P-4 Smith Stone House*

Warren & Ruth Smith moved to Arthurdale in 1939, one of the last families to come here. Their two daughters were born here. Warren worked with the US Postal Service and during WWII he wrote a weekly newsletter about area happenings. “A Letter from Home” was mailed to all active duty service men and women from the Valley District and bound copies are available in the Craft Shop. 

Warren Smith printed the first issue of “A Letter from Home” on February 12, 1944. Sponsored by VFW Post 1589 of Masontown, WV and published in Reedsville, WV, the newsletter was published weekly until May 26, 1945. For service men and women who received this newsletter, it provided a boost in morale, and many wrote to Smith to share their praise. As the newsletter continued, more people got involved in its publication including mothers of those on active duty, local businesses, and just friends. They had a common goal in making sure that local people in the military were able to keep in contact with their loved ones at home.  

In the first issue, Warren Smith began with a message to the G.I.s explaining the letter and its purpose. He noted, “We hope that you will bear with us for the first few weeks and not be too critical of our efforts to provide you with news, remembering that it is a tremendous task...But we are going after this thing with a solid determination and the wholehearted support of all of you fathers, mothers, wives, and friends. With such unusual cooperation we surely cannot fail” (Smith February 12, 1944). Each issue began with a letter to the service men and women from Warren Smith and included weekly columns like “War Mother of the Week,” “Dots and Dashes,” and “Here and There,” as well as articles that reported on different bits of hometown news, especially local sporting events. A special Mother’s Day edition in 1944 included messages from war mothers to their children.  

Though the weekly letter provided encouragement to service members and a community project for those at home, it was hard to avoid the realities and tragedies of war and separation. In the issue published on December 23, 1944, Smith noted at the end the malaise of the community as “We are sick to the point of becoming nauseated simply because we know that we have made no sacrifices - no concrete physical contribution toward winning this war. We are sicker still when we recall that hundreds, yes, more than 400 boys and girls whose names are on the mailing list to receive this issue of the LETTER are away from our shores tonight” (Smith). 

The “Letter from Home” ceased publication before the war was fully over. Its last issue on May 26, 1945 came soon after V-E (Victory in Europe) Day but more than three months before V-J (Victory in Japan) Day was celebrated. The tone of the letter near the end of its publication conveys relief and hope but still a sense of worry for the many young people still in active service. According to Smith, “War wives and mothers generally accepted the V-E Day announcement with subdued emotions and with the somber realization that ‘there is one more river to cross,’ and until that river is crossed there is no reason for giving expression to emotions that hold no security until the final day of victory over Japan” (May 19, 1945).  

The complete collection of “A Letter from Home” was published by Arthurdale Heritage Inc. in 2006 and is dedicated to the memory of Warren W. Smith and the valiant men and women of Valley District who served in the armed forces during WWII.

Arthurdale Heritage, Preserving Arthurdale, WV – Eleanor Roosevelt's New Deal Community. Arthurdale Heritage Inc.. Accessed March 20, 2017. http://www.arthurdaleheritage.org/.

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