Ephraim Bee
1802 - 1888
Blacksmith, innkeeper, an operator of the "Underground Railroad". A
Captain of the Doddridge County Militia,
a member of the first West Virginia
State Legislature in 1863, serving
3 terms. The Founder and Grand Royal
Gyascutis of the Most Ancient and Honorable
Order of E Clampsus Vitus, Ephraim was known throughout the country as a garrulous story-teller and practical joker. Legend has it that
around 1845, 1st U.S. Ambassador Caleb Cushing returned from negotiating a treaty with China
& entrusted Ephraim Bee with the Sacred Mantel
of Grand Llama and Mutuals from either the
Mysterious Emperor of the Celestial Kingdom of
China or by the Remnant of the "Sons Of Liberty", notably agents of the late great Benjamin
Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. Bee then
brought forth and promoted the rapid growth
of E Clampsus Vitus. In the years to follow, ECV spread like "wildfire" and became prominent
during the California Gold Rush. In 1931, ECV was reorganized in San Francisco with the motto
"Credo Quia Absurdum" and became the thriving historical society it is today.
Marker is on Old Highway 50 1.5 miles south of U.S. 50, on the left when traveling south.
Courtesy hmdb.org
