"Cock and Bull" Story.
"Bibler" Home, located on the Warren Springs Highway, west side, about 2 miles west of Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Early eighties.
The house is a substantial stone building, in splendid condition, erected by Lewis and Barbara Bibler in June, 1797, which fact is evidenced by a block of stone in the north end gable of the house, with the names and dates carved on same.
The Biblers lived here until 1848, when Lewis Bibler died; he and other members of the family are buried on the farm near the house. The graves are marked with plain blocks of limestone, with no inscriptions. After the passing of the Biblers, the property was owned by a Bowman family.
In the early eighties it seems that some of the Bowman family came in contact with and fell under the influence of a fanatic by the name of Thurman, who went about the country preaching the coming of the Lord on certain dates. Many people joined this faith and the Bowman home was headquarters for the meetings. Many days were spent in prayer, singing, fasting and waiting. During one of these meetings, one of the member’s mother died, and when he received word of her death, he sent back the message: "Let the dead bury the dead". It seems they expected the Lord to descend down the stairway from an upper room. On one occasion, after waiting a number of days for the coming of the Lord, the crowd went home. On this occasion, Geo. Holler started across the field to his home two miles away. Being tired and exhausted, he crawled in an old straw stack and soon fell asleep. Some boys, who knew Holler, were in the straw stack, decided to set the stack on fire. When the straw began crackling, Holler awoke and jumped out, exclaiming –"My God, just as I expected, dead and in Hell".
August 20, 1937 W.A. Byerly
Bridgewater, VA