UNKNOWN CALHOUN FACES - The Farris Barr Collection From 1905-1918 (No. 1)

(02/18/2024)
Published 3-14-2001

Farris Barr, a rural mail carrier, was from down on Daniel's Run, doing his daily mail route and taking photographs. His big interest was photography as he traveled up and down the lower tributaries of the West Fork of the Little Kanawha in the early part of the 1900s, snapping pictures and developing them onto postcards.

We have a couple hundred of his photos, most without names, donated by retired mailman Oda Carpenter of Mt. Zion.

Farris was the son of Floyd (1857-1919) and Frances (1859-1937) Barr who are buried in the Barr Cemetery on Sycamore.

Farris, who was born in 1888, was married to Willa Deems in 1922. He had at least two sisters, Cora and Una, and a brother Pratt Barr.

It is highly unlikely these pictures will ever be identified, having passed them by virtually every oldtimer in the community.

We present them to Herald readers to remember the faces of the people who made early contributions to our community - Jesse's Run, Sinking Springs, Daniel's Run, Altizer, Adam, Rocksdale, Henry's Fork, Triplett, Egypt Ridge, Barne's Run and Richardson.

View more FERRIS BARR photos under People, Humor and History