark near Alma, known as the Jenkins property, now owned by Carroll Short, owner of Duke’s Shopping Center at Alma. The property is located between Alma and Honeyville near the intersection with U.S. 340. Mr. and Mrs. Richard Turner lived in several rooms of the house and lost all their furniture. They were spending the weekend with her parents in Stanley.
The other fire was about two and a half miles southwest of Stanley in the Hilliards Chapel neighborhood and it destroyed the three-room frame house of Levi Cubbage. The house was located off the road and it was impossible for the Stanley fire truck to reach the scene due to the wet road conditions. Stanley firemen had to go through a field to reach the premises, but when they arrived the fire had gained such a headway that nothing could be saved. Mr. Cubbage is a patient in the VA Center, Martinsburg, W.Va., and his wife and children were not at home at the time.
~ From the public archives of the Page News and Courier
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